Go Style

External

• https://google.github.io/styleguide/go/
• https://go.dev/doc/effective_go
• https://github.com/golang/go/wiki/CodeReviewComments

Internal

• Go Engineering
• Go Source Code Formatting
• gofmt

Overview

The Go standard library is a good source of code examples, comments and style.

Line Length

Go has no line length limit. However, if the line feels too long, wrap it and indent it with an extra tab.

Naming

https://google.github.io/styleguide/go/guide#mixedcaps

Naming is one of the most important aspects of Go development. Writing idiomatic Go requires understanding of its core naming principles.

Identifiers should use camel case: SomeColor or someColor, depending on whether they are visible outside the package or not. This is how package encapsulation works.

Do not use snake case some_color.

Every exported name should be documented with a comment, following idiomatic comment conventions.

Acronyms should have a consistent case. URL or url is correct, Url is not.

When a variable, struct or interface is imported from another package, its name includes the package name or alias: mypackage.MyVar.

Use name abbreviations only if they are widely used (example: fmt).

Avoid name collisions, when possible. If you introduce a set of string functions, avoid calling the package strings because a package with the same name exists in the standard library already.

Other naming conventions:

• Source Files Naming Conventions
• Idiomatic Package Conventions
• Idiomatic Variable Naming Conventions
• Idiomatic Function Naming Conventions
• Idiomatic Struct Naming Conventions
• Idiomatic Interface Conventions
• Idiomatic Error Conventions

Integrate this:

• https://go.dev/talks/2014/names.slide#1
• https://golang.org/doc/effective_go.html#names
• https://blog.golang.org/package-names
• https://rakyll.org/style-packages/

Comments

Go Language | Comments

Idiomatic Error Handling

Idiomatic Error Handling

Getters and Setters

https://go.dev/doc/effective_go#Getters

It is neither idiomatic, not necessary to put "Get" in the getter's name. If you have a field called owner (lower case, unexported), the getter method should be called Owner() (upper case, exported), not Owner().

A setter function, if needed, should be called SetOwner().