Triple in Kotlin

Triple Syntax and Declaration

Triple in Kotlin is a data class provided by the standard library that allows you to represent a tuple of three values. Triple in Kotlin is designed to offer a convenient way to bundle three values together. The Triple class has three components (first, second, and third), each capable of holding a different type of value. The comparison between two Triple objects is done on the basis of values, i.e. two Triples are equal only if all three components are equal.

Class Definition:

where:

• A – type of the first value
• B – type of the second value
• C - type of the third value

Syntax:

where:

• T1, T2, and T3 represent the types of the three values.
• value1, value2, and value3 are the actual values you want to store in the Triple.

Declaration:

Here's an example of declaring and initializing a Triple in Kotlin:

Working with Triples

Accessing Components:

Once you have a Triple object, you can access its components using the properties .first, .second, and .third:

Destructuring Declarations:

Kotlin supports destructuring declarations, allowing you to extract values from a Triple into separate variables in a concise manner:

Now, value1, value2, and value3 are variables containing the values from the Triple.

Here is a code snippet to demonstrate the working of Triple.

Code:

Output:

Explanation:

1. Once you have a Triple object, you can access its components using the properties .first, .second, and .third.
2. Kotlin supports destructuring declarations, allowing you to extract values from a Triple into separate variables in a concise manner. Now, name, age, and grade are variables containing the values from the Triple.

Triple vs. Other Data Structures

There might be a situation where we find the need to retrieve multiple values from a function. The approaches of accomplishing this are as follows:

1. Custom Class Approach:

This approach involves creating a custom class with properties to represent the data. This is a more structured and object-oriented approach.

While this approach is effective in straightforward scenarios, it has some drawbacks. One particular challenge is the necessity to define new classes whenever a different set of three values is required.

2. List Approach

A list is a collection data structure that allows you to store an ordered sequence of elements. In Kotlin, lists can be mutable (MutableList) or immutable (List).

Using this approach, there's no need for an additional class, and calculating the average of scores becomes straightforward using the methods provided by the List<T> class and higher-order functions. However, a drawback arises because the size of the list is not constant, and it's essential to note that all items in the list must share the same type. In certain scenarios, when a fixed number of elements is required, a list may not be the most suitable data structure.

Hence, we can conclude that:

• Triple:
  Simple and concise for representing exactly three related values.
• List:
  For a collection of values with varying lengths and when all the elements have to be of the same data type.
• Custom Class:
  When you need more control, additional methods, or specific behavior.

Triple Limitations

While the Triple in Kotlin is convenient for grouping three related values, it does have certain limitations:

• Triple in Kotlin uses generic components (first, second, and third), which might not convey the meaning of the values. Triple in Kotlin lacks the ability to name components like a custom class, making the code less self-explanatory.
• Triple instances are immutable, meaning their components cannot be modified after instantiation.
• Triple in Kotlin is designed to hold exactly three values. If you need a variable number of elements, a collection data structure like a List or a custom class might be more appropriate.
• While destructuring declarations are a powerful feature, they might lead to reduced readability when extracting values from a Triple in Kotlin. Custom classes with named properties can offer more clarity in this regard.

Practical Examples

1. Processing Student Information

Code:

Output:

Explanation:

In this example, a Triple in Kotlin is used to represent student information, including name, age, and pass/fail status.

2. Calculating Statistics

Code:

Explanation:

Here, a Triple in Kotlin is used to store the average, minimum, and maximum scores calculated from a list of scores.

Output:

3. RGB Color Manipulation

Code:

Output:

Explanation:

In this example, a Triple is used to represent an RGB color, and another Triple is used to store the inverted RGB values.