Function parameters are defined using Pascal notation - name: type. Parameters are separated using commas, and each parameter must be explicitly typed: Show fun powerOf(number: Int, exponent: Int): Int { /*...*/ } You can use a when you declare function parameters: fun powerOf( number: Int, exponent: Int, // trailing comma ) { /*...*/ } Default argumentsFunction parameters can have default values, which are used when you skip the corresponding argument. This reduces the number of overloads: fun read( b: ByteArray, off: Int = 0, len: Int = b.size, ) { /*...*/ } A default value is set by appending Overriding methods always use the base method's default parameter values. When overriding a method that has default parameter values, the default parameter values must be omitted from the signature: open class A { open fun foo(i: Int = 10) { /*...*/ } } class B : A() { override fun foo(i: Int) { /*...*/ } // No default value is allowed. } If a default parameter precedes a parameter with no default value, the default value can only be used by calling the function with : fun foo( bar: Int = 0, baz: Int, ) { /*...*/ } foo(baz = 1) // The default value bar = 0 is used If the last argument after default parameters is a , you can pass it either as a named argument or : fun foo( bar: Int = 0, baz: Int = 1, qux: () -> Unit, ) { /*...*/ } foo(1) { println("hello") } // Uses the default value baz = 1 foo(qux = { println("hello") }) // Uses both default values bar = 0 and baz = 1 foo { println("hello") } // Uses both default values bar = 0 and baz = 1 Named argumentsYou can name one or more of a function's arguments when calling it. This can be helpful when a function has many arguments and it's difficult to associate a value with an argument, especially if it's a boolean or When you use named arguments in a function call, you can freely change the order that they are listed in. If you want to use their default values, you can just leave these arguments out altogether. Consider the fun reformat( str: String, normalizeCase: Boolean = true, upperCaseFirstLetter: Boolean = true, divideByCamelHumps: Boolean = false, wordSeparator: Char = ' ', ) { /*...*/ } When calling this function, you don't have to name all its arguments: reformat( "String!", false, upperCaseFirstLetter = false, divideByCamelHumps = true, '_' ) You can skip all the ones with default values: reformat("This is a long String!") You are also able to skip specific arguments with default values, rather than omitting them all. However, after the first skipped argument, you must name all subsequent arguments: reformat("This is a short String!", upperCaseFirstLetter = false, wordSeparator = '_') You can pass a with names using the fun foo(vararg strings: String) { /*...*/ } foo(strings = *arrayOf("a", "b", "c")) When calling Java functions on the JVM, you can't use the named argument syntax because Java bytecode does not always preserve the names of function parameters. Unit-returning functionsIf a function does not return a useful value, its return type is fun printHello(name: String?): Unit { if (name != null) println("Hello $name") else println("Hi there!") // `return Unit` or `return` is optional } The fun printHello(name: String?) { ... } Single-expression functionsWhen a function returns a single expression, the curly braces can be omitted and the body is specified after a fun double(x: Int): Int = x * 2 Explicitly declaring the return type is when this can be inferred by the compiler: fun double(x: Int) = x * 2 Explicit return typesFunctions with block body must always specify return types explicitly, unless it's intended for them to return Kotlin does not infer return types for functions with block bodies because such functions may have complex control flow in the body, and the return type will be non-obvious to the reader (and sometimes even for the compiler). Variable number of arguments (varargs)You can mark a parameter of a function (usually the last one) with the fun <T> asList(vararg ts: T): List<T> { val result = ArrayList<T>() for (t in ts) // ts is an Array result.add(t) return result } In this case, you can pass a variable number of arguments to the function: val list = asList(1, 2, 3) Inside a function, a Only one parameter can be marked as When you call a val a = arrayOf(1, 2, 3) val list = asList(-1, 0, *a, 4) If you want to pass a into val a = intArrayOf(1, 2, 3) // IntArray is a primitive type array val list = asList(-1, 0, *a.toTypedArray(), 4) Infix notationFunctions marked with the
infix fun Int.shl(x: Int): Int { ... } // calling the function using the infix notation 1 shl 2 // is the same as 1.shl(2) Infix function calls have lower precedence than arithmetic operators, type casts, and the
On the other hand, an infix function call's precedence is higher than that of the boolean operators
Note that infix functions always require both the receiver and the parameter to be specified. When you're calling a method on the current receiver using the infix notation, use class MyStringCollection { infix fun add(s: String) { /*...*/ } fun build() { this add "abc" // Correct add("abc") // Correct //add "abc" // Incorrect: the receiver must be specified } } Function scopeKotlin functions can be declared at the top level in a file, meaning you do not need to create a class to hold a function, which you are required to do in languages such as Java, C#, and Scala (). In addition to top level functions, Kotlin functions can also be declared locally as member functions and extension functions. Local functionsKotlin supports local functions, which are functions inside other functions: fun dfs(graph: Graph) { fun dfs(current: Vertex, visited: MutableSet<Vertex>) { if (!visited.add(current)) return for (v in current.neighbors) dfs(v, visited) } dfs(graph.vertices[0], HashSet()) } A local function can access local variables of outer functions (the closure). In the case above, fun dfs(graph: Graph) { val visited = HashSet<Vertex>() fun dfs(current: Vertex) { if (!visited.add(current)) return for (v in current.neighbors) dfs(v) } dfs(graph.vertices[0]) } Member functionsA member function is a function that is defined inside a class or object: class Sample { fun foo() { print("Foo") } } Member functions are called with dot notation: Sample().foo() // creates instance of class Sample and calls foo For more information on classes and overriding members see Classes and . Generic functionsFunctions can have generic parameters, which are specified using angle brackets before the function name: fun <T> singletonList(item: T): List<T> { /*...*/ } For more information on generic functions, see Generics. Tail recursive functionsKotlin supports a style of functional programming known as tail recursion. For some algorithms that would normally use loops, you can use a recursive function instead without the risk of stack overflow. When a function is marked with the val eps = 1E-10 // "good enough", could be 10^-15 tailrec fun findFixPoint(x: Double = 1.0): Double = if (Math.abs(x - Math.cos(x)) < eps) x else findFixPoint(Math.cos(x)) This code calculates the val eps = 1E-10 // "good enough", could be 10^-15 private fun findFixPoint(): Double { var x = 1.0 while (true) { val y = Math.cos(x) if (Math.abs(x - y) < eps) return x x = Math.cos(x) } } To be eligible for the |