If I have a struct like this:
var Foo struct {
Bar struct {
blah *bool
}
}
And I send the struct to a function that takes an interface as a parameter, is there an easy way to use reflection to find the field "blah" by name using inVal.FieldByName("blah")?
Here's one way to do it:
func findField(v interface{}, name string) reflect.Value {
// create queue of values to search. Start with the function arg.
queue := []reflect.Value{reflect.ValueOf(v)}
for len(queue) > 0 {
v := queue[0]
queue = queue[1:]
// dereference pointers
for v.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
v = v.Elem()
}
// ignore if this is not a struct
if v.Kind() != reflect.Struct {
continue
}
// iterate through fields looking for match on name
t := v.Type()
for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
if t.Field(i).Name == name {
// found it!
return v.Field(i)
}
// push field to queue
queue = append(queue, v.Field(i))
}
}
return reflect.Value{}
}
playground example
Related
I am trying to recursively parse a form data dictionary into an embedded struct.
It is kindof working, but eventually only one field gets set. I figured that the field keeps being overridden by the old struct, but need some help finding the solution.
Entrypoint of the function:
func FormDataToStruct(data map[string]string, s any) {
// Parse the form data into the struct
v := reflect.ValueOf(s)
if v.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
v = v.Elem()
}
if v.Kind() != reflect.Struct {
panic("not a struct")
}
formParse(data, v, s)
}
Set the values on the topmost struct:
func formParse(data map[string]string, v reflect.Value, s any) {
for key, value := range data {
if hasField(v, key) {
println("Found field: " + key)
var val, err = TransformValue(s, key, value)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
SetValue(s, key, val)
delete(data, key)
}
}
// Set values of inner structs
for key, value := range data {
keys := strings.Split(key, "_")
// Parse the inner struct recursively with another function
recurseKeys(keys, value, v, s, s)
}
}
Struct looks like this:
type Me struct {
Name string
Age int
Friend struct {
Name string
Age int
}
}
Form data to parse looks like this:
map[name:John age:20 friend_name:Jane friend_age:20]
func recurseKeys(keys []string, value string, v reflect.Value, s any, parent any) {
if len(keys) == 1 {
// We are at the end of the keys
// Set the value
var val, err = TransformValue(s, keys[0], value)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
SetValue(s, keys[0], val)
return
}
// We are not at the end of the keys
// We need to iterate over the struct
for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
if strings.EqualFold(v.Type().Field(i).Name, keys[0]) {
// We found the field
// Recurse with the next key
newS := reflect.New(v.Field(i).Type())
recurseKeys(keys[1:], value, v.Field(i), newS.Interface(), parent)
// Check if the field on the old struct is a pointer, if it is, we need to set the pointer
// If it is not a pointer, we need to set the value
if v.Field(i).Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
// Check if newS is a pointer
if newS.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
v.Field(i).Set(newS)
} else {
v.Field(i).Set(newS.Elem())
}
} else {
// Check if newS is a pointer
if newS.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
v.Field(i).Set(newS.Elem())
} else {
v.Field(i).Set(newS)
}
}
}
}
}
Running the above form data through the struct would result in the following output:
println(meInstance)
// {John 20 {Jane 0}}
Any help is very much appreciated!
EDIT
Go playground with minimal reproducible example:
https://go.dev/play/p/d5pIK3uQrUL
The issue with this code is that it creates a new struct and replaces it with the existing object. Therefore, you will always see the last assigned value.
The fixed version of the code will be like below:
func recurseKeys(keys []string, value string, v reflect.Value, s any, parent any) {
if len(keys) == 1 {
// We are at the end of the keys
// Set the value
var val, err = TransformValue(s, keys[0], value)
if err != nil {
panic(err)
}
SetValue(s, keys[0], val)
return
}
// We are not at the end of the keys
// We need to iterate over the struct
for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
if strings.EqualFold(v.Type().Field(i).Name, keys[0]) {
// We found the field
// Recurse with the next key
if v.Field(i).IsZero() {
var newS reflect.Value
if v.Field(i).Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
newS = reflect.New(v.Field(i).Type().Elem()).Elem()
} else {
newS = reflect.New(v.Field(i).Type())
}
// Check if the field on the old struct is a pointer, if it is, we need to set the pointer
// If it is not a pointer, we need to set the value
if v.Field(i).Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
v.Field(i).Set(newS.Addr())
} else {
v.Field(i).Set(newS.Elem())
}
}
if v.Field(i).Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
recurseKeys(keys[1:], value, v.Field(i), v.Field(i).Interface(), parent)
} else {
recurseKeys(keys[1:], value, v.Field(i), v.Field(i).Addr().Interface(), parent)
}
}
}
}
This code accepts struct pointers as well.
