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Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate

Implement a custom property delegate from scratch using ReadWriteProperty.

Lesson 3 of 413 steps

Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate is a free Kotlin Academy lesson on CoddyKit. This is lesson 3 of 4. Any 3 lessons of this learning path are free to read in full — after that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus hands-on practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Kotlin Academy learning path, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app. The Kotlin Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

The ReadWriteProperty Interface

A custom delegate implements ReadWriteProperty<ThisRef, T> with getValue and setValue operators.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class SimpleDelegate<T>(private var value: T) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> {
    override fun getValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>): T = value
    override fun setValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>, value: T) {
        this.value = value
    }
}
var x: Int by SimpleDelegate(0)
fun main() { x = 42; println(x) }

ReadOnlyProperty for val

For read-only val properties, implement ReadOnlyProperty<ThisRef, T> with only getValue.

import kotlin.properties.ReadOnlyProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class Constant<T>(private val value: T) : ReadOnlyProperty<Any?, T> {
    override fun getValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>): T = value
}
val pi: Double by Constant(3.14159)
fun main() { println(pi) }

Using thisRef for Context

thisRef gives the delegate access to the enclosing object, enabling context-aware behavior.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class LoggingDelegate<T>(private var v: T) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> {
    override fun getValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>): T {
        println("[${thisRef?.javaClass?.simpleName}] get ${property.name} = $v")
        return v
    }
    override fun setValue(thisRef: Any?, property: KProperty<*>, value: T) {
        println("[${thisRef?.javaClass?.simpleName}] set ${property.name} = $value")
        v = value
    }
}
class Config { var host: String by LoggingDelegate("localhost") }
fun main() { val c = Config(); c.host = "prod.example.com"; println(c.host) }

Clamped Numeric Delegate

A delegate that clamps a numeric value to a range, enforcing invariants transparently.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class Clamped(private val min: Int, private val max: Int, initial: Int) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, Int> {
    private var v = initial.coerceIn(min, max)
    override fun getValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>) = v
    override fun setValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>, value: Int) {
        v = value.coerceIn(min, max)
    }
}
var brightness: Int by Clamped(0, 255, 128)
fun main() {
    brightness = 300; println(brightness) // 255
    brightness = -5;  println(brightness) // 0
    brightness = 100; println(brightness) // 100
}

Nullable Cache Delegate

A delegate that computes a value once and caches it, with the ability to invalidate by setting to null.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class CachedNullable<T>(private val compute: () -> T) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T?> {
    private var cache: T? = null
    override fun getValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>): T? = cache ?: compute().also { cache = it }
    override fun setValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>, value: T?) { cache = value }
}
var expensiveResult: Int? by CachedNullable { (1..1000).sum() }
fun main() {
    println(expensiveResult) // computed
    println(expensiveResult) // cached
    expensiveResult = null
    println(expensiveResult) // recomputed
}

Thread-Safe Delegate with @Synchronized

Add thread safety to a delegate with @Synchronized or an internal lock object.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class SynchronizedDelegate<T>(private var v: T) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> {
    @Synchronized
    override fun getValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>) = v
    @Synchronized
    override fun setValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>, value: T) { v = value }
}
var counter: Int by SynchronizedDelegate(0)
fun main() { counter = 99; println(counter) }

Delegate Factory Function Pattern

Expose a delegate via an extension function returning the delegate object, following the standard library style.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
fun <T> logged(initial: T): ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> = object : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> {
    var v = initial
    override fun getValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>): T { println("get ${p.name}"); return v }
    override fun setValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>, value: T) { println("set ${p.name}=$value"); v = value }
}
var name: String by logged("world")
fun main() { println(name); name = "Kotlin" }

Delegate with KProperty Metadata

The KProperty argument provides the property name and annotations, useful for logging frameworks or ORMs.

import kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class AuditDelegate<T>(private var v: T) : ReadWriteProperty<Any?, T> {
    private val history = mutableListOf<String>()
    override fun getValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>) = v
    override fun setValue(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>, value: T) {
        history.add("${p.name}: $v -> $value")
        v = value
    }
    fun printHistory() = history.forEach(::println)
}
var status: String by AuditDelegate("idle").also { /* expose audit */ }

provideDelegate Operator

provideDelegate lets a delegate intercept the delegation setup, validate the property name or annotations at initialization time.

import kotlin.properties.ReadOnlyProperty
import kotlin.reflect.KProperty
class ValidatedDelegate<T>(private val v: T) {
    operator fun provideDelegate(t: Any?, p: KProperty<*>): ReadOnlyProperty<Any?, T> {
        require(p.name.isNotBlank()) { "Property name must not be blank" }
        return ReadOnlyProperty { _, _ -> v }
    }
}
val greeting: String by ValidatedDelegate("Hello")
fun main() { println(greeting) }

Comparing Approaches

Custom delegates vs. observable/vetoable: use built-ins for simple reactive patterns; write custom delegates for complex invariants, caching, or context-aware behavior.

// Built-in: simple change notification
import kotlin.properties.Delegates
var simple: Int by Delegates.observable(0) { _,_,v -> println("changed: $v") }
// Custom: clamping + logging
var complex: Int by run {
    object : kotlin.properties.ReadWriteProperty<Any?,Int> {
        var v = 0
        override fun getValue(t:Any?,p:kotlin.reflect.KProperty<*>)=v
        override fun setValue(t:Any?,p:kotlin.reflect.KProperty<*>,value:Int){
            println("clamping $value"); v=value.coerceIn(0,100)
        }
    }
}
fun main() { simple=5; complex=200; println(complex) }

Practical: SharedPreferences Delegate

A common Android pattern: delegate a property to SharedPreferences so reads/writes transparently persist to disk.

// Pseudocode (no Android runtime here)
class PrefDelegate(private val key: String, private val default: String) {
    // In real Android code:
    // override fun getValue(...) = prefs.getString(key, default) ?: default
    // override fun setValue(...) { prefs.edit().putString(key, value).apply() }
    fun getValue(): String = default // simplified
}
fun main() {
    val delegate = PrefDelegate("user_name", "Guest")
    println(delegate.getValue())
}

Quick Check

Which interface must a read-write delegate implement?

Answer it in the interactive lesson

Recap

Custom delegates implement ReadWriteProperty (or ReadOnlyProperty) and can encapsulate logging, caching, validation, clamping, or platform storage behind a transparent property interface.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the “Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate” lesson free?

Yes — any 3 lessons of the Kotlin Academy learning path, including “Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate”, are free to read in full here on the web. After that, CoddyKit PRO unlocks every lesson, plus interactive practice with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. The Kotlin Academy course includes 4 lessons in total.

What will I learn in “Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate”?

Implement a custom property delegate from scratch using ReadWriteProperty. 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, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace. This is lesson 3 of 4.

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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.

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All lessons in this course

  1. by lazy: Deferred Initialization Deep Dive
  2. observable and vetoable Delegates
  3. Writing a Custom ReadWriteProperty Delegate
  4. Delegates for Preferences, Map-Backed Properties & Logging
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