Getting Started with Scala FYI

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Getting Started with Scala

Welcome to Scala FYI! This guide will help you get started with Scala programming, from installation to writing your first programs.

What is Scala?

Scala is a modern, multi-paradigm programming language designed to express common programming patterns in a concise, elegant, and type-safe way. It seamlessly integrates features of object-oriented and functional programming languages.

Key Features

  • Concise: Scala reduces boilerplate code significantly
  • Type-safe: Strong static typing prevents many runtime errors
  • Functional: First-class functions and immutable data structures
  • Object-oriented: Every value is an object, every operation is a method call
  • JVM compatibility: Runs on the Java Virtual Machine with full Java interoperability

Installation

Prerequisites

Before installing Scala, make sure you have:

  • Java 8 or later (JDK 11+ recommended)
  • A terminal or command prompt

Installing Scala

# Install SDKMAN
curl -s "https://get.sdkman.io" | bash

# Install latest Scala version
sdk install scala

# Install sbt (Scala Build Tool)
sdk install sbt

Option 2: Using Homebrew (macOS)

brew install scala
brew install sbt

Option 3: Manual Installation

  1. Download Scala from scala-lang.org
  2. Extract the archive
  3. Add the bin directory to your PATH

Your First Scala Program

Hello World

Create a file called HelloWorld.scala:

object HelloWorld {
  def main(args: Array[String]): Unit = {
    println("Hello, Scala FYI!")
  }
}

Compile and run:

scalac HelloWorld.scala
scala HelloWorld

Using the REPL

Scala includes an interactive REPL (Read-Eval-Print Loop):

scala

Try some basic expressions:

scala> val name = "Scala FYI"
scala> println(s"Welcome to $name!")
scala> val numbers = List(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
scala> numbers.map(_ * 2)

Basic Concepts

Values and Variables

val immutable = "Can't change this"  // Immutable
var mutable = "Can change this"      // Mutable

Functions

def greet(name: String): String = {
  s"Hello, $name!"
}

// Shorter syntax for simple functions
def square(x: Int): Int = x * x

Collections

// List (immutable)
val fruits = List("apple", "banana", "cherry")

// Array (mutable)
val numbers = Array(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

// Map
val capitals = Map(
  "France" -> "Paris",
  "Spain" -> "Madrid"
)

Next Steps

Now that you have Scala set up, explore these topics:

  1. Object-Oriented Programming - Classes, objects, and inheritance
  2. Functional Programming - Higher-order functions and immutability
  3. Collections - Working with Scala’s collection library
  4. Pattern Matching - Powerful control structures
  5. Build Tools - sbt, Mill, and project management

Resources

Ready to dive deeper? Check out our comprehensive documentation for detailed guides and examples.

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