Performance improvement tip: You may want to consider scanning the target object and creating a map of name -> Reflect value to reduce the number of loops.
Maintenance tip: It's better to consider using struct tags instead of reflecting the struct Variable name directly.
I’m looking to iterate through an interfaces keys.
Goal:
I want to implement a kind of middleware that checks for outgoing data (being marshalled to JSON) and edits nil slices to empty slices.
It should be agnostic/generic so that I don't need to specify field names. Ideally I can pass any struct as an interface and replace nil slices with empty slices.
Controller level
type Tag struct {
Name string
}
type BaseModel struct {
ID uuid.UUID
Active bool
}
type Model struct {
BaseModel // embedded struct
Name string
Number int
Tags []Tag
}
newModel, err := GetModel()
if err != nil {
...
}
RespondAsJson(w, newModel)
Middleware / Middle man json responder
It takes an interface to be generic/agnostic and reusable
in many different controllers
//(1) Attempting to use a map
func RespondWithJson(w http.ResponseWriter, data interface{}) {
obj, ok := data.(map[string]interface{})
// (1.1) OK == false
obj, ok := data.(map[interface{}]interface{})
// (1.2) OK == false
var newMap map[string]interface{}
bytes, _ := json.Marshal(&obj)
json.unMarshal(bytes, &newMap)
// (1.3) newMap has no underlying types on fields
// Nil slice of Tags went in, and it comes out as
// value=nil and type=interface{}
}
//(2) Skipping two as I believe this works, I'd like to avoid implementing it though.
//(3)
//(3.1)
RespondWithJson(w, newModel)
func RespondWithJson(w http.ResponseWriter, data interface{}) {
e := reflect.ValueOf(&data) // data = {*interface{} | Model}
if e.Kind() == reflect.Pointer {
e = e.Elem()
// e has a flag of 22, e.Elem() has a flag of 404
}
for i := 0; i < e.NumField(); i++ {
//PANIC: reflect: call of reflect.Value.NumField on interface Value
...
}
}
//(3.2)
// Reference: https://go.dev/blog/laws-of-reflection (third law)
RespondWithJson(w, newModel)
func RespondWithJson(w http.ResponseWriter, data interface{}) {
e := reflect.ValueOf(data) // data = {interface{} | Model}
if e.Kind() == reflect.Pointer {
e = e.Elem()
}
for i := 0; i < e.NumField(); i++ {
field := e.Field(i)
if field.Kind() == reflect.Slice && field.isNil() {
ok := field.CanSet() // OK == false
// Reference third law description in the reference above
valueOfField1 := reflect.ValueOf(&field)
ok := valueOfField1 .CanSet() // OK == false
...
valueOfField2 := reflect.ValueOf(field.Interface())
ok := valueOfField2.CanSet() // OK == false
...
}
}
}
//(3.3)
// Reference: (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/64211864/setting-nil-pointers-address-with-reflections) and others like it
RespondWithJson(w, newModel)
func RespondWithJson(w http.ResponseWriter, data interface{}) {
e := reflect.ValueOf(data) // {interface{} | Model}
if e.Kind() == reflect.Pointer { e = e.Elem() }
for i := 0; i < e.NumField(); i++ {
field := e.Field(i)
if field.Kind() == reflect.Slice && field.IsNil() {
tmp := reflect.New(field.Type())
if tmp.Kind() == reflect.Pointer { tmp = tmp.Elem()}
// (3.3.1)
ok := tmp.CanSet() // OK == true
tmp.Set(reflect.MakeSlice(field.Type(),0,0))
ok := field.CanSet()
// OK == false, tmp.set doesn't affect field value && can't set
field with value of tmp
// (3.3.2)
ok := tmp.Elem().CanSet()
// PANIC - call of reflect.value.Elem on Slicevalue
...
