How to shuffle an array in Kotlin

How to shuffle an array in Kotlin.

Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to shuffle an array in Kotlin:

Step 1: Initialize an array

Start by initializing an array with the elements you want to shuffle. You can use any type of elements, such as numbers, strings, or objects. Here's an example of how to initialize an array of integers:

val array = arrayOf(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Step 2: Import the necessary packages

To shuffle an array, you'll need to import the java.util.* package, which contains the Collections class. The Collections class provides various methods for manipulating collections, including shuffling. Add the following import statement at the top of your Kotlin file:

import java.util.*

Step 3: Shuffle the array using the Collections class

Now, you can use the shuffle() method from the Collections class to shuffle the elements of the array. The shuffle() method modifies the array in-place, so there's no need to assign the result to a new variable. Here's an example of how to shuffle the array:

Collections.shuffle(array.toList())

Step 4: Convert the shuffled array back to a mutable list (optional)

By default, the shuffle() method returns a shuffled read-only list. If you need to perform further operations on the shuffled array, you can convert it back to a mutable list using the toMutableList() method. Here's an example:

val shuffledList = array.toMutableList()

Step 5: Print the shuffled array

Finally, you can print the shuffled array or perform any other operations on it. Here's an example of how to print the shuffled array:

println(shuffledList)

Complete code example:

import java.util.*

fun main() {
    val array = arrayOf(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
    Collections.shuffle(array.toList())
    val shuffledList = array.toMutableList()
    println(shuffledList)
}

That's it! You've successfully shuffled an array in Kotlin using the Collections class. Feel free to experiment with different types of arrays and explore other methods provided by the Collections class.