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Kotlin’s Nothing: Its Usefulness in Generics

Guest Allan Caine

3 min read

Jul 23, 2018

Kotlin’s Nothing: Its Usefulness in Generics

This article explores the usefulness of Kotlin’s Nothing type in generics. We look at its relationship to Java. To take a concrete example, let’s look at a linked list.

Fig. 1: A LinkedList

A LinkedList wraps some type T. The linked list can either be

  • A Node<T> with two properties: a payload of T and a next of type LinkedList<T>; or
  • An EmptyList.
  • A sealed class enforces that the LinkedList is either type 1 or type 2.

We can readily code up the sealed class and the Node<T> as follows:

sealed class LinkedList<out T>  {

    data class Node<T>(val payload: T, var next: LinkedList<T> ) : LinkedList<T>()
}

Coding up the empty list is a bit more challenging. All empty lists are the same. So, an empty list is an object. EmptyList must also be a subclass of LinkedList<T>. We might try to write

sealed class LinkedList<out T>  {

    data class Node<T>(val payload: T, var next: LinkedList<T> ) : LinkedList<T>()

    object EmptyList<T> : LinkedList<T>() // won't compile

}

Kotlin objects cannot have type parameters. The above code will not compile. Instead, we might try to remove the EmptyList’s type parameter.

sealed class LinkedList<out T>  {

    data class Node<T>(val payload: T, var next: LinkedList<T> ) : LinkedList<T>()

    object EmptyList : LinkedList<T>() // won't compile

}

The code still does not compile. The reference to T in line 5 is unresolved. We must stipulate a concrete type for T.

T is the type of the payload wrapped by a node. See Fig. 1 above. By contrast, an empty list wraps no payload. So, the proper coding is

sealed class LinkedList<out T>  {

    data class Node<T>(val payload: T, var next: LinkedList<T> = EmptyList) : LinkedList<T>()

    object EmptyList : LinkedList<Nothing>()

}

val nonEmptyList = LinkedList.Node(payload = "A", next = LinkedList.Node(payload = "B"))

What is the Kotlin Nothing type? From Android Studio, select Tools -> Kotlin -> Kotlin REPL. In the REPL window, enter and run the command println(Nothing::class.java). The result is

println(Nothing::class.java)
class java.lang.Void

Kotlin’s Nothing type is backed by Java’s Void type. Kotlin’s Nothing type indicates the absence of type.

As a side point, why can’t we define a Kotlin function to return Nothing? For example, this code will not compile:

fun getNothing() = Nothing() // won't compile

Kotlin does not allow Nothing to be instantiated. The constructor for Nothing is private. Compare the above code to the Java equivalent:

public class GetVoidExample {

    public Void getVoid() {
        return new Void(); // won't compile
    }
}

Java’s Void class has a private constructor. Void cannot be instantiated. We cannot return a Void. So, it seems reasonable that we cannot return a Nothing in Kotlin.

We have shown that Kotlin’s Nothing type is backed by Java’s Void type. Kotlin’s Nothing type is used to indicate that a generic type wraps no type. The type is absent.

Allan Caine is a Big Nerd Ranch Alumni. If you would like to connect with Allan, visit his LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/adcaine/.

Zack Simon

Reviewer Big Nerd Ranch

Zack is an Experience Director on the Big Nerd Ranch design team and has worked on products for companies ranging from startups to Fortune 100s. Zack is passionate about customer experience strategy, helping designers grow in their career, and sharpening consulting and delivery practices.

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