}
}
}
//(3.4)
// I can get it to work with passing &model to the function
// Once I'm inside the function, it's seen as an interface (or a
// *interface and the above is my results
RespondWithJson(w, &newModel)
func RespondWithJson(w http.ResponseWriter, data interface{}) {
e := reflect.ValueOf(data) // Data is {interface{} | *Model}
if e.Kind() == reflect.Pointer {
e = e.Elem()
// e has a flag of 22, e.Elem() has a flag of 409
}
for i := 0; i < e.NumField(); i++ {
field := e.Field(i)
if field.Kind() == reflect.Slice && field.IsNil() {
ok := field.CanSet()
// OK == true, field is addressable
if ok {
field.Set(reflect.MakeSlice(field.Type(), 0, 0))
// Success! Tags: nil turned into Tags: []
}
}
}
}
After that and many more.. random interations, I've found a way to make it work by passing memory address of struct to function which takes interface value.
If possible, I'd like to avoid the need to do this, as the function signature won't pick it up and it just leaves a small amount of room for error for other people on my team. I can of course just document the function, but its not bullet proof :)
Does anyone have suggestions for making this work without starting with a memory address to a struct? Can I set a field of an interface? ty very much!
In general, what you're probably looking for is something involving reflection. Your current code:
func someFunction(data interface{}) {
y := reflect.ValueOf(&data)
for i := 0; i < y.NumField(); i++ {
// PANIC: y is not a value of a struct
}
}
is pretty close, but it fails because data is a pointer. You can fix this by doing:
y := reflect.ValueOf(data)
if y.Kind() == reflect.Pointer {
y = y.Elem()
}
This will ensure that you have the actual value, and not a pointer to the value, allowing you to do NumField on it. Inside the loop, you check if the field is a slice and if it's nil and then set it to the value of a new instance of a slice of your field's type.
yField := y.Field(i)
if yField.Kind() == reflect.Slice && yField.IsNil() {
yField.Set(reflect.MakeSlice(yField.Elem().Type(), 0, 0)
}
Here we use Elem again because yField points to a slice, and so to create a new slice we need the inner type.
Finally, you need to add recursion to handle inner types if any of your fields are structs:
func SomeFunction(data interface{}) ([]byte, error) {
someFunctionInner(reflect.ValueOf(data))
return json.Marshal(data)
}
func someFunctionInner(v reflect.Value) {
if v.Kind() == reflect.Pointer {
v = v.Elem()
}
for i := 0; i < v.NumField(); i++ {
vField := v.Field(i)
switch vField.Kind() {
case reflect.Slice:
if vField.IsNil() {
vField.Set(reflect.MakeSlice(vField.Type(), 0, 0))
} else {
for j := 0; j < vField.Len(); j++ {
vFieldInner := vField.Index(j)
if vFieldInner.Kind() != reflect.Struct &&
(vFieldInner.Kind() != reflect.Pointer || vFieldInner.Elem().Kind() != reflect.Struct) {
continue
}
someFunctionInner(vFieldInner.Index(j))
}
}
case reflect.Pointer, reflect.Struct:
someFunctionInner(vField)
default:
}
}
}
and then you call it like this:
func main() {
m := Model{}
b, d := SomeFunction(&m)
fmt.Printf("Data: %+v\n", m)
fmt.Printf("JSON: %s, Error: %v\n", b, d)
}
Data: {BaseModel:{ID: Active:false} Name: Number:0 Tags:[]}
JSON: {"ID":"","Active":false,"Name":"","Number":0,"Tags":[]}, Error: <nil>
Note that I haven't added any sort of error-handling. Nor have I handled anything above regular pointers. Also, this function does expect a reference to an object because it is making modifications to said object. Finally, this code doesn't touch array logic at all. Still, this is likely what you're looking for.
