为什么在Go中无法将整数添加到“已取消引用”的指针变量中？

Question

Coming from Python, I'm currently learning Go and trying to wrap my head around pointers.

I've written this code in order to understand the concept:

a := 1
b := &a
fmt.Println(b) // Shows the memory address of a
fmt.Println(*b) // Shows the value 1
*b++
fmt.Println(a) // Shows the value 2 (as expected)

I tried to play around with this code to improve my understanding. The following, however, does not work:

a := 1
b := &a
fmt.Println(b) // Shows the memory address of a
fmt.Println(*b) // Shows the value 1
b = *b + 1 // Compile error: invalid operation: b * +1 (mismatched types *int and int)
fmt.Println(a)

Apparently, *b is of type *int, while the value 1 is (obviously) of type int. However, why is it possible to increment the value of a with *b++in the first example?

Answer 1

From the beginning:

b := &a

Here, b is of type *int, a pointer to a location in memory where value of a is stored. When you do *b, you are accessing a value from the location b pointer points to.

When you do *b++, it stands for *b = *b + 1 and you are incrementing a value on the location b pointer points to.

b = *b + 1 is invalid because you are trying to add *b and 1, which are both type of int, to b, which is a pointer (type of *int).