How to Convert a Slice of Strings to a Slice of a Custom Type in Go Without Data Duplication?

Conversion of Slice of String to Slice of Custom Type

Question:

Go prevents the direct conversion from a slice of strings to a slice of a custom type that shares the same underlying element type. Why is this restriction in place, and is there an alternative to avoid data duplication?

Answer:

Reason for Restriction:

This restriction was implemented to prevent accidental type conversions between unrelated types that coincidentally have the same structure.

Alternative Conversion Method Using "unsafe" Package:

While direct conversion is not allowed, it is possible to convert slices directly without copying using the unsafe package. However, this approach requires extreme caution:

value := []string{"a", "b", "c"}

// convert &value (type *[]string) to *[]Card via unsafe.Pointer, then deref
cards := *(*[]Card)(unsafe.Pointer(&value))

firstHand := NewHand(cards)

Warning:

The unsafe.Pointer type allows arbitrary memory access, so it must be used with utmost care and understanding of potential risks.

Recommendation:

Generally, it's safer to copy the slice data into the desired custom type to avoid potential errors and undefined behavior.

The above is the detailed content of How to Convert a Slice of Strings to a Slice of a Custom Type in Go Without Data Duplication?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!