On Wed, Jan 26, 2022 at 7:46 PM crod...@gmail.com <crodr...@gmail.com> wrote: > > On this page: > > https://pkg.go.dev/flag > > There is an example: > > var flagvar int func init() { flag.IntVar(&flagvar, "flagname", 1234, "help > message for flagname") } > > I understand that this is only an example, but there is no real need to > use an init() function when using the flag package. > > When I first read this doc, I thought that using an init() function > was a requirement for the flag package. Other people may share the > same misunderstanding, because 2 years ago I ran into this usage pattern > in a third party library, and ran into problems when trying to compile the > library with a newer Go tool chain. > > I mentioned that problem on this list: > https://groups.google.com/g/golang-nuts/c/rkCdS1EQwSM/m/vi44sM8vAwAJ > > Would it be ok if I submit a patch to the docs to remove the init() > example from https://pkg.go.dev/flag ? > > If people use the flag package from inside an init() function and it works > for them, > that won’t change, since I am not proposing a code change. > Removing init() from the example may reduce confusion for other people > who might have the same confusion that I did.
That example is under the text "If you like, you can bind the flag to a variable using the Var() functions." It immediately follows an example that does not use an init function. Although you don't have to use an init function with the flag package, you do have to use one if you want to bind the flag to a variable. While no doubt the documentation can be improved, I don't think we should simply remove the example of using an init function. Ian -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "golang-nuts" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to golang-nuts+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/golang-nuts/CAOyqgcUij9sJqk2%3DNDKwttKjQxK7T%3D-s_sFiG-YHz0diZU%2Bvnw%40mail.gmail.com.
