Introduce

Go/Gin Gower Workspace Directory is a workspace mode implemented by combining Go language with GOPATH.

Go Workspace

The go.work file is a new feature introduced in Go 1.18, used to manage multiple modules (modules) within a workspace. It allows you to develop and test multiple modules simultaneously within a single workspace without adding these modules as dependencies to each module’s go.mod file.

Workspace Concepts

  • Workspace: A directory containing multiple Go modules.
  • go.work File: The configuration file that defines the workspace, specifying which modules belong to this workspace.

go.work File Structure

go 1.18

use (
    ./src/module1
    ./src/module2
)
  • go 1.18: Specifies the Go version.
  • use: Lists the paths of the modules included in the workspace.

Creating a go.work File

  • Use the command go work init to create a new go.work file and specify initial modules.

    $ go work init

  • This will generate a go.work file.

Adding and Removing Modules

  • Adding Modules: Use the go work use command to add new modules to the go.work file. 
    $ go work use src/module1

Note: Before adding, the src/module1 project already has a go.mod file.

  • Removing Modules: Use the go work remove command to remove modules from the go.work file. 
    $ go work remove src/module1

GOPATH

GOPATH is an important environment variable in the Go language, used to specify the default working directory for Go projects. It is primarily used to manage the organization, building, and dependencies of Go code. Here are the details about GOPATH:

1. Concept of GOPATH

  • GOPATH: An environment variable that specifies the default working directory for Go projects.
  • Working Directory: Under this directory, Go looks for and manages source code, binary files, and package objects.

2. Structure of GOPATH

The GOPATH directory typically contains three subdirectories:

  • src: Stores source code files.
  • pkg: Stores third-party dependency packages.
  • bin: Stores compiled executable files.

3. Setting GOPATH

In GoLand, you can set the project-level GOPATH in Settings -> Go -> GOPATH.

Combined Usage

When Workspace and GOPATH are used together, go mod tidy will download dependency packages to the pkg/mod directory. go install will install the executable files in the bin directory by default.

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