Is Go\'s Channel Type Agnostic?

Type Agnostic Channels in Go

Question:

Can multiple distinct data types be sent over a single generic channel in Go?

Answer:

Yes, it is possible. Using an example provided in a playground link, a channel can be created using the following syntax: greet: make(chan pet); then, any type that implements the pet interface can be seamlessly sent through this channel.

To achieve complete type agnosticism, a channel of type chan interface{} can be used. When receiving a value from such a channel, reflection can be employed to determine its type.

Example:

A simplified example (although potentially not idiomatic) demonstrating this concept:

<code class="go">ch := make(chan interface{})

go func() {
    select {
    case p := <-ch:
        fmt.Printf("Received a %q", reflect.TypeOf(p).Name())
    }
}()
ch <- "this is it"</code>

Improved Example:

An alternative approach suggested by BurntSushi5 uses a type switch:

<code class="go">p := <-ch
switch p := p.(type) {
case string:
    fmt.Printf("Got a string %q", p)
default:
    fmt.Printf("Type of p is %T. Value %v", p, p)
}</code>

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