findViewById vs Kotlin Synthetics

Developers should learn findViewById for building Android applications where direct control over UI elements is needed, such as in legacy codebases, custom view implementations, or when avoiding additional dependencies meets developers should learn about kotlin synthetics primarily for maintaining legacy codebases that still use it, as it was deprecated in 2020 and removed in kotlin 1. Here's our take.

findViewById

Nice Pick

Developers should learn findViewById for building Android applications where direct control over UI elements is needed, such as in legacy codebases, custom view implementations, or when avoiding additional dependencies

Pros

• It is essential for scenarios like setting click listeners, updating text dynamically, or animating views, providing a straightforward way to link layouts with logic without relying on data-binding libraries
• Related to: android-studio, kotlin

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Kotlin Synthetics

Developers should learn about Kotlin Synthetics primarily for maintaining legacy codebases that still use it, as it was deprecated in 2020 and removed in Kotlin 1

Pros

• 8
• Related to: kotlin, android-development

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. findViewById is a tool while Kotlin Synthetics is a library. We picked findViewById based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

findViewById wins

Based on overall popularity. findViewById is more widely used, but Kotlin Synthetics excels in its own space.