Intermediate Kotlin Programming Online – Uganda & East Africa

Course outline and learning expectations

This is a tutor-led course. The outline shows what your tutor will cover; teaching materials and examinations are provided directly to enrolled students.

What you will learn

• By the end of this course, the learner will be able to:
• Organise medium-sized Kotlin programs into packages and modules.
• Configure Kotlin/JVM projects using Gradle.
• Apply object-oriented programming principles in Kotlin.
• Use inheritance, interfaces, abstract classes and composition appropriately.
• Model program information using data, enum, object and sealed classes.
• Write lambda expressions and higher-order functions.
• Process collections using functional operations.
• Use sequences for efficient data processing.
• Create extension functions and extension properties.
• Apply Kotlin scope functions correctly.
• Create reusable components using generic classes and functions.
• Handle errors using exceptions and result-oriented programming.
• Read information from and write information to files.
• Write automated unit tests for Kotlin programs.
• Integrate Kotlin code with Java libraries and classes.
• Apply Git and GitHub in a structured programming project.
• Design and build a complete intermediate Kotlin application.

Modules

1. 1

   Kotlin Fundamentals Review

   Review of variables and data types.Review of conditions and loops.Review of functions.Review of collections.Review of null safety.Review of classes and objects.Identifying knowledge gaps before intermediate programming.
2. 2

   Structuring Kotlin Projects

   Creating structured Kotlin/JVM projects.Understanding source and test directories.Organising programs into files.Creating and using packages.Imports and package visibility.Separating program responsibilities.Developing consistent project structures.
3. 3

   Introduction to Gradle

   Meaning and purpose of build tools.Introduction to Gradle.Understanding build.gradle.kts.Configuring Kotlin/JVM projects.Adding external dependencies.Running build tasks.Running tests with Gradle.Managing project versions.Solving common Gradle configuration problems.
4. 4

   Advanced Functions

   Function overloading.Local functions.Infix functions.Variable numbers of arguments.Tail-recursive functions.Function types.Function references.Passing functions as arguments.Returning functions from functions.Closures.Higher-order functions.
5. 5

   Lambda Expressions

   Introduction to lambda expressions.Lambda syntax.Passing lambdas into functions.Lambdas with multiple parameters.The implicit it parameter.Returning values from lambdas.Lambdas and collections.Writing readable functional code.
6. 6

   Object-Oriented Programming in Kotlin

   Encapsulation.Abstraction.Inheritance.Polymorphism.Primary and secondary constructors.Initialisation order.Visibility modifiers.Custom getters and setters.The openfinal and override keywords.Composition versus inheritance.
7. 7

   Interfaces and Abstract Classes

   Declaring interfaces.Interface properties.Default interface implementations.Implementing multiple interfaces.Declaring abstract classes.Abstract properties and functions.Choosing between interfaces and abstract classes.Designing flexible and replaceable components.
8. 8

   Delegation

   Meaning of delegation.Class delegation using by.Delegating responsibilities to another object.Reducing repeated code.Delegation compared with inheritance.Practical uses of delegation in application design.
9. 9

   Data, Enum, Object and Sealed Classes

   Data classes.Generated data-class functions.Copying data objects.Destructuring declarations.Enum classes.Object declarations.Companion objects.Anonymous objects.Sealed classes and sealed interfaces.Exhaustive when expressions.Modelling successfailure and application states.
10. 10

    Functional Collection Processing

    Using map.Using filter.Using forEach.Finding collection elements.Using anyall and none.Grouping collection data.Associating keys and values.Using fold and reduce.Sorting and comparison.Flattening nested collections.Chaining collection operations.
11. 11

    Sequences and Efficient Processing

    Collections compared with sequences.Eager and lazy evaluation.Creating sequences.Sequence transformations.Terminal operations.Avoiding unnecessary intermediate collections.Processing larger sets of data.Identifying situations where sequences are unnecessary.
12. 12

    Extension Functions and Properties

    Meaning of extension functions.Creating extension functions.Creating extension properties.Member functions compared with extensions.Extensions with nullable receivers.Generic extension functions.Organising extension functions.Avoiding inappropriate use of extensions.
13. 13

    Kotlin Scope Functions

    Using let.Using run.Using with.Using apply.Using also.Choosing the correct scope function.Avoiding confusing scope-function chains.Improving code readability with scope functions.
14. 14

    Intermediate Generics

    Generic classes.Generic functions.Type parameters.Type constraints.Multiple constraints using where.Nullable generic types.Generic utility functions.Introduction to variance.Designing reusable repositories and services.
15. 15

    Exception Handling and Result-Oriented Programming

    Using trycatch and finally.Throwing exceptions.Creating custom exceptions.Preconditions with require.State checks with check.Using error.Using runCatching.Working with Result.Representing expected failures with sealed classes.Choosing between exceptions and explicit results.
16. 16

    File Input and Output

    Understanding files and paths.Reading text files.Writing text files.Appending information to files.Processing line-based information.Handling missing files.Handling inaccessible files.Converting file data into Kotlin objects.Saving program records locally.
17. 17

    Kotlin Unit Testing

    Purpose of automated testing.Structure of a unit test.Assertions.Testing functions.Testing classes.Testing expected exceptions.Testing edge cases.Test fixtures.Naming tests clearly.Organising test code.Understanding test coverage.Building confidence through automated tests.
18. 18

    Git and GitHub for Kotlin Projects

    Initialising a Git repository.Tracking project changes.Writing meaningful commit messages.Creating branches.Merging changes.Managing merge conflicts.Pushing projects to GitHub.Writing a project README.Organising a professional coding portfolio.
19. 19

    Intermediate Application Architecture

    Separating user input from business logic.Separating business logic from data storage.Layered program organisation.Designing reusable services.Using interfaces for replaceable components.Introduction to dependency injection principles.Validation and error reporting.Refactoring growing Kotlin projects.Testing business rules independently.
20. 20

    Intermediate Capstone Project

    Suggested projects include:SACCO member and savings-management system.Tour booking and quotation engine.School records-processing application.Small-business inventory and sales system.Transport fare and route-management program.Employee payroll-processing application.Agricultural produce record system.Hotel reservation-management application.Clinic appointment and records system.