Groovy Tutorial — Learn Groovy Script Step by Step for Beginners

Groovy Tutorial — Learn Groovy Script Step by Step for Beginners

Introduction to Groovy:
Groovy is a powerful, dynamic programming language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It combines the best features of Java with added simplicity and productivity. Groovy is widely used in various domains, including scripting, web development, build automation, and more. This tutorial aims to provide a step-by-step introduction to Groovy for beginners.

Installing Groovy:
To start using Groovy, you need to have Java installed on your system. Follow these steps to install Groovy:

1. Download the latest Groovy binary distribution from the official website (https://groovy-lang.org/download.html).
2. Extract the downloaded archive to a preferred location on your system.
3. Set the GROOVY_HOME environment variable to the directory where you extracted Groovy.
4. Add the Groovy bin directory to your system's PATH variable.

Hello World in Groovy:
Let's begin with a simple "Hello World" example in Groovy.

groovy
// hello_world.groovy
class HelloWorld {
    static void main(String[] args) {
        println "Hello, World!"
    }
}

Explanation:

• In Groovy, a class can be defined using the class keyword, just like in Java.
• The static void main(String[] args) method is the entry point of the Groovy program.
• The println statement is used to output "Hello, World!" to the console.

Variables and Data Types:
Groovy supports various data types similar to Java, including int, double, String, boolean, etc. Variables in Groovy do not require explicit type declarations.

groovy
def name = "John"
def age = 30
def salary = 50000.50
def isEmployed = true

Conditional Statements:
Groovy supports familiar conditional statements like if, else if, and else.

groovy
def num = 10

if (num > 0) {
    println "Positive number."
} else if (num < 0) {
    println "Negative number."
} else {
    println "Zero."
}

Loops:
Groovy provides loop constructs like for, while, and each for iteration.

groovy
// For loop
for (int i = 1; i <= 5; i++) {
    println "Iteration $i"
}

// While loop
def count = 0
while (count < 5) {
    println "Count: $count"
    count++
}

// Each loop for lists
def fruits = ["Apple", "Banana", "Orange"]
fruits.each { fruit ->
    println "Fruit: $fruit"
}

Functions in Groovy:
Functions in Groovy are defined using the def keyword.

groovy
def addNumbers(int a, int b) {
    return a + b
}

def result = addNumbers(5, 7)
println "Result: $result"

Classes and Objects:
Groovy supports object-oriented programming with classes and objects.

class Person {
    def name
    def age

    def introduce() {
        println "Hi, I am $name and I am $age years old."
    }
}

def person1 = new Person(name: "Alice", age: 25)
person1.introduce()

Conclusion:
Congratulations! You've completed the basic introduction to Groovy. This tutorial covered fundamental concepts such as variables, conditional statements, loops, functions, classes, and objects in Groovy. With this foundation, you can explore more advanced topics and leverage the power of Groovy for your projects. Happy coding!