Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 的新特性

发布于：2024-05-10

This document doesn't cover all of the features of the Early Access Preview (EAP) release, but it highlights some major improvements.

See the full list of changes in the GitHub changelog.

The Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 release is out! It mostly covers the stabilization of the new Kotlin K2 compiler, which reached its Beta status for all targets since 1.9.20. In addition, there are new features in Kotlin/Wasm and Kotlin/JS, as well as improvements for the Gradle build tool.

IDE support

The Kotlin plugins that support 2.0.0-RC3 are bundled in the latest IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio. You don't need to update the Kotlin plugin in your IDE. All you need to do is to change the Kotlin version to 2.0.0-RC3 in your build scripts.

For details about IntelliJ IDEA's support for the Kotlin K2 compiler, see Support in IntelliJ IDEA.

Kotlin K2 compiler

The JetBrains team is still working on the stabilization of the new Kotlin K2 compiler. The new Kotlin K2 compiler will bring major performance improvements, speed up new language feature development, unify all platforms that Kotlin supports, and provide a better architecture for multiplatform projects.

The K2 compiler is in Beta for all target platforms: JVM, Native, Wasm, and JS. The JetBrains team has ensured the quality of the new compiler by successfully compiling dozens of user and internal projects. A large number of users are also involved in the stabilization process, trying the new K2 compiler in their projects and reporting any problems they find.

Current K2 compiler limitations

Enabling K2 in your Gradle project comes with certain limitations that can affect projects using Gradle versions below 8.3 in the following cases:

  • Compilation of source code from buildSrc.
  • Compilation of Gradle plugins in included builds.
  • Compilation of other Gradle plugins if they are used in projects with Gradle versions below 8.3.
  • Building Gradle plugin dependencies.

If you encounter any of the problems mentioned above, you can take the following steps to address them:

  • Set the language version for buildSrc, any Gradle plugins, and their dependencies:

    kotlin {
    compilerOptions {
        languageVersion.set(org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.KotlinVersion.KOTLIN_1_9)
        apiVersion.set(org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.dsl.KotlinVersion.KOTLIN_1_9)
    }
}

    If you configure language and API versions for specific tasks, these values will override the values set by the compilerOptions extension. In this case, language and API versions should not be higher than 1.9.

  • Update the Gradle version in your project to 8.3 or later.

Smart cast improvements

The Kotlin compiler can automatically cast an object to a type in specific cases, saving you the trouble of having to explicitly specify it yourself. This is called smart casting. The Kotlin K2 compiler now performs smart casts in even more scenarios than before.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we've made improvements related to smart casts in the following areas:

Local variables and further scopes

Previously, if a variable was evaluated as not null within an if condition, the variable was smart cast, and information about this variable was shared further within the scope of the if block. However, if you declared the variable outside the if condition, no information about the variable was available within the if condition, so it couldn't be smart cast. This behavior was also seen with when expressions and while loops.

From Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, if you declare a variable before using it in your if, when, or while condition then any information collected by the compiler about the variable is accessible in the condition statement and its block for smart casting. This can be useful when you want to do things like extract boolean conditions into variables. Then, you can give the variable a meaningful name, which makes your code easier to read, and easily reuse the variable later in your code. For example:

class Cat {
    fun purr() {
        println("Purr purr")
    }
}

fun petAnimal(animal: Any) {
    val isCat = animal is Cat
    if (isCat) {
        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler can access
        // information about isCat, so it knows that
        // animal was smart cast to type Cat.
        // Therefore, the purr() function is successfully called.
        // In Kotlin 1.9.20, the compiler doesn't know
        // about the smart cast, so calling the purr()
        // function triggers an error.
        animal.purr()
    }
}

fun main(){
    val kitty = Cat()
    petAnimal(kitty)
    // Purr purr
}

Type checks with logical or operator

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, if you combine type checks for objects with an or operator (||), a smart cast is made to their closest common supertype. Before this change, a smart cast was always made to the Any type. In this case, you still had to manually check the object type afterward before you could access any of its properties or call its functions. For example:

interface Status {
    fun signal() {}
}

interface Ok : Status
interface Postponed : Status
interface Declined : Status

fun signalCheck(signalStatus: Any) {
    if (signalStatus is Postponed || signalStatus is Declined) {
        // signalStatus is smart cast to a common supertype Status
        signalStatus.signal()
        // Prior to Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, signalStatus is smart cast 
        // to type Any, so calling the signal() function triggered an
        // Unresolved reference error. The signal() function can only 
        // be called successfully after another type check:

        // check(signalStatus is Status)
        // signalStatus.signal()
    }
}

The common supertype is an approximation of a union type. Union types are not supported in Kotlin.

Inline functions

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the K2 compiler treats inline functions differently, allowing it to determine in combination with other compiler analyses whether it's safe to smart cast.

Specifically, inline functions are now treated as having an implicit callsInPlace contract. So, any lambda functions passed to an inline function are called "in place". Since lambda functions are called in place, the compiler knows that a lambda function can't leak references to any variables contained within its function body. The compiler uses this knowledge along with other compiler analyses to decide if it's safe to smart cast any of the captured variables. For example:

interface Processor {
    fun process()
}

inline fun inlineAction(f: () -> Unit) = f()

fun nextProcessor(): Processor? = null

fun runProcessor(): Processor? {
    var processor: Processor? = null
    inlineAction {
        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler knows that processor 
        // is a local variable, and inlineAction() is an inline function, so 
        // references to processor can't be leaked. Therefore, it's safe 
        // to smart cast processor.

