kotlin-plist

kotlin-plist is a Kotlin Multiplatform library for reading and writing Apple's plist (XML and binary) files.

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Table of Contents

• Features

• Platform Support

• Installation

  • Gradle
  • Maven

• Usage Examples

  • Kotlin Example
  • Java Example

• Samples

• API Reference

  • Data Types
  • Encoding and Decoding
  • Extension Functions

• License

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Features

• Read/write Apple plist files in XML and binary formats (bplist00)
• Type-safe, intuitive API for Kotlin and Java
• Multiplatform: JVM, Android, iOS, macOS, Linux, Windows, Node.js

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Platform Support

• Kotlin/JVM (Java 17+)
• Kotlin/Android (API 23+, ARM64 and x86_64)
• Kotlin/JS (Node.js)
• Kotlin/Native for iOS (ARM64, x64, Simulator)
• Kotlin/Native for macOS (ARM64, x64)
• Kotlin/Native for Windows (x64)
• Kotlin/Native for Linux (ARM64, x64)

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Installation

Gradle

build.gradle.kts

repositories {
    mavenCentral()
}

dependencies {
    implementation("com.getiox.plist:plist:0.0.2")
}

Maven

pom.xml

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.getiox.plist</groupId>
    <artifactId>plist-jvm</artifactId>
    <version>0.0.2</version>
</dependency>

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Usage Examples

Kotlin Example

Kotlin encode/decode

import com.getiox.plist.*
import kotlinx.datetime.Clock

val plistValue = mapOf(
    "stringKey" to "stringValue".plistValue,
    "intKey" to 123.plistValue,
    "boolKey" to true.plistValue,
    "realKey" to 123.456.plistValue,
    "dateKey" to Clock.System.now().plistValue,
    "dataKey" to byteArrayOf(1, 2, 3).plistValue,
    "arrayKey" to listOf(1.plistValue, 2.plistValue, 3.plistValue).plistValue,
    "dictKey" to mapOf(
        "stringKey" to "stringValue".plistValue,
        "intKey" to 123.plistValue
    ).plistValue
).plistValue

val binaryData = PList.encode(plistValue, PListFormat.BINARY)
val xmlData = PList.encode(plistValue, PListFormat.XML)
val decoded = PList.decode(binaryData)

if (decoded.isDict) {
    val dict = decoded.dict
    val stringValue = dict["stringKey"]?.string
    val intValue = dict["intKey"]?.int
    println("String value: $stringValue, Int value: $intValue")
}

Java Example

Java encode/decode

import com.getiox.plist.*;

import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

PListValue root = new PListDict(Map.of(
    "stringKey", new PListString("stringValue"),
    "intKey", new PListInt(123),
    "boolKey", new PListBool(true),
    "realKey", new PListReal(123.456),
    "dateKey", new PListDate(System.currentTimeMillis()),
    "dataKey", new PListData(new byte[]{1, 2, 3}),
    "arrayKey", new PListArray(List.of(
        new PListInt(1),
        new PListBool(false),
        new PListReal(3.1415926)
    )),
    "dictKey", new PListDict(Map.of(
        "stringKey", new PListString("stringValue"),
        "intKey", new PListInt(123)
    ))
));

byte[] binaryData = PList.encode(root, PListFormat.BINARY);
byte[] xmlData = PList.encode(root, PListFormat.XML);
PListValue decoded = PList.decode(binaryData);

if(decoded instanceof
PListDict dict){
PListValue stringValue = dict.get("stringKey");
PListValue intValue = dict.get("intKey");

    if(stringValue instanceof
PListString str &&intValue instanceof
PListInt num){
    System.out.

println("String value: "+str.getValue() +", Int value: "+num.

getValue());
    }
    }

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Samples

Explore example projects to see how kotlin-plist is used in real applications:

• java: A Java-based sample showing how to read and write plist files in both XML and binary formats.
• kotlin-multiplatform: A full-stack Kotlin Multiplatform sample covering JVM, Android, iOS, and Native platforms.

API Reference

Data Types

Plist Type	Kotlin Class	Description
Dictionary	PListDict	Key-value mapping
Array	PListArray	Ordered collection
String	PListString	Text string
Integer	PListInt	Integer number
Real	PListReal	Floating-point value
Boolean	PListBool	Boolean true/false
Date	PListDate	Timestamps
Data	PListData	Raw binary data
Null	PListNull	Null value

Encoding and Decoding

object PList {
    fun encode(data: PListValue, format: PListFormat = PListFormat.XML): ByteArray
    fun decode(data: ByteArray): PListValue
}

enum class PListFormat {
    XML,
    BINARY
}

Extension Functions

Kotlin extension utilities for convenient conversion and type access:

fun PListValue.encodeToByteArray(format: PListFormat = PListFormat.XML): ByteArray
fun ByteArray.decodeToPListValue(): PListValue

val PListValue.isDict: Boolean
val PListValue.isArray: Boolean
val PListValue.isString: Boolean
val PListValue.isInt: Boolean
val PListValue.isReal: Boolean
val PListValue.isBool: Boolean
val PListValue.isDate: Boolean
val PListValue.isData: Boolean
val PListValue.isNull: Boolean

val PListValue.dict: PListDict
val PListValue.array: PListArray
val PListValue.string: String
val PListValue.int: Long
val PListValue.real: Double
val PListValue.bool: Boolean
val PListValue.date: Instant
val PListValue.data: ByteArray

val String.plistValue: PListString
val Long.plistValue: PListInt
val Int.plistValue: PListInt
val Double.plistValue: PListReal
val Boolean.plistValue: PListBool
val ByteArray.plistValue: PListData
val Instant.plistValue: PListDate
val Map<String, PListValue>.plistValue: PListDict
val List<PListValue>.plistValue: PListArray

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for full details.