5. Data types in Kotlin programming language

🧩 Data Types in Kotlin Programming Language: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome, Kotlin developers! Understanding data types is crucial for writing efficient and robust code. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the rich type system of Kotlin, diving deep into its various data types, their characteristics, and practical applications.

📊 Primitive Types in Kotlin

Kotlin provides several built-in primitive types that form the foundation of data representation:

// Numeric Types
val byteValue: Byte = 127       // 8-bit signed integer
val shortValue: Short = 32767   // 16-bit signed integer
val intValue: Int = 2147483647  // 32-bit signed integer
val longValue: Long = 9223372036854775807L  // 64-bit signed integer

// Floating-Point Types
val floatValue: Float = 3.14f   // 32-bit floating-point
val doubleValue: Double = 3.14159  // 64-bit floating-point

// Character and Boolean Types
val charValue: Char = 'A'       // 16-bit Unicode character
val booleanValue: Boolean = true  // Logical true/false
    

🔢 Nullable and Non-Nullable Types

Kotlin introduces a powerful type system with explicit nullability:

// Non-nullable type
var nonNullableString: String = "Hello"
// nonNullableString = null  // Compilation error

// Nullable type
var nullableString: String? = "Hello"
nullableString = null  // Allowed
    

🧠 Advanced Type Handling

Kotlin offers sophisticated type inference and conversion mechanisms:

// Type inference
val autoInferredInt = 42  // Compiler detects Int
val autoInferredDouble = 3.14  // Compiler detects Double

// Explicit type conversion
val longNumber: Long = 100
val intNumber: Int = longNumber.toInt()
    

🎯 Practical Exercises

  • Create a program demonstrating safe type casting
  • Implement a function handling nullable and non-nullable strings
  • Develop a type conversion utility
  • Build a numeric type range checker
  • Design a type-safe data validation mechanism
Pro Tip: Always use type safety features to prevent runtime errors and improve code reliability.

🚀 Type Aliases and Custom Types

// Type alias
typealias UserID = Int
typealias EmailAddress = String

// Custom type
data class User(val id: UserID, val email: EmailAddress)
    

🔬 Type Checking and Smart Casts

fun typeCheck(obj: Any) {
    when (obj) {
        is Int -> println("Integer value: $obj")
        is String -> println("String length: ${obj.length}")
        else -> println("Unknown type")
    }
}
    

📝 Conclusion

Mastering Kotlin's type system is essential for writing robust, type-safe, and efficient code. By understanding these concepts, you'll develop more reliable and maintainable applications.

#Kotlin #ProgrammingTypes #AndroidDev #TypeSafety

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