        // If processor isn't null, processor is smart cast
        if (processor != null) {
            // The compiler knows that processor isn't null, so no safe call 
            // is needed
            processor.process()

            // In Kotlin 1.9.20, you have to perform a safe call:
            // processor?.process()
        }

        processor = nextProcessor()
    }

    return processor
}

Properties with function types

In previous versions of Kotlin, it was a bug that class properties with a function type weren't smart cast. We fixed this behavior in the K2 compiler in Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3. For example:

class Holder(val provider: (() -> Unit)?) {
    fun process() {
        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, if provider isn't null,
        // it is smart cast
        if (provider != null) {
            // The compiler knows that provider isn't null
            provider()

            // In 1.9.20, the compiler doesn't know that provider isn't 
            // null, so it triggers an error:
            // Reference has a nullable type '(() -> Unit)?', use explicit '?.invoke()' to make a function-like call instead
        }
    }
}

This change also applies if you overload your invoke operator. For example:

interface Provider {
    operator fun invoke()
}

interface Processor : () -> String

class Holder(val provider: Provider?, val processor: Processor?) {
    fun process() {
        if (provider != null) {
            provider() 
            // In 1.9.20, the compiler triggers an error: 
            // Reference has a nullable type 'Provider?', use explicit '?.invoke()' to make a function-like call instead
        }
    }
}

Exception handling

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we've made improvements to exception handling so that smart cast information can be passed on to catch and finally blocks. This change makes your code safer as the compiler keeps track of whether your object has a nullable type. For example:

//sampleStart
fun testString() {
    var stringInput: String? = null
    // stringInput is smart cast to String type
    stringInput = ""
    try {
        // The compiler knows that stringInput isn't null
        println(stringInput.length)
        // 0

        // The compiler rejects previous smart cast information for 
        // stringInput. Now stringInput has the String? type.
        stringInput = null

        // Trigger an exception
        if (2 > 1) throw Exception()
        stringInput = ""
    } catch (exception: Exception) {
        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler knows stringInput 
        // can be null, so stringInput stays nullable.
        println(stringInput?.length)
        // null

        // In Kotlin 1.9.20, the compiler says that a safe call isn't
        // needed, but this is incorrect.
    }
}
//sampleEnd
fun main() {
    testString()
}

Increment and decrement operators

Prior to Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler didn't understand that the type of an object can change after using an increment or decrement operator. As the compiler couldn't accurately track the object type, your code could lead to unresolved reference errors. In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, this is fixed:

interface Rho {
    operator fun inc(): Sigma = TODO()
}

interface Sigma : Rho {
    fun sigma() = Unit
}

interface Tau {
    fun tau() = Unit
}

fun main(input: Rho) {
    var unknownObject: Rho = input

    // Check if unknownObject inherits from the Tau interface
    if (unknownObject is Tau) {

        // Use the overloaded inc() operator from interface Rho,
        // which smart casts the type of unknownObject to Sigma.
        ++unknownObject

        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler knows unknownObject has type
        // Sigma, so the sigma() function is called successfully.
        unknownObject.sigma()

        // In Kotlin 1.9.20, the compiler thinks unknownObject has type
        // Tau, so calling the sigma() function throws an error.

        // In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the compiler knows unknownObject has type
        // Sigma, so calling the tau() function throws an error.
        unknownObject.tau()
        // Unresolved reference 'tau'

        // In Kotlin 1.9.20, the compiler mistakenly thinks that 
        // unknownObject has type Tau, so the tau() function is
        // called successfully.
    }
}

Kotlin Multiplatform improvements

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we've made improvements in the K2 compiler related to Kotlin Multiplatform in the following areas:

Separation of common and platform sources during compilation

Previously, due to its design, the Kotlin compiler couldn't keep common and platform source sets separate at compile time. This means that common code could access platform code, which resulted in different behavior between platforms. In addition, some compiler settings and dependencies from common code were leaked into platform code.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we redesigned the compilation scheme as part of the new Kotlin K2 compiler so that there is a strict separation between common and platform source sets. The most noticeable change is when you use expected and actual functions. Previously, it was possible for a function call in your common code to resolve to a function in platform code. For example:

Common code Platform code
```kotlin fun foo(x: Any) = println("common foo") fun exampleFunction() { foo(42) } ``` ```kotlin // JVM fun foo(x: Int) = println("platform foo") // JavaScript // There is no foo() function overload // on the JavaScript platform ```

In this example, the common code has different behavior depending on which platform it is run on:

  • On the JVM platform, calling the foo() function in common code results in the foo() function from platform code being called: platform foo

  • On the JavaScript platform, calling the foo() function in common code results in the foo() function from common code being called: common foo, since there is none available in platform code.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, common code doesn't have access to platform code, so both platforms successfully resolve the foo() function to the foo() function in common code: common foo

In addition to the improved consistency of behavior across platforms, we also worked hard to fix cases where there was conflicting behavior between IntelliJ IDEA or Android Studio and the compiler. For example, if you used expected and actual classes:

Common code Platform code
```kotlin expect class Identity { fun confirmIdentity(): String } fun common() { // Before 2.0.0-RC3, // it triggers an IDE-only error Identity().confirmIdentity() // RESOLUTION_TO_CLASSIFIER : Expected class // Identity has no default constructor. } ``` ```kotlin actual class Identity { actual fun confirmIdentity() = "expect class fun: jvm" } ```

In this example, the expected class Identity has no default constructor, so it can't be called successfully in common code. Previously, only an IDE error was reported, but the code still compiled successfully on the JVM. However, now the compiler correctly reports an error:

Expected class 'expect class Identity : Any' does not have default constructor
When resolution behavior doesn't change

We are still in the process of migrating to the new compilation scheme, so the resolution behavior is still the same when you call functions that aren't within the same source set. You will notice this difference mainly when you use overloads from a multiplatform library in your common code.

