I'm reviewing interfaces...https://play.golang.org/p/RKezV69HjPe

(Cherolyn Lexvold) #1

https://play.golang.org/p/RKezV69HjPe

switch h.(type)

In reviewing this code which was part of some instruction on interfaces, I also had to review switch statements.
The following code was given as an example of “switch on a value”

https://play.golang.org/p/KllsXGiuWTv
In this code, is n the value?

switch h.(type)

So then would h here be the value?

What is the significance of the “.” ?
Is (type) a parameter?
What does it refer to?

Back to https://play.golang.org/p/RKezV69HjPe

Does all the following:

func main() {
	sa1 := secretAgent{
		person: person{
			"James",
			"Bond",
		},
		ltk: true,
	}

	sa2 := secretAgent{
		person: person{
			"Miss",
			"Moneypenny",
		},
		ltk: true,
	}

	p1 := person{
		first: "Dr.",
		last:  "Yes",
	}

	fmt.Println(sa1)
	sa1.speak()
	sa2.speak()

	fmt.Println(p1)

	bar(sa1)
	bar(sa2)
	bar(p1)

	// conversion
	var x hotdog = 42
	fmt.Println(x)
	fmt.Printf("%T\n", x)
	var y int
	y = int(x)
	fmt.Println(y)
	fmt.Printf("%T\n", y)

}

define func main() ?

(Cory Galyna) #2

This is for switch instructions based on variable’s data type. The variable is h and the .(type) is simply an instruction to get the data type of h. Hence,

	switch h.(type) {
	case person:
		fmt.Println("I was passed into barrrrrr", h.(person).first)
	case secretAgent:
		fmt.Println("I was passed into barrrrrr", h.(secretAgent).first)
	}

Allows you to switch when h variable is holding a person data type or secretAgent data type. Both of them are the structures.

type is data type, as in int, int8, int16, int32, string, byte, []byte, …

(Cherolyn Lexvold) #3

Thanks

(Holloway) #4

Yes.

(Ali Koyuncu) #5

Switch is a simple switch statement, the other question which is . is a type assertion.

Rule 1: h must be an interface type, because of that: type assertion needs an interface. When you call h.(type), you are trying to retrieve the interface value’s underlying concrete type.

Let’s say you get an interface value from a function:
h:=getBirthDay()
and you are wondering whether this function returns birthday in string or time.

switch bd.(type) {
case time.Time:
	birthDay = bd.(time.Time)
case string:
	t, _ := time.Parse(timeLayout, bd.(string))
	birthDay = t
default:
	fmt.Printf("unexpected time: %T\n", bd)
}

h.(type) is a special case and you can use it only with switch.
compiler won’t allow you to do that:
t := h.(type) on a line without switch

another use of the synax is concrete type checking or type assertion:

var timeLayout = "2006-01-02"
	h := getBirthDay()
	var birthDay time.Time
	if v, ok := h.(time.Time); ok {
		fmt.Println("it is Time. let''s set birthDay")
		birthDay = v
	} else if v, ok := h.(string); ok {
		fmt.Println("it is string let's parse it")
		birthDay, _ = time.Parse(timeLayout, v)
	} else {
		fmt.Println("upps something is wrong")
		return
	}
	fmt.Println(birthDay.Format(timeLayout))