Conditions and loops

If expression

In Kotlin, if is an expression: it returns a value. Therefore, there is no ternary operator (condition ? then : else) because ordinary if works fine in this role.

fun main() {
    val a = 2
    val b = 3

    //sampleStart
    var max = a
    if (a < b) max = b

    // With else
    if (a > b) {
      max = a
    } else {
      max = b
    }

    // As expression
    max = if (a > b) a else b

    // You can also use `else if` in expressions:
    val maxLimit = 1
    val maxOrLimit = if (maxLimit > a) maxLimit else if (a > b) a else b
  
    println("max is $max")
    // max is 3
    println("maxOrLimit is $maxOrLimit")
    // maxOrLimit is 3
    //sampleEnd
}

Branches of an if expression can be blocks. In this case, the last expression is the value of a block:

val max = if (a > b) {
    print("Choose a")
    a
} else {
    print("Choose b")
    b
}

If you're using if as an expression, for example, for returning its value or assigning it to a variable, the else branch is mandatory.

When expressions and statements

when is a conditional expression that runs code based on multiple possible values or conditions. It is similar to the switch statement in Java, C, and similar languages. For example:

fun main() {
    //sampleStart
    val x = 2
    when (x) {
        1 -> print("x == 1")
        2 -> print("x == 2")
        else -> print("x is neither 1 nor 2")
    }
    // x == 2
    //sampleEnd
}

when matches its argument against all branches sequentially until some branch condition is satisfied.

You can use when in a few different ways. Firstly, you can use when either as an expression or as a statement. As an expression, when returns a value for later use in your code. As a statement, when completes an action without returning anything of further use:

Expression	Statement
// Returns a string assigned to the // text variable val text = when (x) { 1 -> "x == 1" 2 -> "x == 2" else -> "x is neither 1 nor 2" }	// Returns nothing but triggers a // print statement when (x) { 1 -> print("x == 1") 2 -> print("x == 2") else -> print("x is neither 1 nor 2") }

Secondly, you can use when with or without a subject. Whether you use a subject with when or not, your expression or statement behaves the same. We recommend using when with a subject when possible, as it makes your code easier to read and maintain by clearly showing what you're checking.

With subject `x`	Without subject
when(x) { ... }	when { ... }

Depending on how you use when, there are different requirements for whether you need to cover all possible cases in your branches.

If you use when as a statement, you don't have to cover all possible cases. In this example, some cases aren't covered, so nothing happens. However, no error occurs:

fun main() {
    //sampleStart
    val x = 3
    when (x) {
        // Not all cases are covered
        1 -> print("x == 1")
        2 -> print("x == 2")
    }
    //sampleEnd
}

In a when statement, the values of individual branches are ignored. Just like with if, each branch can be a block, and its value is the value of the last expression in the block.

If you use when as an expression, you have to cover all possible cases. In other words, it must be exhaustive. The value of the first matching branch becomes the value of the overall expression. If you don't cover all cases, the compiler throws an error.

If your when expression has a subject, you can use an else branch to make sure that all possible cases are covered, but it isn't mandatory. For example, if your subject is a Boolean, enum class, sealed class, or one of their nullable counterparts, you can cover all cases without an else branch:

enum class Bit {
    ZERO, ONE
}

val numericValue = when (getRandomBit()) {
    // No else branch is needed because all cases are covered
    Bit.ZERO -> 0
    Bit.ONE -> 1
}

If your when expression doesn't have a subject, you must have an else branch or the compiler throws an error. The else branch is evaluated when none of the other branch conditions are satisfied:

when {
    a > b -> "a is greater than b"
    a < b -> "a is less than b"
    else -> "a is equal to b"
}

when expressions and statements offer different ways to simplify your code, handle multiple conditions, and perform type checks.

You can define a common behavior for multiple cases by combining their conditions in a single line with a comma:

when (x) {
    0, 1 -> print("x == 0 or x == 1")
    else -> print("otherwise")
}

You can use arbitrary expressions (not only constants) as branch conditions:

when (x) {
    s.toInt() -> print("s encodes x")
    else -> print("s does not encode x")
}

You can also check whether a value is or isn't contained in a range or collection via the in or !in keywords:

when (x) {
    in 1..10 -> print("x is in the range")
    in validNumbers -> print("x is valid")
    !in 10..20 -> print("x is outside the range")
    else -> print("none of the above")
}

Additionally, you can check that a value is or isn't a particular type via the is or !is keywords. Note that, due to smart casts, you can access the member functions and properties of the type without any additional checks.

fun hasPrefix(x: Any) = when(x) {
    is String -> x.startsWith("prefix")
    else -> false
}

You can use when as a replacement for an if-else if chain. If there's no subject, the branch conditions are simply boolean expressions. The first branch with a true condition runs:

when {
    x.isOdd() -> print("x is odd")
    y.isEven() -> print("y is even")
    else -> print("x+y is odd")
}

You can capture the subject in a variable by using the following syntax:

fun Request.getBody() =
    when (val response = executeRequest()) {
        is Success -> response.body
        is HttpError -> throw HttpException(response.status)
    }

The scope of a variable introduced as the subject is restricted to the body of the when expression or statement.

