如何在Go中使用带有可为空的字符串参数的函数？

Question

I'm used to Java's String where we can pass null rather than "" for special meanings, such as use a default value.

In Go, string is a primitive type, so I cannot pass nil (null) to a parameter that requires a string.

I could write the function using pointer type, like this:

func f(s *string)

so caller can call that function either as

f(nil)

or

// not so elegant
temp := "hello";
f(&temp) 

but the following is unfortunately not allowed:

// elegant but disallowed
f(&"hello");

What is the best way to have a parameter that receives either a string or nil?

Answer 1

Not realy attend answer : but warping value in a structure can provide some generic utility methode. (Haskell Maybe ?)

//#maybe.go
package maybe

import "log"

type MayHaveValue struct {
 IsValue bool;
}

func (this MayHaveValue) IsJust() bool {
 return this.IsValue
}

type AString struct {
 MayHaveValue;
 Value string;
}

func String(aString string) AString {
 return AString{MayHaveValue{true}, aString}
}

var NoString AString = AString{MayHaveValue{false}, ""}

func (this AString) String() (value string) {
 if this.IsJust() == true {
  value = this.Value;
 } else {
  log.Crash("Access to non existent maybeString value");
 }
 return;
}

func (this AString) OrDefault(defaultString string) (value string) {
 if this.IsJust() {
  value = this.Value;
 } else {
  value = defaultString;
 }
 return;
}

//#main.go
package main

import "fmt"
import "maybe"

func say(canBeString maybe.AString) {
 if canBeString.IsJust() {
  fmt.Printf("Say : %v
", canBeString.String());
 } else {
  fmt.Print("Nothing to say !
");
 }
}

func sayMaybeNothing (canBeString maybe.AString) {
 fmt.Printf("Say : %v
", canBeString.OrDefault("nothing"));
}

func main() {
 aString := maybe.String("hello");
 say(aString);
 sayMaybeNothing(aString);
 noString := maybe.NoString;
 say(noString);
 sayMaybeNothing(noString);
}