I have the following code:
package vault
type Client interface {
GetHealth() error
}
func (c DefaultClient) GetHealth () error {
resp := &VaultHealthResponse{}
err := c.get(resp, "/v1/sys/health")
if err != nil {
return err
}
return nil;
}
Now, I want to use this function as part of this struct:
type DependencyHealthFunction func() error
type Dependency struct {
Name string `json:"name"`
Required bool `json:"required"`
Healthy bool `json:"healthy"`
Error error `json:"error,omitempty"`
HealthFunction DependencyHealthFunction
}
Basically, set the value of HealthFunction to GetHealth. Now, when I do the following:
func (config *Config) GetDependencies() *health.Dependency {
vaultDependency := health.Dependency{
Name: "Vault",
Required: true,
Healthy: true,
HealthFunction: vault.Client.GetHealth,
}
temp1 := &vaultDependency
return temp1;
}
This gives me an error and it says cannot use vault.Client.GetHealth (type func(vault.Client) error) as type health.DependencyHealthFunction in field value
. How can I do this?
Edit: How DependencyHealthFunction is used?
As its part of Dependency struct, it's simply used as following: d.HealthFunction()
where d is a variable of type *Dependency
.
This is abstract:
HealthFunction: vault.Client.GetHealth,
If we were to call HealthFunction()
, what code do you expect to run? vault.Client.GetHealth
is just a promise that such a function exists; it isn't a function itself. Client
is just an interface.
You need to create something that conforms to Client
and pass its GetHealth
. For example, if you had a existing DefaultClient
such as:
defaultClient := DefaultClient{}
Then you could pass its function:
HealthFunction: defaultClient.GetHealth,
Now when you later call HealthFunction()
it will be the same as calling defaultClient.GetHealth()
.
I believe the issue is related to understanding how interfaces are treated in Go.
An interface simply defines a method or set of methods that a particular type must satisfy to be considered as "implementing" the interface.
For example:
import "fmt"
type Greeter interface {
SayHello() string
}
type EnglishGreeter struct{}
// Satisfaction of SayHello method
func (eg *EnglishGreeter) SayHello() string {
return "Hello"
}
type SpanishGreeter struct{}
func (sg *SpanishGreeter) SayHello() string {
return "Ola"
}
func GreetPerson(g Greeter) {
fmt.Println(g.SayHello())
}
func main() {
eg := &EnglishGreeter{}
sg := &SpanishGreeter{}
// greet person in english
GreetPerson(eg)
// greet person in spanish
GreetPerson(sg)
}
You can add this behavior into a custom struct by simply having a Greeter field inside the struct. ie
type FrontEntrance struct {
EntranceGreeter Greeter
}
fe := &FrontEntrance { EntranceGreeter: &EnglishGreeter{} }
// then call the SayHello() method like this
fe.EntranceGreeter.SayHello()
Interfaces in golang are useful for composing common expected behavior for types based on the methods that they satisfy.
Hope this helps.