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Source code representation
Source code representation Source code is Unicode text encoded in UTF-8. The text is not canonicalized, so a single accented code point is distinct from the same character constructed from combining an accent and a letter; those are treated as two code points. For simplicity, this document will use the unqualified term character to refer to a Unicode code point in the source text. Each code point is distinct; for instance, uppercase and lowercase letters are different characters.
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Notation
Notation The syntax is specified using a variant of Extended Backus-Naur Form (EBNF): Ah, the good ol’ Extended Backus-Naur Form… EBNF is a fairly popular way to formally describe a formal language. There’s a very good chance you’ve seen something like this before, especially if you’ve ever found yourself reading an RFC. But if you haven’t, this is a great time to familiarize yourself with the basic concepts. I won’t go into a detailed explanation of EBNF or WSN (the variant used in the Go spec), as there are better online resources.
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Introduction
The Go Programming Language Specification Version of June 29, 2022 The Go Spec gets updated periodically. As of this writing, the latest version was updated June 29, 2022. However, Go 1.20 is scheduled for release in February, and will include some language changes. Throughout this series, I will be referencing the then-current, released version of the spec. And to reduce confusion, I’ll be sure to include the release date of the spec at the bottom of each email.
3 min read
Before we start: What is the Go Spec?
It’s a new year. Time for a new daily email list, and a new series! My plan is to spend the next while (a few months, most likely) each day expounding on a small section of the Go Programming Language Specification, or Go Spec for short. But what is a programming language specification, and why should you care about it? In short, it “is a documentation artifact that defines a programming language so that users and implementors can agree on what programs in that language mean.