For example, if you have this library, which has two whichFun() functions with different signatures:

// Example library

// MODULE: common
fun whichFun(x: Any) = println("common function") 

// MODULE: JVM
fun whichFun(x: Int) = println("platform function")

If you call the whichFun() function in your common code, the function that has the most relevant argument type in the library is resolved:

// A project that uses the example library for the JVM target

// MODULE: common
fun main(){
    whichFun(2) 
    // platform function
}

In comparison, if you declare the overloads for whichFun() within the same source set, the function from common code is resolved because your code doesn't have access to the platform-specific version:

// Example library isn't used

// MODULE: common
fun whichFun(x: Any) = println("common function") 

fun main(){
    whichFun(2) 
    // common function
}

// MODULE: JVM
fun whichFun(x: Int) = println("platform function")

Similar to multiplatform libraries, since the commonTest module is in a separate source set, it also still has access to platform-specific code. Therefore, the resolution of calls to functions in the commonTest module has the same behavior as in the old compilation scheme.

In the future, these remaining cases will be more consistent with the new compilation scheme.

Different visibility levels of expected and actual declarations

Before Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, if you used expected and actual declarations in your Kotlin Multiplatform project, they had to have the same visibility level. Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 supports different visibility levels only if the actual declaration is less strict than the expected declaration. For example:

expect internal class Attribute // Visibility is internal
actual class Attribute          // Visibility is public by default,
                                // which is less strict

If you are using a type alias in your actual declaration, the visibility of the type must be less strict. Any visibility modifiers for actual typealias are ignored. For example:

expect internal class Attribute                 // Visibility is internal
internal actual typealias Attribute = Expanded  // The internal visibility 
                                                // modifier is ignored
class Expanded                                  // Visibility is public by default,
                                                // which is less strict

Compiler plugins support

Currently, the Kotlin K2 compiler supports the following Kotlin compiler plugins:

In addition, the Kotlin K2 compiler supports:

If you use any additional compiler plugins, check their documentation to see if they are compatible with K2.

Tasks error in Gradle configuration cache

Since Kotlin 2.0.0-Beta4, you may encounter a configuration cache error with messages indicating: invocation of Task.project at execution time is unsupported.

This error appears in tasks such as NativeDistributionCommonizerTask and KotlinNativeCompile.

However, this is a false-positive error. The underlying issue is the presence of tasks that are not compatible with the Gradle configuration cache, like the publish* task.

This discrepancy may not be immediately apparent, as the error message suggests a different root cause.

As the precise cause isn't explicitly stated in the error report, the Gradle team is already addressing the issue to fix reports.

How to enable the Kotlin K2 compiler

Starting with Kotlin 2.0.0-Beta1, the Kotlin K2 compiler is enabled by default. No additional actions are required.

Try the Kotlin K2 compiler in Kotlin Playground

Kotlin Playground supports the 2.0.0-RC3 release. Check it out!

Support in IntelliJ IDEA

The K2 Kotlin mode is in Alpha. The performance and stability of code highlighting and code completion have been significantly improved, but not all IDE features are supported yet.

Starting from 2024.1, IntelliJ IDEA can use the new K2 compiler to analyze your code with its K2 Kotlin mode. To try it out, go to Settings | Languages & Frameworks | Kotlin and select the Enable the K2-based Kotlin plugin option.

Learn more about the K2 Kotlin mode in our blog.

We are actively collecting feedback about K2 Kotlin mode. Please share your thoughts in our public Slack channel!

Leave your feedback on the new K2 compiler

We would appreciate any feedback you may have!

Kotlin/JVM

This version brings the following changes:

Generate lambda functions using invokedynamic

Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 introduces a new default method for generating lambda functions using invokedynamic. This change reduces the binary sizes of applications compared to the traditional anonymous class generation.

Since the first version, Kotlin has generated lambdas as anonymous classes. However, starting from Kotlin 1.5, the option for invokedynamic generation was available by using the -Xlambdas=indy compiler flag. In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, invokedynamic has become the default method for lambda generation. This method produces lighter binaries and aligns Kotlin with JVM optimizations, ensuring that applications benefit from ongoing and future improvements in JVM performance.

Currently, it has three limitations compared to ordinary lambda compilation:

  • A lambda compiled into invokedynamic is not serializable.
  • Experimental reflect() API does not support lambdas generated by invokedynamic.
  • Calling toString() on such a lambda produces a less readable string representation.

To retain the legacy behavior of generating lambda functions, you can either:

  • Annotate specific lambdas with @JvmSerializableLambda.
  • Use the compiler argument -Xlambdas=class to generate all lambdas in a module using the legacy method.

The kotlinx-metadata-jvm library is now Stable

In 2.0.0-RC3, the kotlinx-metadata-jvm library became Stable. Since the library's package and coordinates have changed to kotlin, you can now find it under the name kotlin-metadata-jvm (without the "x").

Before, the kotlinx-metadata-jvm library had its own publishing scheme and version. Now, we build and publish the kotlin-metadata-jvm updates as part of the Kotlin release cycle, with the same backward compatibility guarantees as the Kotlin standard library.

The kotlin-metadata-jvm library provides an API to read and modify metadata of binary files generated by the Kotlin/JVM compiler.

Kotlin/Native

This version brings the following changes:

Resolving conflicts with Objective-C methods

Objective-C methods can have different names, but the same number and types of parameters. For example, locationManager:didEnterRegion: and locationManager:didExitRegion:. In Kotlin, these methods have the same signature, so an attempt to use them triggers a conflicting overloads error.

Previously, you had to manually suppress conflicting overloads to avoid this compilation error. To improve Kotlin interoperability with Objective-C, the Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 introduces the new @ObjCSignatureOverride annotation.

The annotation instructs the Kotlin compiler to ignore conflicting overloads, in case several functions with the same argument types, but different argument names, are inherited from the Objective-C class.

Applying this annotation is also safer than general error suppression. It allows you to use it only in the case of overriding Objective-C methods, which are supported and tested, while general suppression may hide important errors and lead to silently broken code.

Changed log level for compiler arguments

In this release, the log level for compiler arguments in Kotlin/Native tasks, such as compile, link, and cinterop, changed from info to debug.

