Object-Oriented Programming in Kotlin - FriendlyUsers Tech Blog

Classes and objects are fundamental concepts in object-oriented programming (OOP) and are essential in Kotlin as well.

In Kotlin, a class is a blueprint for creating objects, which are instances of that class. A class can contain properties (variables) and methods (functions) that define the behavior and data of the objects created from it.

Here is an example of a simple class definition in Kotlin:

class Person(val name: String, var age: Int) {
 fun speak() {
 println("$name is speaking")
 }
}

In this example, we define a Person class that has two properties: name, which is a String, and age, which is an Int. We also define a speak method that simply prints a message to the console.

To create an object of this class, we can use the Person constructor like this:

java`val person = Person("Alice", 30)

In this case, we create a new Person object with the name "Alice" and age 30.

We can access the properties of the Person object using the dot notation like this:

println(person.name) // prints "Alice"
println(person.age) // prints 30

We can also call the speak method on the Person object:

person.speak() // prints "Alice is speaking"

Kotlin also provides the concept of companion objects, which are objects that are tied to a class rather than an instance of the class. Companion objects can be used to define static methods or properties, which are associated with the class rather than an instance of the class.

Here is an example of a companion object:

class MyClass {
 companion object {
 fun sayHello() {
 println("Hello from companion object!")
 }
 }
}

In this example, we define a companion object for the MyClass class, which contains a sayHello method. We can call this method using the class name like this:

MyClass.sayHello() // prints "Hello from companion object!"

Note that we do not need to create an instance of the MyClass class to call the sayHello method.

In Kotlin, properties and fields are closely related concepts.

A property is a member variable of a class that can be accessed using the dot notation like this:

class Person(val name: String, var age: Int)
val person = Person("Alice", 30)
println(person.name) // prints "Alice"

In this example, name is a property of the Person class, and we can access it using the . operator on a Person object.

A field, on the other hand, is the storage location for a property. When we define a property, Kotlin automatically generates a field to hold its value. We can access the field directly using the backing field syntax, which is field.

Here is an example of a property with a custom getter and setter that uses the backing field:

class Counter {
 var count = 0
 get() = field
 set(value) {
 if (value >= 0) field = value
 }
}

In this example, we define a Counter class with a count property. We also define a custom getter and setter for the count property. The getter simply returns the value of the backing field using the field keyword. The setter checks whether the new value is greater than or equal to zero, and sets the backing field to the new value using the field keyword.

We can create a Counter object and set its count property like this:

val counter = Counter()
counter.count = 10

In this case, the setter checks that the new value of count is greater than or equal to zero and sets the backing field to 10.

It is important to note that properties in Kotlin are not the same as fields in Java. In Java, properties and fields are distinct concepts, and fields are typically accessed directly using the dot notation. In Kotlin, however, properties and fields are tightly integrated, and Kotlin automatically generates the fields for properties.

In Kotlin, methods are functions defined within a class, and constructors are special methods used to create new objects of a class.

Here is an example of a class with a constructor and a method:

class Person(val name: String, var age: Int) {
 fun greet() {
 println("Hello, my name is $name and I am $age years old.")
 }
}

In this example, we define a Person class with a constructor that takes two parameters, name and age. The constructor initializes the name and age properties of the class.

We also define a greet method that prints a greeting message with the person’s name and age.

We can create a new Person object and call the greet method like this:

val person = Person("Alice", 30)
person.greet() // prints "Hello, my name is Alice and I am 30 years old."

In this case, we create a new Person object with the name “Alice” and age 30 using the constructor, and then we call the greet method on the object.

Constructors in Kotlin can be defined in two ways: primary constructors and secondary constructors. The primary constructor is defined in the class header and initializes the class properties. Secondary constructors are defined using the constructor keyword and can be used to provide additional ways to create objects of the class.

Here is an example of a class with a primary constructor and a secondary constructor:

class Person(val name: String, var age: Int) {
 constructor(name: String) : this(name, 0)
 fun greet() {
 println("Hello, my name is $name and I am $age years old.")
 }
}

In this example, we define a Person class with a primary constructor that takes two parameters, name and age. We also define a secondary constructor that takes only a name parameter and sets the age property to 0. The greet method is the same as in the previous example.

We can create a new Person object using the primary constructor like before:

val person1 = Person("Alice", 30)
person1.greet() // prints "Hello, my name is Alice and I am 30 years old."

We can also create a new Person object using the secondary constructor like this:

val person2 = Person("Bob")
person2.greet() // prints "Hello, my name is Bob and I am 0 years old."

In this case, the age property is initialized to 0 because we used the secondary constructor that sets the age property to 0.

Inheritance is a mechanism in object-oriented programming that allows one class to inherit properties and methods from another class. In Kotlin, inheritance is achieved using the : symbol followed by the name of the parent class. Here is an example:

open class Animal(val name: String) {
 fun speak() {
 println("$name makes a sound.")
 }
}

class Cat(name: String) : Animal(name) {
 override fun speak() {
 println("$name meows.")
 }
}

class Dog(name: String) : Animal(name) {
 override fun speak() {
 println("$name barks.")
 }
}

In this example, we define an Animal class with a name property and a speak method that prints a generic message.

We also define two subclasses, Cat and Dog, that inherit from the Animal class. The subclasses override the speak method with their own implementation.

We can create Cat and Dog objects and call their speak methods like this:

val cat = Cat("Whiskers")
cat.speak() // prints "Whiskers meows."

val dog = Dog("Fido")
dog.speak() // prints "Fido barks."

In this case, when we call the speak method on the Cat and Dog objects, their respective overridden implementations are called.

In addition to inheriting properties and methods, subclasses can also add their own properties and methods. For example, we can add a breed property to the Cat and Dog classes like this:

class Cat(name: String, val breed: String) : Animal(name) {
 override fun speak() {
 println("$name meows.")
 }
}

class Dog(name: String, val breed: String) : Animal(name) {
 override fun speak() {
 println("$name barks.")
 }
}

In this case, the Cat and Dog classes now have an additional breed property that is specific to them.

Polymorphism is a fundamental concept in object-oriented programming that allows objects of different classes to be treated as if they were of the same type. In other words, polymorphism allows us to write code that can work with objects of multiple classes without knowing the specific class of each object at compile time.

In Kotlin, polymorphism is achieved through inheritance and method overriding. When a subclass inherits from a parent class, it can override the methods of the parent class with its own implementation. When an object of the subclass is created and a method is called on it, the overridden method of the subclass is called instead of the method of the parent class.

Here’s an example to illustrate polymorphism in Kotlin:

open class Animal {
 open fun speak() {
 println("Animal makes a sound.")
 }
}

class Cat : Animal() {
 override fun speak() {
 println("Cat meows.")
 }
}

class Dog : Animal() {
 override fun speak() {
 println("Dog barks.")
 }
}

In this example, we define an Animal class with a speak method that prints a generic message. We also define two subclasses, Cat and Dog, that inherit from the Animal class and override the speak method with their own implementation.

Now, we can create an array of Animal objects that contains objects of the Animal, Cat, and Dog classes, and call the speak method on each object:

val animals = arrayOf(Animal(), Cat(), Dog())

for (animal in animals) {
 animal.speak()
}

When we run this code, we get the following output:

Animal makes a sound.
Cat meows.
Dog barks.

As you can see, the speak method of each object is called, but the implementation that is actually called depends on the specific type of the object at runtime.

Polymorphism is a powerful concept that allows us to write more flexible and reusable code. By designing classes and methods in a way that takes advantage of polymorphism, we can write code that can work with a variety of different objects, even ones that haven’t been created yet.