Why Can't I Get Parameter Names from Go's `reflect.TypeOf`?

Reflecting on Parameter Names in Go

One often desires to determine the parameter names of a Go method. However, after attempting to obtain this information through the TMethod function, a user discovers that only the structure name is returned (testData in this case).

Understanding the Absence of Parameter Names

In Go, the names of method or function parameters are not explicitly stored in the runtime information. This is because the parameter names are not considered crucial for the caller of the method or function. The focus is on the parameter types and their order.

Two functions with the same parameter and result types have identical types, regardless of their parameter names. For instance:

func f1(a int) {}
func f2(b int) {}

fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(f1) == reflect.TypeOf(f2)) // Prints true

Alternative Approaches for Parameter Naming

If the desired functionality is to create a framework for calling functions with "named" parameters, alternative approaches exist:

• Using structs: Named fields can be obtained using reflection's Value.FieldByName() and Type.FieldByName() methods.
• Using maps: Parameter values can be mapped to their respective names.

Further Insights

For more detailed information and examples, refer to the following resources:

• [Is unnamed arguments a thing in Go?](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/72503238/is-unnamed-arguments-a-thing-in-go)
• [Initializing function fields](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/47924187/initialize-function-fields)
• [Relevant discussion on golang-nuts mailing list](https://groups.google.com/g/golang-nuts/c/wlyXOha-asQ)

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