What are some examples of pointers in Go?

What are some examples of pointers in Go?

In Go, pointers are variables that store the memory address of another variable. For example, you can declare a pointer like this: var p *int.

Can you show me how to use a pointer to modify a variable?

Sure! Here's an example:

package main
import "fmt"

func main() {
    x := 10
    p := &x // p points to x
    *p = 20 // modifies the value of x through the pointer
    fmt.Println(x) // Output: 20
}

What happens if I try to dereference a nil pointer?

Dereferencing a nil pointer will cause a runtime panic in Go. It's important to check if a pointer is nil before dereferencing it.

Can you explain the difference between a pointer and a value type?

Yes! A value type holds the actual data, while a pointer type holds the address of the data. Modifying a value type does not affect the original variable, but modifying a pointer affects the value it points to.