Why can't I put the opening braces on the next line?

Question

Encountered a strange error when I tried to compile following code:

    package main

    import fmt "fmt"

    func main()
    {
       var arr [3]int
       for i:=0; i<3; i++
       {
         fmt.Printf("%d",arr[i])
       }
    }

Error is as follows:

    unexpected semicolon or newline before {

After correction following code worked:

    package main

    import fmt "fmt"

    func main(){
       var arr [3]int
       for i:=0; i<3; i++{
         fmt.Printf("%d",arr[i])
       }
    }

Is GO language this much strictly Typed? And this doesn't have warnings also. Should this not be a programmers choice how he wants to format his code? Go language warnings and errors

Answer 1

The Go language does automatic semicolon insertion, and thus the only allowed place for { is at the end of the preceding line. Always write Go code using the same style as gofmt produces and you will have no problems.

See Go's FAQ: Why are there braces but no semicolons? And why can't I put the opening brace on the next line?

Answer 2

go language includes semicolons with a specific rule, in your case, the newline after the i++ introduces a semicolon before the '{'. see http://golang.org/doc/go_spec.html.

formatting is somewhat part of the language, use gofmt to make code look similar, however, you can format your code many different ways.

Answer 3

Should this not be a programmers choice how he wants to format his code?

Maybe. I think it is nice that Go steps forward to avoid some bike-shedding, like never ending style discussions. There is even a tool, gofmt, that formats code in a standard style, ensuring that most Go code follows the same guidelines. It is like they were saying: "Consistency everywhere > personal preferences. Get used to it, This Is Good(tm)."