Go Style
========

Go has one style. It is enforced by the toolchain.


gofmt
-----

Run `gofmt` on everything. There is no debate about brace
placement, tab vs spaces, or alignment. The tool decides.

	gofmt -w file.go

Or format an entire tree:

	go fmt ./...


Effective Go
------------

The canonical reference is [Effective Go](https://go.dev/doc/effective_go).
Key points:

* **Naming**: MixedCaps, not underscores. Package names are
  lowercase single words. Interface names end in `-er` when
  they have a single method.
* **Semicolons**: The lexer inserts them. Opening brace must
  be on the same line as the control statement.
* **Control flow**: `if` can have an init statement. There is
  no `while` -- use `for`. `switch` cases do not fall through
  by default.
* **Error handling**: Return errors, do not panic. Check them
  immediately.
* **Goroutines**: Communicate by sharing channels, do not share
  memory.
* **Commentary**: `//` comments. Doc comments precede declarations
  with no blank line between.


Plan 9 Connection
-----------------

Go was created by Rob Pike, Ken Thompson, and Robert Griesemer.
Its toolchain descends from the Plan 9 C compilers. The `go`
command is analogous to Plan 9's `mk`. The standard library
reflects Plan 9 sensibilities: small interfaces, composition
over inheritance, explicit error handling.

The style follows directly from Pike's notes on C: short names,
no decoration, data structures over algorithms, measure before
optimizing.