When working with Go, it’s important to know the proper way to compile your programs to avoid common errors. Here are some tips on using the go build command effectively.

  • Compile all Go files in the current directory:

    go build

  • Compile all Go files explicitly:

    go build *.go

Common Pitfalls

Compiling a Single File

Running:

go build main.go

will only build main.go. This can lead to errors if main.go depends on other Go files in the same package, as those files won’t be included in the build process.

Including Non-Go Files

Using:

go build *

will cause an error if the * wildcard includes non-Go files. The compiler will output an error message stating that only Go files can be compiled. This serves as a precise reminder to exclude non-Go files from the build command.

By using go build correctly, you can ensure that all necessary files in your package are compiled together, avoiding missing dependencies and other common compilation issues.