Kotlin Academy · Lesson

Practical Reflection

Read annotations dynamically.

Practical Reflection is a free Kotlin Academy lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 4 of 4. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Kotlin Academy learning path, one of 4 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Annotations Meet Reflection

An annotation with RUNTIME retention can be discovered at runtime via reflection. This combination powers serializers, validators, and dependency injection.

In this lesson we read our own annotations dynamically.

Reading a Class Annotation

Every KClass exposes an annotations list. We can scan it to find a specific annotation by type.

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Entity(val table: String)

@Entity("users")
class User

fun main() {
    val ann = User::class.annotations
        .filterIsInstance<Entity>()
        .first()
    println(ann.table)
}

findAnnotation Helper

The findAnnotation extension is cleaner than filtering manually. It returns the annotation or null.

import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Entity(val table: String)

@Entity("orders")
class Order

fun main() {
    val ann = Order::class.findAnnotation<Entity>()
    println(ann?.table)
}

Annotations on Properties

Properties carry their own annotations. Iterate memberProperties and inspect each property's annotations.

import kotlin.reflect.full.memberProperties
import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Column(val name: String)

class Product(@Column("product_id") val id: Int, val title: String)

fun main() {
    Product::class.memberProperties.forEach { prop ->
        val col = prop.findAnnotation<Column>()
        if (col != null) println(prop.name + " -> " + col.name)
    }
}

Building a Mini Serializer

Combine property reading with annotations to generate output. Here we map each property to a key=value string using the column name when present.

import kotlin.reflect.full.memberProperties
import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Column(val name: String)

class Item(@Column("item_id") val id: Int, val name: String)

fun main() {
    val item = Item(7, "Book")
    val parts = Item::class.memberProperties.map { p ->
        val key = p.findAnnotation<Column>()?.name ?: p.name
        key + "=" + p.getter.call(item)
    }
    println(parts.joinToString(", "))
}

Skipping With a Marker

A marker annotation can flag properties to ignore. We test for its presence with hasAnnotation.

import kotlin.reflect.full.memberProperties
import kotlin.reflect.full.hasAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Transient2

class Account(val id: Int, @Transient2 val secret: String)

fun main() {
    Account::class.memberProperties
        .filterNot { it.hasAnnotation<Transient2>() }
        .forEach { println(it.name) }
}

Reading Annotation Arguments

Once you have the annotation instance, its parameters are plain properties. Read them like any field.

import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Validated(val min: Int, val max: Int)

@Validated(min = 1, max = 100)
class Quantity

fun main() {
    val v = Quantity::class.findAnnotation<Validated>()!!
    println("range " + v.min + ".." + v.max)
}

Annotations on Functions

Functions can also be annotated and inspected. Frameworks use this to find handlers, like test runners locating test methods.

import kotlin.reflect.full.memberFunctions
import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Route(val path: String)

class Api {
    @Route("/home")
    fun home() = "home page"
}

fun main() {
    Api::class.memberFunctions.forEach { f ->
        f.findAnnotation<Route>()?.let { println(f.name + " @ " + it.path) }
    }
}

Driving Behavior

Read the route annotation and actually dispatch a call. This is the essence of how routing frameworks work.

import kotlin.reflect.full.memberFunctions
import kotlin.reflect.full.findAnnotation

@Retention(AnnotationRetention.RUNTIME)
annotation class Route(val path: String)

class Api {
    @Route("/ping")
    fun ping() = "pong"
}

fun main() {
    val api = Api()
    val target = "/ping"
    Api::class.memberFunctions.forEach { f ->
        if (f.findAnnotation<Route>()?.path == target) {
            println(f.call(api))
        }
    }
}

Real-World Uses

Annotation-driven reflection underpins many libraries:

JSON serialization mapping fields to keys
Validation enforcing constraints
Routing matching paths to handlers
Dependency injection wiring components

Keep It Targeted

Reflection is best confined to setup and framework code that runs once or rarely. Cache the results when you can. For per-request hot paths, prefer compile-time processing.

Quick Check

Test your understanding of practical reflection.

Recap

You combined annotations and reflection to:

Find class, property, and function annotations
Read annotation arguments at runtime
Build a mini serializer and route dispatcher
Skip fields with marker annotations

This is how real frameworks are built.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Practical Reflection” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Practical Reflection” is free to read here on the web, and the Kotlin Academy course includes 4 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Kotlin Academy course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Practical Reflection”?

Read annotations dynamically. You practise Kotlin Academy with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Kotlin Academy?

No prior experience is required. Kotlin Academy on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 4 of 4, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Practical Reflection” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Kotlin Academy lesson?

Yes. Every Kotlin Academy lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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