Go Pointers: What Do the Asterisk (*) and Ampersand (&) Symbols Mean?

Understanding the Significance of Asterisk and Ampersand in Go

Question:

In Go code, I've encountered the asterisk (*) and ampersand (&) characters, but I'm unsure of their roles. Could you help me understand when and how they are used?

Answer:

The asterisk (*) and ampersand (&) serve distinct functions in Go programming:

Asterisk (*)

Pointer to a Type:

• When used with a type declaration (*string), it represents a pointer to the type.

Indirect Assignment:

• When used in an assignment (*v = ...), it instructs the program to modify the value pointed at by the variable.

Pointer Dereference:

• When affixed to a variable or expression (*v), it returns the value that the pointer is referring to.

Ampersand (&)

Reference Creation:

• When used with a variable or expression (&v), it produces a pointer to the value of that variable or field. The pointer points to the original value, but any modifications made using the pointer will affect the original value as well.

Assignment By Reference:

• The example in your code with var p *string = &s creates a pointer, p, that points to the string value stored in the variable s.

By understanding these concepts, you can effectively utilize asterisks and ampersands to work with pointers in Go.

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