Why are there slashes and dots in Go function names and prototypes?

Slashes and Dots in Function Names and Prototypes

In the Go source code snippet provided, you may encounter function names and prototypes containing slashes (/) and dots (·). These characters have special significance in the context of Go's internal C compiler, which extends the C language with certain features.

Middot (·)

The middot character (·) is a special character recognized by Go's C compiler. It is used as a namespace separator and is translated to a regular dot (.) when compiled by the Go linker. In the function names mentioned, the middot serves to separate the namespace from the actual function name:

runtime∕race·Read
runtime∕race·Write

Slashes (/)

The slashes (/) are also handled specially by Go's C compiler. They indicate the "empty" or "placeholder" namespace. When using the import statement, Go will replace the empty namespace with the actual path to the imported package.

For instance, the following Go code:

import examp "path/to/package/example"

Will translate to the following C code after compilation:

#include "path/to/package/example/example.h"

In the provided function prototypes, the slashes indicate that the functions belong to the "placeholder" namespace:

void runtime∕race·Read(int32 goid, void *addr, void *pc);

Overall, the slashes and dots in these function names and prototypes are used by Go's internal C compiler to handle namespaces and allow for flexible symbol mangling during compilation and linking.

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