With debug as its default value, the log level is consistent with other compile tasks and provides detailed debugging information, including all compiler arguments.

Kotlin/Wasm

Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 improves performance and interoperability with JavaScript:

Unsigned primitive types in functions with @JsExport

Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 further improves the interoperability between Kotlin/Wasm and JavaScript. Now you can use unsigned primitive types inside external declarations and functions with the @JsExport annotation that makes Kotlin/Wasm functions available in JavaScript code.

It helps to ease the previous limitation when generic class types couldn't be used directly inside exported declarations. Now you can export functions with unsigned primitives as a return or parameter type and consume external declarations that return unsigned primitives.

For more information on Kotlin/Wasm interoperability with JavaScript, see the documentation.

Binaryen available by default in production builds

Kotlin/Wasm now applies WebAssembly's Binaryen library during production compilation to all the projects as opposed to the previous manual approach.

Binaryen is a great tool for code optimization. We believe it will improve your project performance and enhance your development experience.

This change only affects production compilation. The development compilation process stays the same.

Generation of TypeScript declaration files in Kotlin/Wasm

Generating TypeScript declaration files in Kotlin/Wasm is Experimental. It may be dropped or changed at any time.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the Kotlin/Wasm compiler is now capable of generating TypeScript definitions from any @JsExport declarations in your Kotlin code. These definitions can be used by IDEs and JavaScript tools to provide code autocompletion, help with type-checks, and make it easier to include Kotlin code in JavaScript.

The Kotlin/Wasm compiler collects any top-level functions marked with @JsExport and automatically generates TypeScript definitions in a .d.ts file.

To generate TypeScript definitions, in your build.gradle.kts file in the wasmJs section, add the generateTypeScriptDefinitions() function:

kotlin {
    wasmJs {
        binaries.executable()
        browser {
        }
        generateTypeScriptDefinitions()
    }
}

Support for named export

Previously, all exported declarations from Kotlin/Wasm were imported into JavaScript using default export. Now, you can import each Kotlin declaration marked with @JsExport by name:

// Kotlin:
@JsExport
fun add(a: Int, b: Int) = a + b

//JS:
import { add } from "./index.mjs"

Named exports make it easier to share code between Kotlin and JavaScript modules. They help improve readability and manage dependencies between modules.

withWasm() function is split into JS and WASI variants

The withWasm() function, which used to provide Wasm targets for hierarchy templates, is deprecated in favor of specialized withWasmJs() and withWasmWasi() functions. Now you can separate the WASI and JS targets between different groups in the tree definition.

New functionality to catch JavaScript exceptions

Previously, Kotlin/Wasm code could not catch JavaScript exceptions, making it difficult to handle errors originating from the JavaScript side of the program. In 2.0.0-RC3, we have implemented support for catching JavaScript exceptions within Kotlin/Wasm.

This implementation allows you to use try-catch blocks, with specific types like Throwable or JsException, to handle these errors properly.

Additionally, finally blocks, which help execute code regardless of exceptions, also work correctly.

While we are introducing support for catching JavaScript exceptions, no additional information is provided when a JavaScript exception occurs, like a call stack. However, we are working on these implementations.

The new exception handling proposal is now supported

In this release, we introduce support for the new version of WebAssembly's exception handling proposal within Kotlin/Wasm. With this update, Kotlin/Wasm gains enhanced capabilities for managing exceptions.

The new exception handling proposal is activated using the -Xwasm-use-new-exception-proposal compiler option. It is turned off by default.

Additionally, we have ensured compatibility between the new compiler option and existing configurations, such as -Xwasm-use-traps-instead-of-exceptions.

Kotlin/JS

Among other changes, this version brings modern JS compilation to Kotlin, supporting more features from the ES2015 standard:

New compilation target

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we're adding a new compilation target to Kotlin/JS, es2015. This is a new way for you to enable all the ES2015 features supported in Kotlin at once.

You can set it up in your build file like this:

kotlin {
    js {
        compilerOptions {
            target.set("es2015")
        }
    }
}

The new target automatically turns on ES classes and modules and the newly supported ES generators.

Suspend functions as ES2015 generators

This release introduces Experimental support for ES2015 generators for compiling suspend functions.

We believe that using generators instead of state machines will improve both the final bundle size and your debugging experience.

Learn more about ES2015 (ECMAScript 2015, ES6) in the official documentation.

Passing arguments to the main function

Starting with Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, you can specify a source of your args for the main() function. This feature makes it easier to work with the command line and pass the arguments.

To do this, define the js expression with the new passAsArgumentToMainFunction() function, which returns an array of strings:

kotlin {
    js {
        binary.executable()
        passAsArgumentToMainFunction("Deno.args")
    }
}

The function is executed at runtime. It takes the JS expression and uses it as the args: Array<String> argument instead of the main() function call.

Also, if you use the Node.js runtime, you can take advantage of a special alias. It allows passing process.argv to the args parameter once instead of adding it manually every time:

kotlin {
    js {
        binary.executable()
        nodejs {
            passProcessArgvToMainFunction()
        }
    }
}

Per-file compilation for Kotlin/JS projects

Kotlin 2.0.0 introduces a new granularity option for the Kotlin/JS project output. You can now set up a per-file compilation that generates one JavaScript file per each Kotlin file. It helps to significantly optimize the size of the final bundle and improve the loading time of the program.

Previously, there were only two output options. The Kotlin/JavaScript compiler could generate a single .js file for the whole project. However, this file might be too large and inconvenient to use. Whenever you wanted to use a function from your project, you had to include the entire JavaScript file as a dependency. Alternatively, you could configure a compilation of a separate .js file for each project module. This is still the default option.

