Using Kotlin's 'repeat'

When working with programming languages, loops serve as a crucial aspect of code development. Loops are generally used to execute a block of code repeatedly based on a particular condition or set of instructions. Kotlin provides various options for creating loops that developers can use depending on their specific needs. One such loop is the repeat function.

The Repeat Function

The repeat function in Kotlin is a way of repeating an action a specified number of times. It accepts two arguments: the number of times to repeat the block of code and a lambda function. The lambda function will be repeated as many times as specified in the first argument. Here is the general syntax of the repeat function:

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1repeat(times: Int, block: () -> Unit)

The times parameter specifies the number of times the block of code should be repeated, while the block parameter contains the set of instructions to be executed.

Let's take a look at some practical examples of using the repeat function.

Example 1: Repeating a String

Suppose you need to repeat a string a specific number of times. Instead of writing a loop from scratch, you can use the repeat function to achieve this. Here is how you can do it:

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1fun main() {
2    val num = 5
3    repeat(num) { println("Hello World!") }
4}

This code will print the string "Hello World!" five times to the console.

Example 2: Looping Through a Collection

You can also use the repeat function to iterate over a collection a specified number of times. Here's an example:

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1fun main() {
2    val names = listOf("John", "Jane", "Mary", "William")
3    repeat(names.size) { i -> println(names[i]) }
4}

This code will iterate over the names list and print each item to the console one at a time.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the repeat function in Kotlin provides a simple yet powerful way to repeat a set of instructions for a specified number of times. This feature is useful when dealing with iterative tasks. The examples we’ve looked at demonstrate how the repeat function can be used to accomplish different kinds of tasks. As such, it’s worth keeping this feature in mind whenever you need to execute a block of code repeatedly.