How to write clear and understandable Golang function documentation?

To write clear and understandable Go function documentation, follow best practices, including: using godoc comments, writing clear and concise function names, documenting parameters and return values, providing sample code, and using the See also... section . Following these practices helps ensure that function documentation is clear and easy to understand.

How to write clear and understandable Go function documentation

The Go language is famous for its simplicity, concurrency and power . Writing clear and understandable function documentation is critical to ensuring that others and yourself can understand and use your code effectively. The following are best practices for writing Go function documentation:

1. Use godoc comments

godoc is the official documentation generation tool for the Go language. It uses structured comments to produce clear and understandable documentation.

// Multiply multiplies two integers and returns the result.
//
// Args:
//        a: The first integer
//        b: The second integer
//
// Returns:
//        The product of a and b
func Multiply(a, b int) int {
    return a * b
}

2. Write clear and concise function names

Function names should accurately describe the behavior of the function. Avoid using vague or unclear names.

// Bad:
func Rename(oldname, newname string) string

// Good:
func UpdateName(oldname, newname string) string

3. Use parameter and return value documentation

Clearly document function parameters and return values ​​in godoc comments.

// Averages calculates the average of a list of integers.
//
// Args:
//        numbers: The list of integers to average
//
// Returns:
//        The average of the numbers
func Average(numbers ...int) float64 {
    sum := 0.0
    for _, number := range numbers {
        sum += float64(number)
    }
    return sum / float64(len(numbers))
}

4. Use sample code

Sample code is very useful for showing the behavior of the function. Includes examples showing the different inputs and outputs of the function.

// Example demonstrates how to use the Average function.
func ExampleAverage() {
    average := Average(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
    fmt.Println(average) // Output: 3
}

5. Use the See also... section

Use the See also... section to link to related functions or documents. This helps users discover other code that may be related.

// See also:
//
// - Max: Returns the larger of two numbers
// - Min: Returns the smaller of two numbers

Practical case

Write the documentation for the following CheckPassword function:

func CheckPassword(password string) bool {
    if len(password) < 8 {
        return false
    }
    hasDigit := false
    hasUpper := false
    hasLower := false
    for _, char := range password {
        if char >= '0' && char <= '9' {
            hasDigit = true
        }
        if char >= 'a' && char <= 'z' {
            hasLower = true
        }
        if char >= 'A' && char <= 'Z' {
            hasUpper = true
        }
    }
    return hasDigit && hasUpper && hasLower
}

Documented functions use godoc Comments:

// CheckPassword checks if a password is valid.
//
// A valid password must:
// - Be at least 8 characters long
// - Contain at least one digit
// - Contain at least one lowercase letter
// - Contain at least one uppercase letter
//
// Args:
//        password: The password to check
//
// Returns:
//        True if the password is valid, false otherwise
func CheckPassword(password string) bool {
    if len(password) < 8 {
        return false
    }
    hasDigit := false
    hasUpper := false
    hasLower := false
    for _, char := range password {
        if char >= '0' && char <= '9' {
            hasDigit = true
        }
        if char >= 'a' && char <= 'z' {
            hasLower = true
        }
        if char >= 'A' && char <= 'Z' {
            hasUpper = true
        }
    }
    return hasDigit && hasUpper && hasLower
}

This documentation clearly outlines the behavior of the CheckPassword function, making it easy to understand and use.

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