Since module files could also be too large, with Kotlin 2.0.0, we add a more granular output that generates one (or two, if the file contains exported declarations) JavaScript file per each Kotlin file. To enable the per-file compilation mode:

  1. Add the useEsModules() function to your build file to support ECMAScript modules:

    // build.gradle.kts
kotlin {
    js(IR) {
        useEsModules() // Enables ES2015 modules
        browser()
    }
}

    You can also use the new es2015 compilation target for that.

  2. Apply the -Xir-per-file compiler option or update your gradle.properties file with:

    # gradle.properties
kotlin.js.ir.output.granularity=per-file // `per-module` is the default

Improved collection interoperability

Starting with Kotlin 2.0.0, it's possible to export declarations with a Kotlin collection type inside the signature to JavaScript (and TypeScript). This applies to Set, Map, and List collection types and their mutable counterparts.

To use Kotlin collections in JavaScript, first mark the necessary declarations with @JsExport annotation:

// Kotlin
@JsExport
data class User(
    val name: String,
    val friends: List<User> = emptyList()
)

@JsExport
val me = User(
    name = "Me",
    firends = listOf(User(name = "Kodee"))
)

You can then consume them from JavaScript as regular JavaScript arrays:

// JavaScript
import { User, me, KtList } from "my-module"

const allMyFriendNames = me.friends
  .asJsReadonlyArrayView()
  .map(x => x.name) // ['Kodee']

Unfortunately, creating Kotlin collections from JavaScript is still unavailable. We're planning to add this functionality in the next Kotlin release.

Support for createInstance()

Since Kotlin 2.0.0, you can use the createInstance() function from the Kotlin/JS target. Previously, it was only available on the JVM.

This function from the KClass interface creates a new instance of the specified class, which is useful for getting the runtime reference to a Kotlin class.

Support for type-safe plain JavaScript objects

The js-plain-objects plugin is Experimental. It may be dropped or changed at any time. The js-plain-objects plugin only supports the K2 compiler.

To make it easier to work with JavaScript APIs, in Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we provide a new plugin: js-plain-objects, that you can use to create type-safe plain JavaScript objects. The plugin checks your code for any external interfaces that have a @JsPlainObject annotation and adds:

  • an inline invoke operator function inside the companion object that you can use as a constructor.
  • a .copy() function that you can use to create a copy of your object while adjusting some of its properties.

For example:

import kotlinx.js.JsPlainObject

@JsPlainObject
external interface User {
    var name: String
    val age: Int
    val email: String? 
}

fun main() {
    // Creates a JavaScript object
    val user = User(name = "Name", age = 10)
    // Copies the object and adds an email
    val copy = user.copy(age = 11, email = "[email protected]")

    println(JSON.stringify(user)) 
    // { "name": "Name", "age": 10 }
    println(JSON.stringify(copy)) 
    // { "name": "Name", "age": 11, "email": "[email protected]" }
}

Any JavaScript objects created with this approach are safer because instead of only seeing errors at runtime, you can see them at compile time or even highlighted by your IDE.

Consider this example that uses a fetch() function to interact with a JavaScript API using external interfaces to describe the shape of the JavaScript objects:

import kotlinx.js.JsPlainObject

@JsPlainObject
external interface FetchOptions {
    val body: String?
    val method: String
}

// A wrapper for Window.fetch
suspend fun fetch(url: String, options: FetchOptions? = null) = TODO("Add your custom behavior here")

// A compile-time error is triggered as metod is not recognized
// as method
fetch("https://google.com", options = FetchOptions(metod = "POST")) 
// A compile-time error is triggered as method is required
fetch("https://google.com", options = FetchOptions(body = "SOME STRING"))

In comparison, if you use the js() function instead to create your JavaScript objects, errors are only found at runtime or aren't triggered at all:

suspend fun fetch(url: String, options: FetchOptions? = null) = TODO("Add your custom behavior here")

// No error is triggered. As metod is not recognized, the wrong method 
// (GET) is used.
fetch("https://google.com", options = js("{ metod: 'POST' }")) 

// By default, the GET method is used. A runtime error is triggered as 
// body shouldn't be present.
fetch("https://google.com", options = js("{ body: 'SOME STRING' }")) 
// TypeError: Window.fetch: HEAD or GET Request cannot have a body

To use the js-plain-objects plugin, add the following to your build.gradle.kts file:

【Kotlin】

plugins {
    kotlin("plugin.js-plain-objects") version "2.0.0-RC3"
}

【Groovy】

plugins {
    id "org.jetbrains.kotlin.plugin.js-plain-objects" version "2.0.0-RC3"
}

Support for npm package manager

Previously, it was only possible for the Kotlin Multiplatform Gradle plugin to use Yarn as a package manager to download and install npm dependencies. From Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, you can use npm as your package manager instead. Using npm as a package manager means that you have one less tool to manage during your setup.

For backward compatibility, Yarn is still the default package manager. To use npm as your package manager, in your gradle.properties file, set the following property:

kotlin.js.yarn=false

Gradle improvements

Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 is fully compatible with Gradle 6.8.3 through 8.5. You can also use Gradle versions up to the latest Gradle release, but if you do, keep in mind that you might encounter deprecation warnings or some new Gradle features might not work.

This version brings the following changes:

New Gradle DSL for compiler options in multiplatform projects

This feature is Experimental. It may be dropped or changed at any time. Use it only for evaluation purposes. We would appreciate your feedback on it in YouTrack.

Prior to Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, configuring compiler options in a multiplatform project with Gradle was only possible at a low level, such as per task, compilation, or source set. To make it easier to configure compiler options more generally in your projects, Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3 comes with a new Gradle DSL.

