How Does Lexical File Name Order Affect Go Package Initialization?

Lexical File Name Order in Go Package Initialization

The Go specification encourages build systems to present multiple files belonging to the same package in lexical file name order to a compiler. Understanding this concept requires delving into the definition and implications of "lexical file name order."

Lexical Order

Lexical order refers to the arrangement of items in alphabetical order based on their respective character codes. In the context of file names, this means comparing file names as strings, using the character codes to determine the order.

The ordering follows the natural order of letters in the English alphabet for the character codes. However, when non-letters (e.g., digits, symbols) are present in the file names, the character code order becomes crucial.

Lexical File Name Order in Go

In Go, lexical file name order defines an arbitrary but consistent order of source files within a package, ensuring that the order remains unchanged during recompilation (assuming file names remain the same).

The purpose of this convention is to establish a predictable order in which source files and their associated init() functions are processed. This order consistency helps avoid unexpected behavior due to varying init() function execution sequences.

While the order of init() functions may seem inconsequential in most cases, there are instances where it can impact the behavior of a package. By adhering to lexical file name order, developers can ensure that init() functions are executed in a predefined and deterministic manner.

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