My input is an interface{}, and I know it can be an array of any type.
I'd like to read one of the elements of my input, so I try to convert my interface{} into an []interface{}, but go will give me the following error:
panic: interface conversion: interface {} is []map[string]int, not []interface {}
How can I do that conversion? (without reflect if possible).
Thanks
The solution involving the reflect package.
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
)
func main() {
var v interface{} = []string{"a", "b", "c"}
var out []interface{}
rv := reflect.ValueOf(v)
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
for i := 0; i < rv.Len(); i++ {
out = append(out, rv.Index(i).Interface())
}
}
fmt.Println(out)
}
// Output:
// [a b c]
I'm actually working on this right now as my issue involves taking something from a json object (map[string]interface{}) which may or may not contain a particular key ({"someKey": [a, b, c, ...]) and if it does contain that key then we want to take that (which will necessarily be interface{} type) and convert it to []interface{}. The method I've found so far is to use json marshall/unmarshall. This seems a little hacky to me, will update if I find a more elegant solution. Til then, you can have my method: https://play.golang.org/p/4VAwQQE4O0b
type a map[string]interface{}
type b []string
func main() {
obj := a{
"someKey": b{"a", "b", "c"},
}
if obj["someKey"] != nil { // check the value exists
var someArr []interface{}
//marshal interface to byte and then unmarshal to []interface{}
somebytes, _ := json.Marshal(obj["someKey"])
err := json.Unmarshal(somebytes, &someArr)
if err != nil {
fmt.Println("Error in unmarshal")
}
fmt.Println(someArr)
}
}
How can I do that conversion? (without reflect if possible).
Please consider type switches.
Reflection is expensive.
func toSlice(i interface{}) []interface{} {
var out []interface{}
switch v := i.(type) {
case []interface{}:
for x := 0; x < len(v); x++ {
out = append(out, v[x])
}
default:
fmt.Printf("invalid type: %T\n", v)
}
return out
}
[]map[string]int as a type switch case.The point of the interface is to define the behaviour you want to use, if you use an empty interface, you know nothing about the types in that slice.
If you want to print it, you can use println or printf with no conversion.
If you want to access it, and must allow any type, you can use reflect (slow and complex to use).
If you want to acess it, and use common behaviour/ data that you can define functions for, define an interface, e.g. :
type Doer interface {
Do() error
}
parentStruct := []Doer{...}
testStruct.Do()
If none of that works, wait for Go 2 and generics.
For anyone finding this in 2022, now that we have generics you can do it like this:
func convertSlice[T any](data []T) []interface{} {
output := make([]interface{}, len(data))
for idx, item := range data {
output[idx] = item
}
return output
}
I think what you are looking is type assertion
package main
import (
"fmt"
)
func main() {
parentStruct := map[string]interface{}{
"test": []map[string]int{
{"a": 1, "b": 2},
{"c": 3},
},
}
testStruct := parentStruct["test"].([]map[string]int)
fmt.Println(testStruct)
}
read this link: https://golang.org/ref/spec#Type_assertions
[]interface{}
[]map[string]int, type assert[]map[string]intfrom it, not[]interface{}. If the value may be other slice types too, use a type switch.