is there more Kotlin-y idiomatic way(s) to express the following code snippet: `val exitProcessing: ...

# getting-started

[Rajkumar Singh]

is there more Kotlin-y idiomatic way(s) to express the following code snippet:
val exitProcessing: Boolean? = func2call(tId, fId)
if (exitProcessing == null || exitProcessing == true) return

[Joffrey]

If it makes sense to avoid returning null from the function in the first place, I'd consider that first. For instance, if true makes sense as a default value for func2call, it'd be better if it returned true instead of null.

If that doesn't make sense (if it's useful to distinguish null from true), then you could express the default with the elvis operator at the call site:

val exitProcessing = func2call(tId, fId) ?: true
if (exitProcessing) return

Or directly return from elvis in addition to the `if`:

val exitProcessing = func2call(tId, fId) ?: return
if (exitProcessing) return

Although that one might be harder to read/understand

[ephemient]

exitProcessing != false

is preferred over

exitProcessing ?: true

by the style guide: https://kotlinlang.org/docs/idioms.html#nullable-boolean

[Joffrey]

I think what you refer to is rather this:
https://kotlinlang.org/docs/coding-conventions.html#nullable-boolean-values-in-conditions

But I believe this advice is about the content of a condition, where if (exitProcessing ?: true) would feel weird. Here I'm suggesting using elvis for the variable assignment, not in the condition

[Rajkumar Singh]

@Joffrey I modified the func2call to return Boolean and that solved the whole null-dealing drama 🥂. thanks @Joffrey and @ephemient for the good discussion.