Java, which once ruled the world of Android app development, now has fallen by the wayside. Kotlin is the new head of the state, but he’s doing an excellent job of speeding up and enhancing the efficiency of Android apps.
Hang tight! Don’t make such hasty decisions. Java is not going away. It is only in the backseat, allowing Kotlin to drive Android app development.
It is impossible to develop an Android application before learning Java to create an excellent Android application. To learn Kotlin, you first must comprehend how the Java programming language works.
Now that Kotlin is the latest craze, you should understand why it is gradually replacing Java and how Google is smartly assisting the language in making this the first choice of mobile app shareholders and Android application development businesses.
What exactly is Kotlin?
Kotlin is a language of programming that was introduced specifically for Android and the JVM, or Java Virtual Machine. The language is quite popular among developers, and Google already has declared Kotlin to be the preferred language for Android application development. There are also a variety of Kotlin extensions available that empower Android designers and programmers by creating Android development much easier and more efficient for them.
Furthermore, these extensions are intelligent enough in terms of collection filtering, lazy-loading (loading only those required resources for better memory management), and so on.
You’re probably curious to learn more about those beneficial Kotlin extensions properties for speeding up the Android development process without sacrificing accuracy or flexibility. Do you still have doubts about the potential of these easily accessible, royalty-free extensions?
The Advantages of Kotlin Over Java
The benefit of Kotlin is that JetBrains created it to overcome the challenges of Java. As a result, it is gradually replacing Java in developing Android apps.
The business took nearly five years to reach its 1.0 version, meticulously articulating every possible way it could assist Android developers in overcoming Java’s challenges.
And they were successful. Here’s a list of the advantages of Kotlin over Java.
- Evaluate the system with Java: It has frameworks and tools consistent with Java.
- Clearly and Effectively: Energized by Android KTX, Kotlin for Android app development is clear, concise, and valuable. Kotlin extensions are part of the Android Jetpack family, which helps optimize Android operating system APIs, and Jetpack for Kotlin use.
- Fail-safe System: Because the code is portable, the opportunities for errors are minimized. Furthermore, Kotlin results in fewer application accidents and system failures.
- Advanced Compiler: Kotlin has an intelligent compiler. It can detect errors during the compilation process and inspect to reduce error messages.
- Simple to Maintain: The strongly typed scripting language is compatible with many IDEs, notably Android Studio.
Kotlin was created with Android developers in mind. JetBrains had also kept its linguistic design simple and the syntax simple. Furthermore, it requires less time to write the code, which increases developer productivity. Let’s go over the top Kotlin extensions that every Android developer or programmer should be familiar with
KTX Room
Room KTX provides a dynamic layer over SQLite to make coding easier. It allows you to use the Room database through Kotlin coroutines. This enables the suspension function in Room Dao and the Flow API to monitor the data time each time the database is the latest version. Because the room is a Jetpack library, it has various advantages. Integrating coroutines into it simplifies it and makes working with database operations easier. Flow, for example, is a cutting-edge feature that provides smooth functionality without heavy code.
Firebase
Firebase is one of the Kotlin extensions that will undoubtedly change the future of Android development and the maintenance of the experience of users who are actively interested in Android apps. And now for the good news: the beta version of Firebase is now available in the market, welcoming you with newer features whose bugs, if any, can be fixed after you report them. Furthermore, there is no need to worry about the security of your smartphones or desktops on which Firebase is installed because online attackers cannot directly control data protection like Kotlin integrations.
As a result, beginning today, every Android programmer, whether novice or experienced, must become familiar with the use of the Firebase Kotlin SDK for building high-quality apps that run well on Android.
ViewModel Development
In sophisticated Android app development, we are shifting away from activities and toward Fragments. It is expected that we will move away from Fragments and toward Jetpack composable features and functionality in the years ahead. When a Fragment or a Jetpack is displayed as a screen, we must create an existing example of the linked ViewModel.
String.isAlphanumeric
The String.isAlphanumeric extension determines whether or not a string is alphanumeric. You may now inquire, Kotlin. Make sure the string is alphanumeric!!
It is natural to figure out what exactly is alphanumeric in this context. An alphanumeric string does not accept special characters such as per cent, @, &, and $. On the other hand, an alphanumeric string only contains letters such as a-z, A-Z, and figures ranging from 0 to 9. Run the following code on Web-based Kotlin Compiler to better understand this extension.
Android KTX
Android KTX is called in the Android Development community as a collection of Kotlin extenders instead of only one element. Whether that’s dedicated adjustments to Kotlin coroutines, lambdas, or titled parameters passed in high-order Kotlin features, all of this is possible once you get to start with this concise pack of Kotlin extensions.
Indeed, each component of Android KTX is organized and furnished with multiple packages, each of which has a syntax that aids in version management regardless of the fulfilment of dependency-declaration prerequisites. All that remains is to add the addiction directories.
Bottom Line
Kotlin is a simple example of Java that Android developers adore. For this purpose, the programming language is quickly replacing Java in the Android app development process.
Because the language has a similar principle to Java, Kotlin will be easy to learn for seasoned Java programmers.