With this new DSL, you can configure compiler options at the extension level for all the targets and shared source sets, such as commonMain, as well as at the target level for a specific target:

kotlin {
    compilerOptions {
        // Extension-level common compiler options that are used as defaults
        // for all targets and shared source sets
        allWarningsAsErrors.set(true)
    }
    jvm {
        compilerOptions {
            // Target-level JVM compiler options that are used as defaults
            // for all compilations in this target
            noJdk.set(true)
        }
    }
}

The overall project configuration now has three layers. The highest is the extension level, then the target level, and the lowest is the compilation unit (which is usually a compilation task):

Kotlin compiler options levels

The settings at a higher level are used as a convention (defaults) for a lower level:

  • The extension compiler options values are the default for target compiler options, including shared source sets, like commonMain, nativeMain, and commonTest.
  • Target compiler options values are used as the default for compilation unit (task) compiler options, for example, compileKotlinJvm and compileTestKotlinJvm tasks.

In turn, the configuration made at a lower level overrides related settings at a higher level:

  • Task-level compiler options override related configuration at the target or the extension level.
  • Target-level compiler options override related configuration at the extension level.

When configuring your project, keep in mind that some old ways of setting up compiler options were deprecated.

We encourage you to try the new DSL out in your multiplatform projects and leave feedback in YouTrack, as we plan to make this DSL the recommended approach for configuring compiler options.

New Compose compiler Gradle plugin

The Jetpack Compose compiler, which translates composables into Kotlin code, has been merged into the Kotlin repository. This will help with the transition of Compose projects to Kotlin 2.0.0, as the Compose compiler will always be released simultaneously with Kotlin. Additionally, this update also bumps the Compose compiler to version 2.0.0.

To use the new Compose compiler in your projects, apply the Gradle plugin in your build.gradle.kts file and set its version equal to the Kotlin version (2.0.0-RC2 or newer).

To learn more about this change and see the migration instructions, see the Compose compiler documentation.

New attribute to distinguish JVM and Android published libraries

Starting with Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the org.gradle.jvm.environment Gradle attribute is published by default with all Kotlin variants.

The attribute helps distinguish JVM and Android variants of Kotlin Multiplatform libraries. It indicates that a certain library variant is better suited for a certain JVM environment. The target environment could be "android", "standard-jvm", or "no-jvm".

Publishing this attribute should make consuming Kotlin Multiplatform libraries with JVM and Android targets more robust from non-multiplatform clients as well, such as Java-only projects.

If necessary, you can disable publication of this attribute. To do that, add the following Gradle option to your gradle.properties file:

kotlin.publishJvmEnvironmentAttribute=false

Improved Gradle dependency handling for CInteropProcess in Kotlin/Native

In this release, we enhanced the handling of the defFile property to ensure better Gradle task dependency management in Kotlin/Native projects.

Before this update, Gradle builds could fail if the defFile property was designated as an output of another task that hadn't been executed yet. The workaround for this issue was to add a dependency on this task:

kotlin {
    macosArm64("native") {
        compilations.getByName("main") {
            cinterops {
                val cinterop by creating {
                    defFileProperty.set(createDefFileTask.flatMap { it.defFile.asFile })
                    project.tasks.named(interopProcessingTaskName).configure {
                        dependsOn(createDefFileTask)
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

To fix this, there is a new RegularFileProperty called definitionFile. Now, Gradle lazily verifies the presence of the definitionFile property after the connected task has run later in the build process. This new approach eliminates the need for additional dependencies.

The CInteropProcess task and the CInteropSettings class use the definitionFile property instead of defFile and defFileProperty:

【Kotlin】

kotlin {
    macosArm64("native") {
        compilations.getByName("main") {
            cinterops {
                val cinterop by creating {
                    definitionFile.set(project.file("def-file.def"))
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

【Groovy】

kotlin {
    macosArm64("native") {
        compilations.main {
            cinterops {
                cinterop {
                    definitionFile.set(project.file("def-file.def"))
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

defFile and defFileProperty parameters are now deprecated.

Visibility changes in Gradle

This change impacts only Kotlin DSL users.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we've modified the Kotlin Gradle Plugin for better control and safety in your build scripts. Previously, certain Kotlin DSL functions and properties intended for a specific DSL context would inadvertently leak to other DSL contexts. This leakage could lead to the use of incorrect compiler options, settings being applied multiple times, and other misconfigurations:

kotlin {
    // Target DSL couldn't access methods and properties defined in the
    // kotlin{} extension DSL
    jvm {
        // Compilation DSL couldn't access methods and properties defined
        // in the kotlin{} extension DSL and Kotlin jvm{} target DSL
        compilations.configureEach {
            // Compilation task DSLs couldn't access methods and
            // properties defined in the kotlin{} extension, Kotlin jvm{}
            // target or Kotlin compilation DSL
            compileTaskProvider.configure {
                // For example:
                explicitApi()
                // ERROR as it is defined in the kotlin{} extension DSL
                mavenPublication {}
                // ERROR as it is defined in the Kotlin jvm{} target DSL
                defaultSourceSet {}
                // ERROR as it is defined in the Kotlin compilation DSL
            }
        }
    }
}

To fix this issue, we've added the @KotlinGradlePluginDsl annotation, preventing the exposure of the Kotlin Gradle plugin DSL functions and properties to the levels where they are not intended to be available. The following levels are separated from each other:

  • Kotlin extension
  • Kotlin target
  • Kotlin compilation
  • Kotlin compilation task

If your build script is configured incorrectly, you should see compiler warnings with suggestions on how to fix it. For example:

kotlin {
    jvm {
        sourceSets.getByName("jvmMain").dependencies {
            implementation("org.jetbrains.kotlinx:kotlinx-coroutines-core-jvm:1.7.3")
        }
    }
}

In this case, the warning message for sourceSets is:

[DEPRECATION] 'sourceSets: NamedDomainObjectContainer<KotlinSourceSet>' is deprecated.Accessing 'sourceSets' container on the Kotlin target level DSL is deprecated . Consider configuring 'sourceSets' on the Kotlin extension level .

