Why Can\'t I Import Subpackages by Importing Their Parent Directory in Go?

Importing Subpackages in Go: The Pitfalls of Parent Directory Imports

In your quest to import subpackages, it's worth understanding why the approach of importing a parent directory (like "one/entities/bar/*") is not supported.

The Limitation of Go's Import Syntax

According to the Go language specifications, an import statement requires either a package name or path. Wildcards or general directory imports are not supported. As the specifications state:

ImportSpec       = [ "." | PackageName ] ImportPath .

The Importance of Explicit Imports

The package name is crucial for accessing exported identifiers within an imported package. For example, the identifier bar.Get.Basic.Req.Headers requires that bar be an imported package. Without an explicit import, the compiler cannot determine the package context and throws the compilation error you encountered.

Alternate Solutions

Currently, there is no official support for wildcard imports in Go. However, there are various approaches you can explore to achieve your goal:

• Manually Import Subpackages: Import each subpackage you need individually, using their specific import paths.
• Use a Package Manager: Consider using a package manager like Dep or Go Modules to manage package dependencies and handle subpackage imports automatically.
• Create a Wrapper Package: Create a new package that wraps the subpackages you need to import and expose a unified interface for access.

Ultimately, understanding the limitations of Go's import syntax and exploring alternative solutions will help you overcome the challenges of importing subpackages effectively.

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