Swift 'if let' statement equivalent in Kotlin

Question

In Kotlin is there an equivalent to the Swift code below?

if let a = b.val {

} else {

}

Answer 1

if let statement.

Swift's Optional Binding (so called if-let statement) is used to find out whether an optional contains a value, and if so, to make that value available as a temporary constant or variable. So, an Optional Binding for the if-let statement is as follows:

Swift's if-let statement:

let b: Int? = 50

if let a: Int = b {
    print("Good news!")
} else {
    print("Equal to 'nil' or not set")
}

/*  RESULT: Good news!  */

In Kotlin, like in Swift, to avoid crashes caused by trying to access a null value when it’s not expected, a specific syntax (like b.let { } in second example) is provided for properly unwrapping nullable types:

Kotlin equivalent 1 of Swift's if-let statement:

val b: Int? = null
val a = b

if (a != null) { 
    println("Good news!")
} else { 
    println("Equal to 'null' or not set")
}

/*  RESULT: Equal to 'null' or not set  */

Kotlin’s let function, when used in combination with the safe-call operator ?:, provides a concise way to handle nullable expressions.

Kotlin equivalent 2 (Inline let function and Elvis Operator) of Swift's if-let statement:

val b: Int? = null

val a = b.let { nonNullable -> nonNullable } ?: "Equal to 'null' or not set"
println(a)

/*  RESULT: Equal to 'null' or not set  */

guard let statement.

guard-let statement in Swift is simple and powerful. It checks for some condition and if it evaluates to be false, then the else statement executes which normally will exit a method.

Let's explore a Swift's guard-let statement:

let b: Int? = nil

func method() {
    guard let a: Int = b else {
        print("Equal to 'nil' or not set")
        return
    }
    print("Good news!")
}
method()

/*  RESULT: Equal to 'nil' or not set  */

Kotlin's similar effect of Swift's guard-let statement:

Unlike Swift, in Kotlin, there is no guard statement at all. However, you can use the Elvis Operator – ?: for getting a similar effect.

val b: Int? = 50

fun method() {
    val a = b ?: return println("Equal to 'null' or not set")
    return println("Good news!")
}
method()

/*  RESULT: Good news!  */