How to use the command 'go env' (with examples)
The ‘go env’ command is used to manage environment variables used by the Go toolchain. It can be used to show all environment variables, show a specific environment variable, set an environment variable to a value, and reset an environment variable’s value.
Use case 1: Show all environment variables
Code:
go env
Motivation: Showing all environment variables can be useful when troubleshooting issues related to the Go toolchain, as it provides a comprehensive view of the current environment configuration.
Explanation: The ‘go env’ command without any arguments will display all environment variables related to the Go toolchain.
Example output:
GO111MODULE="on"
GOARCH="amd64"
GOBIN=""
...
Use case 2: Show a specific environment variable
Code:
go env GOPATH
Motivation: Showing a specific environment variable can be helpful when you only need information about a particular variable and want to avoid unnecessary clutter.
Explanation: By specifying the environment variable name (in this case ‘GOPATH’) as an argument to the ‘go env’ command, the command will display the value of that particular variable.
Example output:
~/go
Use case 3: Set an environment variable to a value
Code:
go env -w GOBIN=path/to/directory
Motivation: Setting an environment variable to a specific value can be necessary when you want to customize the Go toolchain’s behavior by overriding default configurations.
Explanation: The ‘-w’ flag followed by the environment variable name and the desired value allows you to set an environment variable to the specified value.
Example output: (no output will be displayed)
Use case 4: Reset an environment variable’s value
Code:
go env -u GOBIN
Motivation: Resetting an environment variable’s value to its default state can be useful when you no longer want to use a custom configuration and want to revert to the default behavior of the Go toolchain.
Explanation: The ‘-u’ flag followed by the environment variable name allows you to unset the value of the specified environment variable, effectively resetting it to its default value.
Example output: (no output will be displayed)
Conclusion:
The ‘go env’ command is a versatile tool for managing environment variables used by the Go toolchain. It provides the functionality to show all environment variables, show specific environment variables, set environment variables to custom values, and reset environment variables to their default values. These features make it an essential command for customizing and troubleshooting the Go toolchain environment.
