Groovy Programming Language Cheatsheet

If you’re diving into the world of Groovy, a powerful and dynamic programming language for the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), having a cheatsheet at your disposal can be incredibly handy. Groovy combines the best features of Java with a concise and expressive syntax, making it an excellent choice for scripting, testing, and building robust applications. In this cheatsheet, we’ll cover the essential aspects of Groovy to help you navigate its syntax and features efficiently.

1. Hello, World!

println "Hello, World!"

Groovy simplifies the traditional “Hello, World!” program by removing the need for a class declaration and a static main method. The println statement is enough to print output.

2. Variables and Data Types

def name = "Groovy"
def version = 3.0

Groovy is dynamically typed, allowing you to declare variables without specifying their types. The def keyword is used for variable declaration. Groovy supports various data types, including strings, numbers, lists, maps, and more.

3. Collections

Lists

def numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Maps

def person = [name: "John", age: 30, city: "Example City"]

Groovy provides concise syntax for creating lists and maps. Lists use square brackets [], and maps use key-value pairs.

4. Control Flow

If-Else Statement

def x = 10

if (x > 5) {
    println "x is greater than 5"
} else {
    println "x is less than or equal to 5"
}

Switch Statement

def day = "Monday"

switch (day) {
    case "Monday":
        println "It's the start of the week"
        break
    case "Friday":
        println "TGIF!"
        break
    default:
        println "It's just another day"
}

Groovy supports traditional if-else statements as well as switch statements for more structured control flow.

5. Loops

For Loop

def numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

for (num in numbers) {
    println num
}

While Loop

def count = 0

while (count < 5) {
    println count
    count++
}

Groovy supports both for and while loops for iterating over collections or performing repetitive tasks.

6. Functions

def greet(name) {
    return "Hello, $name!"
}

println greet("Alice")

Defining functions in Groovy is straightforward. The return keyword is optional, and the last evaluated expression serves as the return value.

7. Closures

def square = { num -> num * num }

println square(5)

Closures are a powerful feature of Groovy. They are anonymous blocks of code that can be assigned to variables and passed around as first-class objects.

8. String Manipulation

def firstName = "John"
def lastName = "Doe"

def fullName = "$firstName $lastName"

Groovy supports string interpolation, making it easy to concatenate strings and embed variables within them.

9. File Handling

def file = new File("example.txt")

file.text = "Hello, Groovy!"
println file.text

Working with files in Groovy is simple. The File class provides convenient methods for reading from and writing to files.

10. Testing with Spock

class MathOperationsSpec extends spock.lang.Spec {
    def "addition"() {
        expect:
        2 + 2 == 4
    }

    def "subtraction"() {
        expect:
        5 - 3 == 2
    }
}

Spock is a popular testing framework for Groovy. It offers a readable and expressive syntax for writing test specifications.

This cheatsheet covers the basics of Groovy, but there’s much more to explore and discover. Whether you’re a seasoned Java developer or new to the JVM ecosystem, Groovy’s simplicity and flexibility make it a language worth considering for your next project. Refer Documentation for more info

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