Perhaps the easiest example, and one of the most interesting, of interoperability between Java and Kotlin is the ability to quickly convert Java code into Kotlin code with a single IDE command. Technically, this is more of a feature of the IDE, but as powerful tooling is an important aspect of the viability of a language, it's worth exploring how this conversion process works.
By converting existing Java code in this way, you can help to do the following:
- Introduce Kotlin into a Java code base in places where existing tests can validate no regressions
- Understand common Kotlin features and idioms by comparing them to Java code you already understand
- Allow developers to quickly start using Kotlin without a steep learning curve
All of these traits can make the Kotlin learning and adoption process much easier and more enjoyable. In this section, we'll examine two different methods of converting Java into Kotlin.