Methods & Interfaces - Learn Go - ggcoder.com

Methods

A method is a function with a receiver associated with it. The syntax is func (receiver ReceiverType) MethodName() . You can have value receivers (func (r Receiver)) or pointer receivers (func (r *Receiver)). Value receivers work on a copy; pointer receivers can modify the original receiver.

methods.go

1package main23import "fmt"45type Rectangle struct {6    Width  float647    Height float648}910// Method with value receiver — receives a copy11func (r Rectangle) Area() float64 {12    return r.Width * r.Height

When to Use Value vs Pointer Receiver

Use value receiver when the method does not modify the receiver (most cases)
Use pointer receiver when the method must modify the receiver or when copying would be expensive (large structs)
Keep consistency: if any method of a type uses pointer receiver, consider making all methods use pointer receiver

Info

Go allows calling pointer receiver methods on values — it automatically takes the address. This keeps code cleaner.

Interface Definition

An interface in Go is a set of method signatures. Unlike some languages, you do not explicitly declare 'type X implements Interface Y'. Instead, any type that implements all the methods of an interface automatically satisfies the interface. This is called duck typing or implicit implementation.

interfaces.go

1package main23import "fmt"45// Define an interface with two methods6type Shape interface {7    Area() float648    Perimeter() float649}1011type Rectangle struct {12    Width  float64

The Empty Interface — any

The empty interface interface (or alias any) has no methods, so every type satisfies it. It is used when you need to accept any type. To work with the value, you must use a type assertion: v.(Type) or v.(Type) with two return values (value, ok).

empty_interface.go

1package main23import "fmt"45// Function that accepts any type6func printAny(x any) {7    fmt.Println(x)8}910// Type assertion with two return values (safer)11func checkType(x any) {12    val, ok := x.(string)

Common Interfaces

Go provides several common interfaces in the standard library. Understanding them helps you write more compatible code.

common_interfaces.go

1package main23import (4    "fmt"5    "strings"6)78// error interface — any type with an Error() method can be an error9type error interface {10    Error() string11}12

Interface Composition

You can embed interfaces into other interfaces to create new interfaces from existing ones. For example, io.ReadWriter is a composition of io.Reader and io.Writer.

interface_composition.go

1package main23import "fmt"45// Basic interfaces6type Reader interface {7    Read() string8}910type Writer interface {11    Write(data string)12}

Accept Interfaces, Return Structs

This is a core design principle of Go. Functions should accept interfaces (flexibility) but return concrete structs (simplicity). This lets callers easily use the result and makes code easier to test.

accept_interfaces.go

1package main23import "fmt"45// Writer interface6type Writer interface {7    Write(data string)8}910// Concrete struct to return11type Logger struct {12    name string

Key Takeaways

Điểm Chính

Methods are functions with receivers; pointer receivers can modify the originalPhương thức là hàm có người nhận; người nhận con trỏ có thể sửa đổi gốc
Interfaces are implicit — any type implementing all methods satisfies the interfaceInterface là ẩn — bất kỳ kiểu nào triển khai tất cả các phương thức đều thỏa mãn interface
The empty interface any accepts any type; use type assertions to extract valuesInterface trống any chấp nhận bất kỳ kiểu nào; dùng type assertion để trích xuất giá trị
Accept interfaces, return structs — this is the Go design principleChấp nhận interface, trả về struct — đây là nguyên tắc thiết kế Go

Practice

Test your understanding of this chapter

Quiz

What is the main difference between a value receiver and a pointer receiver?

Sự khác biệt chính giữa value receiver và pointer receiver là gì?

Quiz

In Go, do you need to explicitly declare that a type implements an interface?

Trong Go, bạn có cần khai báo rõ ràng rằng một kiểu triển khai một interface không?

True or False

The empty interface any can only hold primitive types like int, string, and float64.

Interface trống any chỉ có thể chứa các kiểu nguyên thủy như int, string và float64.

True or False

The principle 'Accept Interfaces, Return Structs' means your functions should accept concrete types and return interface types.

Nguyên tắc 'Chấp nhận Interface, Trả về Struct' có nghĩa là các hàm của bạn nên chấp nhận các kiểu cụ thể và trả về các kiểu interface.

Code Challenge

Complete the interface implementation

Hoàn thành triển khai interface

type Comparable interface {
    Compare(other any) int
}

type Number struct {
    Value int
}

func (n Number) Compare(other any) int {
    if other_num, ok := other.(Number); ok {
        if n.Value > other_num.Value {
            return 1
        } else if n.Value < other_num.Value {
            return -1
        }
        return 0
    }
    return -2  // error code
}

func checkComparison(a, b  ) {
    fmt.Println(a.Compare(b))
}