Is this the correct behavior? Only is working inside functions

# getting-started

[Javier]

Is this the correct behavior? Only is working inside functions

[CLOVIS]

Running code outside of functions is not allowed.

[CLOVIS]

The only things you can do are function / class declarations.

[CLOVIS]

However, this is allowed:

object Hello {
  val x = "Hello"
}

fun main() {
  Hello.x // whatever
}

[Robert Jaros]

It's not about code outside of functions. It works the same when you put hello.x inside main(). It's strange for me as well.

[CLOVIS]

Ah, then there's a second problem, but I won't just give the answer to it. What's the type of the hello variable?

[Robert Jaros]

It's Any in the second case and <anonymous object : Any> in the first (working) one.

[Robert Jaros]

I think this behavior is documented here:
https://kotlinlang.org/docs/object-declarations.html#using-anonymous-objects-as-return-and-value-types

[Robert Jaros]

But it's for sure not clear for me 😉

[Javier]

that is a scratch file, I can run code there @CLOVIS

[Javier]

Same here

[CLOVIS]

Yep, the variable's type is Any, and Any doesn't have an x attribute.

[CLOVIS]

The version I wrote above will work, because I'm actually declaring a new type (with an x attribute)

[Javier]

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[Javier]

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[CLOVIS]

Enable type hints to understand these cases better

[Javier]

image.png

[Javier]

image.png

[Javier]

well, my use case is to have it public, so it isn't working for me so, but I would like compiler could resolve it even if it is public..

[CLOVIS]

Check the version I sent, it will work no matter if it's public or not.

[Javier]

I know that works, but I want trying to avoid that, having an unnecessary public object in the namespace

[Javier]

but I have to use that

[Javier]

@Robert Jaros yep, here: When an anonymous object is used as a type of a local or private but not inline declaration (function or property), all its members are accessible via this function or property

[CLOVIS]

You want to:
• provide the caller with an object that has an x attribute that they can use
• not declare the object
You can't have both

[Javier]

yeah, thank you 😛

[Tobias Berger]

just as a sidenote: you could also make your anonymous object implement an interface. But as long as that interface isn't used anywhere else, you don't gain much from that