Takeaway from this article
In this article, I’m going to share the process that I followed to convert the build.gradle files from Groovy to Kotlin DSL in one of my side projects. Along with that, I’ll share a few details that I learned along the way.
What Is Kotlin DSL?
DSL stands for domain-specific language. It follows declarative code instead of imperative code to minimize boilerplate code.
_“A domain-specific language (DSL) is a computer language specialized to a particular application domain. This is in contrast to a general-purpose language (GPL), which is broadly applicable across domains. “— _Wikipedia
Kotlin is a general-purpose language (GPL) that has become a powerful tool to develop Android applications. The features like infix and lambda functions with receiver blocks make Kotlin an excellent fit for a domain-specific language.
Why Should We Use Kotlin DSL?
Generally, a DSL language focuses on a particular part of the application, whereas GPL languages like Kotlin and Java can be used in multiple parts. As it’s built on top of the core language (Kotlin), Kotlin DSL doesn’t have its own syntax; rather, it follows the parent language features.
We can enjoy few benefits if we write the build scripts in Kotlin DSL rather than Groovy.
- Compile-time errors
- Code navigation
- Auto completion
- An enhanced IDE editing experience (inherited from Kotlin)
- Consistency of using the same language throughout the application
- Most importantly, you’ll have an idea of what you’re writing
By default, Android projects use Groovy language to build scripts. If you’ve been an Android developer for a while, I’m sure you face main difficulties like poor IDE support, performance issues, runtime errors, and more. By using Kotlin DSL scripts, you can not only overcome those pain points but also have an idea of what you’re writing.
#kotlin #android #gradle #mobile #programming
