How Do I Set an Int Pointer to an Int Value in Go?

Setting an Int Pointer to an Int Value in Go

In Go, pointers are used to point to values of other types. This allows us to indirectly manipulate the pointed value. Setting an int pointer to an int value involves several steps:

Obtain a Pointer to an Int

First, you'll need a pointer variable of type *int. This variable will hold the address of the int value you want to point to.

var guess *int

Initialize the Pointed Value

Before dereferencing the pointer and setting its value, it's necessary to initialize the pointed value. You can use the new function to obtain a pointer to a zero-valued int.

guess = new(int)

Set the Pointed Value

Now you can dereference the pointer and set the pointed value. This is where the assignment operation *guess = 12345 comes in.

*guess = 12345

Alternative Approaches

There are alternative approaches to setting an int pointer to an int value:

• Assigning the address of a variable to the pointer:

value := 12345
guess := &value

• Directly changing the pointed value through the pointer:

var value int
guess := &value
*guess = 12345

Error Handling

As mentioned, attempting to dereference a nil pointer (i.e., before it points to a valid memory address) will result in a runtime error. To avoid this, always ensure that the pointer is initialized to a valid value before dereferencing it.

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