Go Get Started

Install Go

# Download from golang.org
# Run the .msi installer
# Restart command prompt

# Using Homebrew
brew install go

# Or download .pkg file

# Download tar.gz
sudo tar -C /usr/local -xzf go*.tar.gz
export PATH=$PATH:/usr/local/go/bin

# Visit play.golang.org
# Write and run Go code
# Perfect for learning

🔹 Verify Installation

Check if Go is properly installed:

# Check Go version
go version

# Check Go environment
go env GOPATH
go env GOROOT

🔹 Create Your First Program

Let's create a simple "Hello World" program:

// main.go
package main

import "fmt"

func main() {
    fmt.Println("Hello, World!")
    fmt.Println("Welcome to Go programming!")
    
    // Variables
    name := "Go Developer"
    fmt.Printf("You are now a %s!\n", name)
}

🔹 Run Your Program

There are two ways to run Go programs:

🔸 Method 1: Direct Run

# Run directly (slower, good for development)
go run main.go

🔸 Method 2: Build and Run

# Build executable (faster, good for production)
go build main.go

# Run the executable
./main        # Linux/Mac
main.exe      # Windows

🔹 Go Workspace Setup

Organize your Go projects properly:

# Create a new Go module
mkdir my-go-project
cd my-go-project
go mod init my-go-project

# This creates go.mod file
# Now you can add dependencies

my-go-project/
├── go.mod          # Module definition
├── main.go         # Main program
├── utils/          # Helper packages
│   └── helper.go
└── README.md       # Documentation

🔹 Essential Go Commands

Commands you'll use frequently:

go run main.go

go build -o myapp

go fmt ./...

go test ./...

🔹 Practice Program

Try this interactive program to practice:

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "time"
)

func main() {
    // Get current time
    now := time.Now()
    hour := now.Hour()
    
    // Greet based on time
    var greeting string
    if hour < 12 {
        greeting = "Good morning"
    } else if hour < 18 {
        greeting = "Good afternoon"
    } else {
        greeting = "Good evening"
    }
    
    fmt.Printf("%s! Today is %s\n", greeting, now.Format("Monday, January 2, 2006"))
    fmt.Println("You're learning Go programming!")
    
    // Simple calculation
    x, y := 15, 25
    fmt.Printf("%d + %d = %d\n", x, y, x+y)
}