Kotlin scope functions for dummies! 🤪

I want to know all Kotlin scope functions but I’m sooooo dumb! let’s learn it in a dummy way!

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Apply

“apply the following assignments to the object.”

It is good for object configuration or implementing a code in the Builder design pattern style. For example:

// Normal approach
fun createIntent(intentData: String, intentAction: String): Intent {
    val intent = Intent()
    intent.action = intentAction
    intent.data = Uri.parse(intentData)
    return intent
}

// Improved approach, by using apply
fun createIntent(intentData: String, intentAction: String) =
    Intent().apply {
        action = intentAction
        data = Uri.parse(intentData)
    }

Also

“and also do the following with the object.”

If in any case of chaining operations you want some additional effects such as logging. For example:

val numberList = mutableListOf<Double>()

numberList
    .also { println("Populating the list") }
    .apply {
        add(2.71)
        add(3.14)
        add(1.0)
    }
    .also { println("The ${it.size} items added to the list") }
    .also { println("Sorting the list") }
    .sort()
    .also { println("The list sorted") }

Let

“let’s do the following stuff with it”

let helps us to do stuff with an object without define a variable:

// Without let we must define a variable
val alice = Person("Alice", 20, "Amsterdam")
println(alice)
alice.moveTo("London")
alice.incrementAge()
println(alice)

// But with let, we can scape it!
Person("Alice", 20, "Amsterdam").let {
    println(it)
    it.moveTo("London")
    it.incrementAge()
    println(it)
}

Or simply helps on null check:

val str: String? = "Hello"

processNonNullString(str)       // compilation error: str can be null

val length = str?.let { 
    println("let() called on $it")        
    processNonNullString(it)    // OK: 'it' is not null inside '?.let { }'
    it.length
}

With

“with this object, do the following.”

For calling functions on the context object when you don’t need to use the returned result, Like binding in Android:

with(binding){
  emptyView.gone()
  errorView.gone()
  userList.visible()
}

Run

“run the code block and return the result”

There is two kind of run:

1. The extension function version
2. The non-extension one

The extension function version

“The with in extension function style!”

Object configuration and computing the result:

val service = MultiportService("https://example.kotlinlang.org", 80)

val result = service.run {
    port = 8080
    query(prepareRequest() + " to port $port")
}

// the same code written with let() function:
val letResult = service.let {
    it.port = 8080
    it.query(it.prepareRequest() + " to port ${it.port}")
}

The non-extension one

“Grouping some temporary local variables for a calculation”

val hexNumberRegex = run {
    val digits = "0-9"
    val hexDigits = "A-Fa-f"
    val sign = "+-"

    Regex("[$sign]?[$digits$hexDigits]+")
}