We would appreciate your feedback on this change! Share your comments directly to Kotlin developers in our #eap Slack channel. Get a Slack invite.

New directory for Kotlin data in Gradle projects

With this change, you may need to add the .kotlin directory to your project's .gitignore file.

In Kotlin 1.8.20, the Kotlin Gradle plugin started to store its data in the Gradle project cache directory: <project-root-directory>/.gradle/kotlin. However, the .gradle directory is reserved for Gradle only, and as a result it's not future-proof. To solve this, since Kotlin 2.0.0-Beta2 we store Kotlin data in your <project-root-directory>/.kotlin by default. We will continue to store some data in .gradle/kotlin directory for backward compatibility.

There are new Gradle properties so that you can configure a directory of your choice and more:

Gradle property Description
kotlin.project.persistent.dir Configures the location where your project-level data is stored. Default: <project-root-directory>/.kotlin
kotlin.project.persistent.dir.gradle.disableWrite A boolean value that controls whether writing Kotlin data to the .gradle directory is disabled. Default: false

Add these properties to the gradle.properties file in your projects for them to take effect.

Kotlin/Native compiler downloaded when needed

Before Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, if you had a Kotlin/Native target configured in the Gradle build script of your multiplatform project, Gradle would always download the Kotlin/Native compiler in the configuration phase.

It happened even if there was no task to compile code for a Kotlin/Native target due to run in the execution phase. Downloading the Kotlin/Native compiler in this way was particularly inefficient for users who only wanted to check the JVM or JavaScript code in their projects. For example, to perform tests or checks with their Kotlin project as part of a CI process.

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we changed this behavior in the Kotlin Gradle plugin so that the Kotlin/Native compiler is downloaded in the execution phase and only when a compilation is requested for a Kotlin/Native target.

In turn, Kotlin/Native compiler's dependencies are now downloaded not as a part of the compiler, but in the execution phase as well.

If you encounter any issues with the new behavior, you can temporarily switch back to the previous behavior by adding the following Gradle property to your gradle.properties file:

kotlin.native.toolchain.enabled=false

Please report any problems to our issue tracker YouTrack, as this property will be removed in future releases.

Deprecating old ways of defining compiler options

In this release, we continue refining the ways of setting up compiler options. It should resolve ambiguity between different ways and make the project configuration more straightforward.

Since Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the following DSLs for specifying compiler options are deprecated:

  • The HasCompilerOptions interface. It was inconsistent with other DSLs and had the same compilerOptions object as the Kotlin compilation task, which was confusing. Instead, we recommend using the compilerOptions property from the Kotlin compilation task:

    kotlinCompilation.compileTaskProvider.configure {
    compilerOptions { ... }
}

    For example:

    kotlin {
    js(IR) {
        compilations.all {
            compileTaskProvider.configure {
                compilerOptions.freeCompilerArgs.add("-Xerror-tolerance-policy=SYNTAX")
            }
        }
    }
}

  • The KotlinCompile<KotlinOptions> interface. Use KotlinCompilationTask<CompilerOptions> instead.

  • The kotlinOptions DSL from the KotlinCompilation interface.
  • The kotlinOptions DSL from the KotlinNativeArtifactConfig interface, the KotlinNativeLink class, and the KotlinNativeLinkArtifactTask class. Use the toolOptions DSL instead.
  • The dceOptions DSL from the KotlinJsDce interface. Use the toolOptions DSL instead.

For more information on how to specify compiler options in the Kotlin Gradle plugin, see How to define options.

Bumped minimum supported AGP version

Starting with Kotlin 2.0.0, the minimum supported Android Gradle plugin version is 7.1.3.

New Gradle property to try latest language version

Prior to Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we had the following Gradle property to try out the new K2 compiler: kotlin.experimental.tryK2. Now that the K2 compiler is enabled by default in Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we decided to evolve this property into a new form that you can use to try the latest language version in your projects: kotlin.experimental.tryNext. When you use this property in your gradle.properties file, the Kotlin Gradle plugin increments the language version to one above the default value for your Kotlin version. For example, in Kotlin 2.0.0, the default language version is 2.0, so the property configures language version 2.1.

This new Gradle property produces similar metrics in build reports as before with kotlin.experimental.tryK2. The language version configured is included in the output. For example:

##### 'kotlin.experimental.tryNext' results #####
:app:compileKotlin: 2.1 language version
:lib:compileKotlin: 2.1 language version
##### 100% (2/2) tasks have been compiled with Kotlin 2.1 #####

To learn more about how to enable build reports and their content, see Build reports.

New JSON output format for build reports

In Kotlin 1.7.0, we introduced build reports to help track compiler performance. Over time we've added more metrics to make these reports even more detailed and helpful when investigating performance issues. Previously, the only output format for a local file was the *.txt format. In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, we support the JSON output format to make it even easier to analyze using other tools.

To configure JSON output format for your build reports, declare the following properties in your gradle.properties file:

kotlin.build.report.output=json

// The directory to store your build reports
kotlin.build.report.json.directory="my/directory/path"

Alternatively, you can run the following command:

./gradlew assemble -Pkotlin.build.report.output=json -Pkotlin.build.report.json.directory="my/directory/path"

Once configured, Gradle generates your build reports in the directory that you specify with the name: ${project_name}-date-time-<sequence_number>.json.

