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Kotlin Booleans: Representing True or False Values

Booleans, also known as logical values, are fundamental data types in programming, representing true or false values. In Kotlin, Booleans are treated as objects of the Boolean class, providing a concise and expressive way to represent binary conditions and control program flow. Booleans are widely used in decision-making statements, logical operations, and conditional expressions.

Declaring and Initializing Booleans

Booleans are declared and initialized using the var or val keywords followed by a variable name and the Boolean type:

var isApproved: Boolean = true

val isValidInput: Boolean = false

 

Boolean Operations

Kotlin provides various operators for performing logical operations on Boolean values:

Negation: The ! operator negates a Boolean value, reversing its true/false status. For example:

 

val isEligible = true

val isNotEligible = !isEligible

println("Is the user not eligible? $isNotEligible")

 

AND: The && operator combines two Boolean values using logical AND. It returns true only if both operands are true. For example:

 

val isAdult = age >= 18

val hasValidID = idNumber != null

val canRegister = isAdult && hasValidID

println("Can the user register? $canRegister")

 

OR: The || operator combines two Boolean values using logical OR. It returns true if either operand is true. For example:

 

val isMember = hasSubscription

val hasFreeTrial = trialPeriod > 0

val canAccessContent = isMember || hasFreeTrial

println("Can the user access content? $canAccessContent")

 

Exclusive OR (XOR): The ^ operator combines two Boolean values using exclusive OR. It returns true if exactly one operand is true. For example:

 

val isLightOn = true

val isDoorOpen = true

val hasAlarmTriggered = isLightOn ^ isDoorOpen

println("Has the alarm triggered? $hasAlarmTriggered")

 

Boolean Expressions and Conditional Statements

Booleans are often used in conditional statements to control program flow based on certain conditions. The if-else statement and the when expression are common examples of conditional constructs that utilize Boolean values:

val age = 15

if (age >= 18) {

  println("You are eligible to vote.")

} else {

  println("You will be eligible to vote in 3 years.")

}

 

 

val grade = 'C'

when (grade) {

  'A' -> println("Excellent!")

  'B' -> println("Good job!")

  'C' -> println("Keep practicing!")

  'D' -> println("Work harder next time.")

  'F' -> println("You need to improve significantly.")

  else -> println("Invalid grade.")

}

 

Booleans are essential for representing binary conditions and controlling program behavior. By effectively utilizing Kotlin Booleans, you can make your code more logical, structured, and decision-driven.