Variables in Kotlin

In Kotlin, variables are used to store values that can be accessed and modified throughout the course of a program. Here are the basic concepts of variables in Kotlin:

Declaration: In Kotlin, you can declare variables using the val or var keywords. The val keyword is used to declare an immutable variable (i.e., a variable whose value cannot be changed once it’s assigned), while the var keyword is used to declare a mutable variable (i.e., a variable whose value can be changed).

val name: String = "Alice" // Immutable variable
var age: Int = 30 // Mutable variable

Type inference: In Kotlin, you can omit the type declaration for a variable if the variable is initialized with a value. The Kotlin compiler can infer the type of the variable based on the type of the value.

val greeting = "Hello" // Type inference - greeting is a String
var count = 0 // Type inference - count is an Int

Null safety: In Kotlin, all variables are non-nullable by default, which means that they cannot hold a null value. To declare a variable that can hold a null value, you can use the ? operator.

val nullableName: String? = null // Nullable variable

Scope: In Kotlin, the scope of a variable is determined by the block of code in which it is declared. A variable declared inside a block of code is only accessible within that block and any nested blocks. Variables declared outside a block of code are accessible throughout the entire file.

fun main() {
    val x = 5 // x is accessible within main() function
    if (x > 3) {
        val y = 10 // y is accessible only within this block
        println(x + y)
    }
    println(x)
}

Naming conventions: In Kotlin, variables should follow the same naming conventions as in Java. Variable names should start with a lowercase letter, and if the name consists of multiple words, each word should start with an uppercase letter (camel case).

Variable naming rules in Kotlin or Java

val firstName: String = "John"
var itemCount: Int = 5

By understanding these basic concepts of variables in Kotlin, you can effectively use them to store and manipulate data in your programs.