How Can I Idiomatically Create Hierarchical Structs in Go?

Idiomatic Struct Hierarchy Creation in Go

Problem Statement

Creating a hierarchical structure of structs can be challenging in Go due to its lack of explicit inheritance. The Go compiler's AST implementation uses empty methods to represent interfaces, which raises questions about its idiomatic nature and potential complexity.

Idiomatic Solution

Although Go does not support traditional inheritance, it features alternative constructs for representing hierarchies:

• Embedded Interfaces: Interfaces in Go are method sets. Types can implicitly implement interfaces by providing the necessary methods. Empty methods can explicitly state that a type implements a given interface, preventing assignments of incompatible types.
• Method Embedding: Structs can embed other structs, inheriting their method sets. This allows for hierarchical struct definitions without the need for empty methods. For example:

type Object interface {
  object()
}
type ObjectImpl struct {}
func (o *ObjectImpl) object() {}

type Immovable interface {
  Object
  immovable()
}
type ImmovableImpl struct {
  ObjectImpl // Embed ObjectImpl
}
func (o *Immovable) immovable() {}

type Building struct {
  ImmovableImpl // Embed ImmovableImpl
  // Building-specific fields
}

In this approach, Building automatically inherits the methods from Object and Immovable without the need for explicit empty methods.

Reducing Empty Methods

While empty methods are useful for documenting and enforcing type constraints, they can be reduced by using method embedding:

• By embedding the implementation structs of parent interfaces, the methods of those parent interfaces become inherited.
• This technique reduces the need for explicit empty methods, making the hierarchy more compact and easier to maintain.

In summary, idiomatic struct hierarchy creation in Go involves carefully using embedded interfaces and method embedding to establish type relationships and enforce constraints.

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