Functional Groovy

Groovy doesn't claim to be a fully-fledged functional programming language but it does provide the Java or Groovy developer with a whole toolbox of features for doing functional style programs. This talk looks at the key Groovy features which support a functional style and compares and contrasts with what is possible in Java 7 and Java 8 including Java 8 Lambda expressions and streams.

Topics covered include using closures, currying and partial evaluation, closure composition, useful functional-centric AST macros, useful functional-centric runtime meta-programming tricks, trampolining, using Java functional libraries, immutable data structures, lazy and infinite lists, using Groovy 2's static typing and approaches for moving beyond Java's type system. Examples compare Groovy with Java 8 equivalents and we show you what Groovy can do beyond Java 8.

There are many advantages to using a functional style in your programs. Learn what can be done to leverage functional style while retaining many of the productivity gains of the Groovy programming language.

About Paul King

Paul King, a member of the OCI Groovy team, leads ASERT, an organization based in Brisbane, Australia, which provides software development, training, and mentoring services to customers looking to embrace new technologies, harness best practices, and innovate. He has been contributing to open source projects for nearly 20 years and is an active committer on numerous projects, including Groovy. Paul speaks at international conferences, publishes in software magazines and journals, and is a co-author of Manning's best-seller, Groovy in Action.

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