Let's say I have a struct User
type User struct {
Name string `owm:"newNameFromAPI"`
}
The code below initialises the struct and passes it to a function
func main() {
dest := User{
Name: "Sebastien",
}
deepUpdate(dest, "owm")
}
The function uses reflect in order to iterate over all the fields of the struct and update them accordingly (several chunks of code were removed for clarity)
func deepUpdate(destinationInterface interface{}, selector string) {
// Here I'm not supposed to know that the type is `User`
// And if I just use dest := destinationInterface, the value won't update
dest := destinationInterface.(User)
// Pointer to struct - addressable
destVal := reflect.ValueOf(&dest)
destType := reflect.TypeOf(&dest)
// psindirect := reflect.Indirect(destVal) // ? ValueOf(<Ptr Value>) Requires to be adressed via reflect.Indirect() to access Field - https://stackoverflow.com/a/50098755/9077800
// Struct
destValElem := destVal.Elem()
destTypeElem := destType.Elem()
// Iterate over all fields of the struct
for i := 0; i < destValElem.NumField(); i++ {
// // for i := 0; i < destTypeElem.NumField(); i++ {
destValField := destValElem.Field(i)
destTypeField := destTypeElem.Field(i)
switch destValField.Kind() {
// Field is a struct
case reflect.Struct:
// Recursion
fmt.Println("IS A STRUCT")
default:
// Get the complete tag
tag := destTypeField.Tag
if len(tag) == 0 {
continue
}
// Get the value of our custom tag key
tagVal := tag.Get(selector)
if len(tagVal) == 0 {
continue
}
// Access the value in our source data, thanks to a dot notation access - example: "user.profile.firstname"
sourceValue := "John" // tee.Get(sourceInterface, tagVal)
// Exported field
f := destValField
if f.IsValid() {
// A Value can be changed only if it is
// addressable and was not obtained by
// the use of unexported struct fields.
if f.CanSet() {
// Change value of Name
fv := reflect.ValueOf(sourceValue)
destValField.Set(fv)
}
}
fmt.Println("NOT STRUCT")
}
}
fmt.Println(dest.Name)
}
The problem is the following line, because I'm not supposed to know that the destinationInterface is to be casted to User.
How can I dynamically cast the interface to some unknown type defined at runtime, or any other way to get the same output of the updated Name "John" instead of "Sebastien"?
dest := destinationInterface.(User)
Here is the complete code running on the golang playgound
https://play.golang.org/p/sYvz-Fwp97P
You don't have to know the type of dest. The example is not recursive, but it can be easily upgraded.
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
)
type User struct {
Name string `owm:"newNameFromAPI"`
}
func main() {
dest := User{
Name: "Sebastien",
}
fmt.Println("Before:", dest.Name)
deepUpdate(&dest, "owm")
fmt.Println("After:", dest.Name)
}
func deepUpdate(dest interface{}, selector string) {
//Get the reflect value of dest
rv := reflect.ValueOf(dest)
//Dereference every pointers
for rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
rv = reflect.Indirect(rv)
}
//Check if its a struct, should use panic or return error
if reflect.TypeOf(rv.Interface()).Kind() != reflect.Struct {
fmt.Println("NOT A STRUCT")
return
}
//Loop over the fields
for i := 0; i < rv.NumField(); i++ {
//Get the tag value
tag := rv.Type().Field(i).Tag.Get(selector)
if tag == "" {
continue
}
//Get the source
sourceValue := "John"
//Assign the source to the dest's corresponding field
if rv.Field(i).CanSet() {
rv.Field(i).Set(reflect.ValueOf(sourceValue))
}
}
}
The only thing is that you have to use the same type for sourceValue that the corresponding field is.
Working example: https://goplay.space/#D0CmTaS5AiP
I write a recursive function that iterate over deep nested struct like the following:
type Container struct {
Name string
Items []Item
}
type Item struct {
Name string
Info Info
Vals []string
}
// recursively reads nested struct, prints string values
func ReadStruct(st interface{}) {
val := reflect.ValueOf(st).Elem()
for i := 0; i < val.NumField(); i++ {
fmt.Println(val.Type().Field(i).Type.Kind())
switch val.Type().Field(i).Type.Kind() {
case reflect.Struct:
ReadStruct(val.Field(i)) // panic: call of reflect.Value.Elem on struct Value
case reflect.Slice:
// How to iterate over the reflect.Slice?
case reflect.String:
fmt.Printf("%v=%v", val.Type().Field(i).Name, val.Field(i))
}
}
how to get access to inner objects (slices, structs) to work with them using reflect?
to iterate over slice i tried to use:
for i:= 0; i < val.Field(i).Slice(0, val.Field(i).Len()); i++ { //error: reflect.Value doesnt support indexing
//some work
}
Couple of errors in your code.
First, you only have to call Value.Elem() if the passed value is a pointer. When you iterate over the fields and you find a field of struct type, and you recursively call ReadStruct() with that, that won't be a pointer and thus you mustn't call Elem() on that.
