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Understanding Go's data types

Go is a statically-typed language, meaning that the type of a variable is known at compile time. This allows for early error detection and improved performance. Go's type system is relatively straightforward, but understanding its nuances is crucial for writing efficient and maintainable code. This comprehensive guide explores the various data types available in Go, categorized for clarity.

Basic Data Types

These are the fundamental building blocks of Go's type system:

1. Integer Types

Go offers several integer types, varying in size and whether they are signed (can represent negative numbers) or unsigned (only non-negative numbers):

• int8: 8-bit signed integer (-128 to 127)
• int16: 16-bit signed integer (-32768 to 32767)
• int32: 32-bit signed integer (-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647)
• int64: 64-bit signed integer (-9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807)
• uint8: 8-bit unsigned integer (0 to 255) - also known as byte
• uint16: 16-bit unsigned integer (0 to 65535)
• uint32: 32-bit unsigned integer (0 to 4,294,967,295)
• uint64: 64-bit unsigned integer (0 to 18,446,744,073,709,551,615)
• int: The default integer type; its size is platform-dependent (usually 32-bit on 32-bit systems and 64-bit on 64-bit systems)
• uint: The default unsigned integer type; its size is also platform-dependent.
• uintptr: An unsigned integer type large enough to hold a pointer; primarily used for low-level programming.

2. Floating-Point Types

Go supports two floating-point types for representing real numbers:

• float32: 32-bit floating-point number (single-precision)
• float64: 64-bit floating-point number (double-precision) - generally preferred for accuracy.

3. Complex Numbers

Go also provides support for complex numbers:

• complex64: Complex number with float32 real and imaginary parts
• complex128: Complex number with float64 real and imaginary parts

4. Boolean Type

The boolean type represents truth values:

• bool: Can hold either true or false.

5. String Type

Strings are sequences of bytes representing text:

• string: Immutable sequence of bytes; UTF-8 encoded by default.

6. Rune Type

Represents a Unicode code point (a single character):

• rune: An alias for int32, used to represent Unicode code points. Often used in string manipulation involving Unicode.

Composite Data Types

These types allow you to group multiple values together:

1. Arrays

Arrays are fixed-size sequences of elements of the same type:

var arr [5]int // Array of 5 integers

2. Slices

Slices are dynamic-size sequences of elements of the same type; they provide a more flexible way to work with sequences than arrays:

slice := []int{1, 2, 3} // Slice literal

3. Maps

Maps are key-value collections; keys must be comparable, and values can be of any type:

map := map[string]int{"one": 1, "two": 2}

4. Structs

Structs group together fields of different types under a single name; they are useful for representing complex data structures:

type Person struct {
 Name string
 Age int
}

Pointer Types

Pointers hold the memory address of a variable:

var x int = 10
ptr := &x // ptr holds the memory address of x

Type Inference

Go supports type inference using the := operator. The compiler automatically deduces the type based on the value assigned:

x := 10 // x is inferred to be an int

Type Conversions

Explicit type conversions are needed when changing between types. They are not implicit like in some other languages:

float := float64(10) // Convert integer 10 to float64

Conclusion

Understanding Go's data types is essential for writing effective Go programs. This detailed overview provides a strong foundation for further exploration of the language's capabilities. Remember to choose the appropriate type for your data based on its nature and the operations you intend to perform. Choosing the correct data type contributes to efficient memory usage and helps prevent potential errors during compilation and runtime.

Datatypes Basics Variables 

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