Guard conditions in when expressions

Guard conditions allow you to include more than one condition to the branches of a when expression, making complex control flow more explicit and concise. You can use guard conditions in when expressions or statements with a subject.

To include a guard condition in a branch, place it after the primary condition, separated by if:

sealed interface Animal {
    data class Cat(val mouseHunter: Boolean) : Animal
    data class Dog(val breed: String) : Animal
}

fun feedAnimal(animal: Animal) {
    when (animal) {
        // Branch with only primary condition. Calls `feedDog()` when `animal` is `Dog`
        is Animal.Dog -> feedDog()
        // Branch with both primary and guard conditions. Calls `feedCat()` when `animal` is `Cat` and not `mouseHunter`
        is Animal.Cat if !animal.mouseHunter -> feedCat()
        // Prints "Unknown animal" if none of the above conditions match
        else -> println("Unknown animal")
    }
}

In a single when expression, you can combine branches with and without guard conditions. The code in a branch with a guard condition runs only if both the primary condition and the guard condition evaluate to true. If the primary condition does not match, the guard condition is not evaluated.

If you use guard conditions in when statements without an else branch, and none of the conditions matches, none of the branches is executed.

Otherwise, if you use guard conditions in when expressions without an else branch, the compiler requires you to declare all the possible cases to avoid runtime errors.

Additionally, guard conditions support else if:

when (animal) {
    // Checks if `animal` is `Dog`
    is Animal.Dog -> feedDog()
    // Guard condition that checks if `animal` is `Cat` and not `mouseHunter`
    is Animal.Cat if !animal.mouseHunter -> feedCat()
    // Calls giveLettuce() if none of the above conditions match and animal.eatsPlants is true
    else if animal.eatsPlants -> giveLettuce()
    // Prints "Unknown animal" if none of the above conditions match
    else -> println("Unknown animal")
}

Combine multiple guard conditions within a single branch using the boolean operators && (AND) or || (OR). Use parentheses around the boolean expressions to avoid confusion:

when (animal) {
    is Animal.Cat if (!animal.mouseHunter && animal.hungry) -> feedCat()
}

You can use guard conditions in any when expression or statement with a subject, except the case when you have multiple conditions separated by a comma. For example, 0, 1 -> print("x == 0 or x == 1").

For loops

The for loop iterates through anything that provides an iterator. This is equivalent to the foreach loop in languages like C#. The syntax of for is the following:

for (item in collection) print(item)

The body of for can be a block.

for (item: Int in ints) {
    // ...
}

As mentioned before, for iterates through anything that provides an iterator. This means that it:

has a member or an extension function iterator() that returns Iterator<>, which:
- has a member or an extension function next()
- has a member or an extension function hasNext() that returns Boolean.

All of these three functions need to be marked as operator.

To iterate over a range of numbers, use a range expression:

fun main() {
//sampleStart
    for (i in 1..3) {
        print(i)
    }
    for (i in 6 downTo 0 step 2) {
        print(i)
    }
    // 1236420
//sampleEnd
}

A for loop over a range or an array is compiled to an index-based loop that does not create an iterator object.

If you want to iterate through an array or a list with an index, you can do it this way:

fun main() {
val array = arrayOf("a", "b", "c")
//sampleStart
    for (i in array.indices) {
        print(array[i])
    }
    // abc
//sampleEnd
}

Alternatively, you can use the withIndex library function:

fun main() {
    val array = arrayOf("a", "b", "c")
//sampleStart
    for ((index, value) in array.withIndex()) {
        println("the element at $index is $value")
    }
    // the element at 0 is a
    // the element at 1 is b
    // the element at 2 is c
//sampleEnd
}

While loops

while and do-while loops process their body continuously while their condition is satisfied. The difference between them is the condition checking time:

while checks the condition and, if it's satisfied, processes the body and then returns to the condition check.
do-while processes the body and then checks the condition. If it's satisfied, the loop repeats. So, the body of do-while runs at least once regardless of the condition.

while (x > 0) {
    x--
}

do {
    val y = retrieveData()
} while (y != null) // y is visible here!

Break and continue in loops

Kotlin supports traditional break and continue operators in loops. See Returns and jumps.

Last modified: 24 April 2025