Here's an example snippet from a build report with JSON output format that contains build metrics and aggregated metrics:

"buildOperationRecord": [
    {
     "path": ":lib:compileKotlin",
      "classFqName": "org.jetbrains.kotlin.gradle.tasks.KotlinCompile_Decorated",
      "startTimeMs": 1714730820601,
      "totalTimeMs": 2724,
      "buildMetrics": {
        "buildTimes": {
          "buildTimesNs": {
            "CLEAR_OUTPUT": 713417,
            "SHRINK_AND_SAVE_CURRENT_CLASSPATH_SNAPSHOT_AFTER_COMPILATION": 19699333,
            "IR_TRANSLATION": 281000000,
            "NON_INCREMENTAL_LOAD_CURRENT_CLASSPATH_SNAPSHOT": 14088042,
            "CALCULATE_OUTPUT_SIZE": 1301500,
            "GRADLE_TASK": 2724000000,
            "COMPILER_INITIALIZATION": 263000000,
            "IR_GENERATION": 74000000,
…
          }
        }
…
 "aggregatedMetrics": {
    "buildTimes": {
      "buildTimesNs": {
        "CLEAR_OUTPUT": 782667,
        "SHRINK_AND_SAVE_CURRENT_CLASSPATH_SNAPSHOT_AFTER_COMPILATION": 22031833,
        "IR_TRANSLATION": 333000000,
        "NON_INCREMENTAL_LOAD_CURRENT_CLASSPATH_SNAPSHOT": 14890292,
        "CALCULATE_OUTPUT_SIZE": 2370750,
        "GRADLE_TASK": 3234000000,
        "COMPILER_INITIALIZATION": 292000000,
        "IR_GENERATION": 89000000,
…
      }
    }

Standard library

This release brings further stability to the Kotlin standard library and makes even more existing functions common for all platforms:

Stable replacement of the enum class values generic function

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the enumEntries<T>() function becomes Stable. The enumEntries<T>() function is a replacement for the generic enumValues<T>() function. The new function returns a list of all enum entries for the given enum type T. The entries property for enum classes was previously introduced and also stabilized to replace the synthetic values() function. For more information about the entries property, see What's new in Kotlin 1.8.20.

The enumValues<T>() function is still supported, but we recommend that you use the enumEntries<T>() function instead because it has less performance impact. Every time you call enumValues<T>(), a new array is created, whereas whenever you call enumEntries<T>(), the same list is returned each time, which is far more efficient.

For example:

enum class RGB { RED, GREEN, BLUE }

inline fun <reified T : Enum<T>> printAllValues() {
    print(enumEntries<T>().joinToString { it.name })
}

printAllValues<RGB>()
// RED, GREEN, BLUE

Stable AutoCloseable interface

In Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3, the common AutoCloseable interface becomes Stable. It allows you to easily close resources and includes a couple of useful functions:

  • The use() extension function, which executes a given block function on the selected resource and then closes it down correctly, whether an exception is thrown or not.
  • The AutoCloseable() constructor function, which creates instances of the AutoCloseable interface.

In the example below, we define the XMLWriter interface and assume that there is a resource that implements it. For example, this resource could be a class that opens a file, writes XML content, and then closes it:

interface XMLWriter {
    fun document(encoding: String, version: String, content: XMLWriter.() -> Unit)
    fun element(name: String, content: XMLWriter.() -> Unit)
    fun attribute(name: String, value: String)
    fun text(value: String)

    fun flushAndClose()
}

fun writeBooksTo(writer: XMLWriter) {
    val autoCloseable = AutoCloseable { writer.flushAndClose() }
    autoCloseable.use {
        writer.document(encoding = "UTF-8", version = "1.0") {
            element("bookstore") {
                element("book") {
                    attribute("category", "fiction")
                    element("title") { text("Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban") }
                    element("author") { text("J. K. Rowling") }
                    element("year") { text("1999") }
                    element("price") { text("29.99") }
                }
                element("book") {
                    attribute("category", "programming")
                    element("title") { text("Kotlin in Action") }
                    element("author") { text("Dmitry Jemerov") }
                    element("author") { text("Svetlana Isakova") }
                    element("year") { text("2017") }
                    element("price") { text("25.19") }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

Common protected property AbstractMutableList.modCount

The release makes the modCount protected property of the AbstractMutableList interface common. Previously, the modCount property was available on each platform but not for the common target. Now, you can create custom implementations of AbstractMutableList and access the property in common code.

The property keeps track of the number of structural modifications made to the collection. This includes operations that change the collection's size or alter the list in a way that iterations in progress may return incorrect results.

You can use the modCount property to register and detect concurrent modifications when implementing a custom list.

Common protected function AbstractMutableList.removeRange

The release makes the removeRange() protected function of the AbstractMutableList interface common. Previously, it was available on each platform but not for the common target. Now, you can create custom implementations of AbstractMutableList and override the function in common code.

The function removes elements from this list following the specified range. By overriding this function, you can take advantage of the custom implementations and improve the performance of the list operation.

Common String.toCharArray(destination) function

This release introduces a common String.toCharArray(destination) function. Previously, it was only available on the JVM.

Let's compare it with the existing String.toCharArray() function. This function creates a new CharArray that contains characters from the specified string. The common String.toCharArray(destination), however, moves String characters into an existing destination CharArray, which is useful if you already have a buffer that you want to fill:

fun main() {
    val myString = "Kotlin is awesome!"
    val destinationArray = CharArray(myString.length) 

    // Convert the string and store it in the destinationArray:
    myString.toCharArray(destinationArray) 

    for (char in destinationArray) {
        print("$char ")
    }
}

What to expect from upcoming Kotlin EAP releases

Starting from Kotlin 2.0.0-RC1, you can use the K2 compiler in production.

The upcoming release candidates will further increase the stability of the K2 compiler. If you are currently using K2 in your project, we encourage you to stay updated on Kotlin releases and experiment with the updated K2 compiler. Share your feedback on using Kotlin K2.

How to update to Kotlin 2.0.0-RC3

Starting from IntelliJ IDEA 2023.3 and Android Studio Iguana (2023.2.1) Canary 15, the Kotlin plugin is distributed as a bundled plugin included in your IDE. This means that you can't install the plugin from JetBrains Marketplace anymore. The bundled plugin supports upcoming Kotlin EAP releases.

To update to the new Kotlin EAP version, change the Kotlin version to 2.0.0-RC3 in your build scripts.