Writing 'Hello world' in Golang

Hi there ?

Welcome back to another Golang tutorial designed for beginners. This article breaks down key elements of a simple "Hello World" program. Documenting my learning process helps keep me accountable – a strategy I recommend!

Let's dive in…

After setting up Go and VSCode, I wrote my first program, then easily adapted it to display various messages. New to Go? Check out this excellent resource: https://www.php.cn/link/7316e11fe78963395fbab4a85d0b8f85

My First "Hello World!" Program

<code class="language-go">package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello World!!")
}</code>

Here's how it looked in VSCode, and the terminal output:

Success! My first Go program! (A two-week struggle taught me the value of starting fresh when stuck – a beginner's lesson learned.)

Now, let's decipher those package, main, func, etc., keywords.

Essential Go Commands:

• go run: Compiles and runs one or more Go files. Example: go run main.go
• go build: Compiles Go source code without execution. Example: go build main.go (creates an executable but doesn't run it).
• ls: (Terminal command) Lists files in the current directory.
• clear: (Terminal command) Clears the terminal screen.
• go fmt: Formats Go code in the current directory.
• go install: Compiles and installs a package.
• go get: Downloads a package's source code.
• go test: Runs tests in the current project.

Understanding Go Packages:

package main declares this code as an executable package.

A package is a collection of related Go source files (.go extension). Each file must begin with a package declaration. Multiple developers can contribute to the same package.

Why main and not firstgoprogram?

Go has two package types:

• Executable: Compiles into a runnable program (requires package main).
• Reusable: Libraries or code dependencies (any package name other than main).

The package name dictates the type. package main always creates an executable; other names define reusable packages (e.g., package calculator, package uploader).

Import Statements:

import "fmt" grants access to the fmt package (standard library for formatted I/O – short for "format").

Function Definition:

<code class="language-go">package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
fmt.Println("Hello World!!")
}</code>

• func: Indicates a function declaration.
• main: The function's name (entry point for executable packages).
• (): Function arguments (empty here).
• {}: Encloses the function's body.

Using the same structure, I created other programs:

Future articles will cover more Go concepts with code examples.

Thanks for reading! Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

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