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Hash Code and Copying Objects

Explore how Kotlin data classes implement hashCode for consistent equality checks and use the copy method to duplicate objects with optional modifications. Understand the implications of shallow copying and the suitability of data classes for immutable properties to maintain data integrity in your applications.

The hashCode method

Another method from Any is hashCode, which is used to transform an object into an Int. With a hashCode method, the object instance can be stored in the hash table data structure implementations that are part of many popular classes, including HashSet and HashMap. The most important rule of the hashCode implementation are:

  • Consistency with equals: It should be consistent with ...