Rookie question. If I want to provide some code in a class that just returns something, how do I do it? a) Define a function naming the data returned:

fun parsedElements()

b) Define a function naming the data returned prefixed with get (since as per coding conventions functions should incorporate a verb):

fun getParsedElements()

c) Define a read-only property naming the data returned:

val parsedElements: List<String> get() = …

What’s considered best practice, does it depend on “how dynamic” the code is?

if it accepts 0 parameters, you do have 4 options: fun, val, val get, lazy val.

fun

if you want the caller to treat it as a calculation, val if it's cheap and likely to be used (and immutable), val get if it's cheap and might be used, and val lazy if it's expensive (and immutable)

I’d say that if it’s a lazy immutable val based on other immutable data (property), then it should be a val by lazy. I wonder whether smart casts would work for that …

I still think there's more nuance to it than that...but that last bullet's a good point

Agreed - property “calls” should at least be idempotent. 🙂

A lot has to do with trust-of-your-clients. Because most of us grew up in other languages, most of us treat val x differently from fun x(), especially w.r.t. caching. I sometimes use a fun instead of a val get just to signal it's a computation not a field.

The weirdest thing would be defining a val using a verb in the name:

val computeHeight

hah, yeah, don't do that 🙂

I’m not that kind of rookie … 😉 But on a more serious note, the notion that all functions must incorporate a verb gives me pause. Either that means that all my getter funs should start with “get”, or all of these kinds of getter funs should be vals …