Skip to main content

How to check if two arrays are equal in Kotlin

How to check if two arrays are equal in Kotlin.

Here's a detailed step-by-step tutorial on how to check if two arrays are equal in Kotlin:

Step 1: Declare the arrays

To start, declare two arrays that you want to compare for equality. These arrays can be of any type (e.g., Int, String, etc.) and any size. For this tutorial, let's assume we have two arrays of Integers.

val array1 = arrayOf(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
val array2 = arrayOf(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Step 2: Use the contentEquals function

Kotlin provides a built-in function called contentEquals that allows you to compare the contents of two arrays. This function returns true if the arrays have the same size and contain the same elements in the same order. Otherwise, it returns false.

val areEqual = array1.contentEquals(array2)

In this example, areEqual will be true because array1 and array2 have the same size and contain the same elements in the same order.

Step 3: Print the result

To see the result of the comparison, you can print the value of the areEqual variable.

println("Are the arrays equal? $areEqual")

This will output: "Are the arrays equal? true" if the arrays are equal, or "Are the arrays equal? false" if they are not equal.

Alternative Approach: Comparing individual elements

If you need more control over the comparison process, you can also compare the elements of the arrays individually. This approach allows you to define custom equality conditions.

val areEqual = array1.size == array2.size && array1.zip(array2).all { (a, b) -> a == b }

In this example, areEqual will be true if the arrays have the same size and all corresponding elements are equal. Otherwise, it will be false.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to check if two arrays are equal in Kotlin. You can use the contentEquals function to perform a simple comparison based on the contents of the arrays, or compare the elements individually for more complex scenarios.