<h2 id="introduction">Introduction</h2>
+<p>
+Go is a new language. Although it's in the C family of languages
+it has some unusual properties that make effective Go programs
+different in character from programs in C, C++, or Java.
+To write Go well, it's important to understand its properties
+and idioms.
+</p>
+
<p>
This document gives tips for writing clear, idiomatic Go code
and points out common mistakes.
</p>
<pre>
-// Flags to Open wrapping those of the underlying system.
+// Flags to Open, wrapping those of the underlying system.
// Not all flags may be implemented on a given system.
const (
- O_RDONLY = syscall.O_RDONLY; // open the file read-only.
- O_WRONLY = syscall.O_WRONLY; // open the file write-only.
+ O_RDONLY = syscall.O_RDONLY; // Open file read-only.
+ O_WRONLY = syscall.O_WRONLY; // Open file write-only.
...
)
</pre>
</p>
<pre>
-// Variables protected by counterLock.
+// Variables protected by countLock.
var (
- counterLock sync.Mutex;
+ countLock sync.Mutex;
inputCount uint32;
outputCount uint32;
errorCount uint32;
Similarly, <code>once.Do</code> is as precise and evocative as
<code>once.DoOrWaitUntilDone</code>, and <code>once.Do(f)</code> reads
better than <code>once.DoOrWaitUntilDone(f)</code>.
-Contrary to popular belief, encoding small essays into
-function names does not make it possible
-to use them without documentation.
+Encoding small essays into function names is not Go style;
+clear names with good documentation is.
</p>
<h3 id="interfacers">Use the -er convention for interface names</h3>
<h3 id="error-context">Return structured errors</h3>
-Implementations of <code>os.Error</code>s should
-describe the error but also include context.
+Implementations of <code>os.Error</code> should
+describe the error and provide context.
For example, <code>os.Open</code> returns an <code>os.PathError</code>:
<a href="/src/pkg/os/file.go">/src/pkg/os/file.go</a>:
<pre>
-XXX definition of PathError and .String
+// PathError records an error and the operation and
+// file path that caused it.
+type PathError struct {
+ Op string;
+ Path string;
+ Error Error;
+}
+
+func (e *PathError) String() string {
+ return e.Op + " " + e.Path + ": " + e.Error.String();
+}
</pre>
<code>PathError</code>'s <code>String</code> formats
-the error nicely and is the usual way the error gets used.
-Callers that care about the precise error details can
-use a type switch or a type guard to look for specific
-errors and then extract details.
-
+the error nicely, including the operation and file name
+tha failed; just printing the error generates a
+message, such as
<pre>
-XXX example here - MkdirAll
+open /etc/passwx: no such file or directory
</pre>
+that is useful even if printed far from the call that
+triggered it.
+</p>
+
+<p>
+Callers that care about the precise error details can
+use a type switch or a type guard to look for specific
+errors and extract details.
+</p>
<h2 id="types">Programmer-defined types</h2>