Understanding a function

Getting Help
1

I need help understanding how to get the following code to work:

package main

import "fmt"

type compensation struct {
	salary        int
	insurance     bool
	stocksOptions bool
}

type employee struct {
	name      string
	id        int
	totalComp *compensation
}

func main() {
	newEmployee := employee{
		name: "gary",
		id:   1,
		totalComp: &compensation{
			salary:        100,
			insurance:     true,
			stocksOptions: true,
		},
	}

	var anotherNewEmployee = new(employee)
	anotherNewEmployee.id = 2
	anotherNewEmployee.name = "rich"
	anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance = false

	fmt.Println(anotherNewEmployee)
	anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance = true
	fmt.Println(anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance)

	fmt.Println(newEmployee.totalComp.salary)
	newEmployee.totalComp.salary = 4
	fmt.Println(newEmployee.totalComp.salary)
}

I get an error when I try to set anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance = false, I’m not sure I understand how to give this a value.

2

You haven’t created a compensation before trying to modify it. So you basically try to do ((*compensation)nil).insurance = false.

3

anotherNewEmployee.totalComp is nil, so add anotherNewEmployee.totalComp = new(compensation).

package main

import "fmt"

type compensation struct {
	salary        int
	insurance     bool
	stocksOptions bool
}

type employee struct {
	name      string
	id        int
	totalComp *compensation
}

func main() {
	newEmployee := employee{
		name: "gary",
		id:   1,
		totalComp: &compensation{
			salary:        100,
			insurance:     true,
			stocksOptions: true,
		},
	}

	var anotherNewEmployee = new(employee)
	anotherNewEmployee.id = 2
	anotherNewEmployee.name = "rich"
	anotherNewEmployee.totalComp = new(compensation)
	anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance = false

	fmt.Println(anotherNewEmployee)
	anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance = true
	fmt.Println(anotherNewEmployee.totalComp.insurance)

	fmt.Println(newEmployee.totalComp.salary)
	newEmployee.totalComp.salary = 4
	fmt.Println(newEmployee.totalComp.salary)
}

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

&{rich 2 0xc00002c040}
true
100
4
4

syntax error: unexpected nil, expecting )

5

That was some pseudo code that should tell about the issue.

6

Perfect, thank you for explaining that!

7

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