So do it like this:
val := reflect.ValueOf(st)
if val.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
val = val.Elem()
}
Next, since you start ReadStruct() by calling reflect.ValueOf(), that assumes you have to pass non-reflect values to ReadStruct() (that is, not values of type reflect.Value).
But when you iterate over the fields, calling Value.Field(), you get a reflect.Value wrapping the field. You have to call Value.Interface() to extract the non-reflect value form it, to be passed in recursive calls.
To iterate over slices, simply use Value.Len() to get the slice length, and Value.Index() to get the ith element of the slice.
Here's the corrected version of your traversal function:
// I used this type as you didn't post it in your question.
type Info struct {
Key, Value string
}
func ReadStruct(st interface{}) {
val := reflect.ValueOf(st)
if val.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
val = val.Elem()
}
for i := 0; i < val.NumField(); i++ {
// fmt.Println(val.Type().Field(i).Type.Kind())
f := val.Field(i)
switch f.Kind() {
case reflect.Struct:
ReadStruct(f.Interface())
case reflect.Slice:
for j := 0; j < f.Len(); j++ {
ReadStruct(f.Index(i).Interface())
}
case reflect.String:
fmt.Printf("%v=%v\n", val.Type().Field(i).Name, val.Field(i).Interface())
}
}
}
Testing it:
c := &Container{
Name: "c1",
Items: []Item{
{
Name: "i1",
Info: Info{Key: "k1", Value: "v1"},
},
{
Name: "i2",
Info: Info{Key: "k2", Value: "v2"},
},
},
}
ReadStruct(c)
Output (try it on the Go Playground):
Name=c1
Name=i2
Key=k2
Value=v2
Name=i2
Key=k2
Value=v2
Note: By using recursive calls, you are extracting and re-acquiring reflect.Value values. It would be more efficient to always work with reflect.Values, so you can avoid these unnecessary calls.
This is how you could do that:
func ReadStruct(st interface{}) {
readStruct(reflect.ValueOf(st))
}
func readStruct(val reflect.Value) {
if val.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
val = val.Elem()
}
for i := 0; i < val.NumField(); i++ {
// fmt.Println(val.Type().Field(i).Type.Kind())
f := val.Field(i)
switch f.Kind() {
case reflect.Struct:
readStruct(f)
case reflect.Slice:
for j := 0; j < f.Len(); j++ {
readStruct(f.Index(i))
}
case reflect.String:
fmt.Printf("%v=%v\n", val.Type().Field(i).Name, val.Field(i))
}
}
}
This will output the same. Try this one on the Go Playground.
I have the following https://play.golang.org/p/TlHCX29QZr
package main
import (
"fmt"
"reflect"
)
type A struct {
Name string
Age int
}
func change(a interface{}) {
aa := reflect.Indirect(reflect.ValueOf(a))
for i := 0; i < aa.NumField(); i++ {
field := aa.Field(i)
switch field.Interface().(type) {
case string:
field.Set(reflect.ValueOf("fred"))
case int:
field.Set(reflect.ValueOf(54))
default:
fmt.Println("unknown field")
}
}
}
func main() {
a := &A{"bob", 120}
b := []*A{}
c := []struct {
Alias string
Months int
}{}
d := []struct {
First string
Years int
}{
{"james", 22},
{"ricky", 32},
{"bobby", 12},
{"rachel", 82},
}
change(a)
fmt.Println(a) // want &A{"fred", 54}
change(b)
fmt.Println(b) // want []*A{&A{"fred", 54}}
change(c)
fmt.Println(c) // want []struct{struct{"fred", 54}}
change(d)
fmt.Println(d) // want []struct{struct{"fred", 54}, struct{"fred", 54}, struct{"fred", 54}, struct{"fred", 54}}
}
As you can see, some of the variables are an empty slice and some are not. For those that are empty, I need to add 1 struct of {"fred", 54}. For those slices that are not empty I need to change all values to {"fred", 54}. I do not know in advance what the fields are...only that if there is a string field the value should be "fred" and if an int field 54.
I'm able to change the value of "a" but everything else fails with "panic: reflect: call of reflect.Value.NumField on slice Value". I'm not sure where to go on this. Thank you!
As stated in the comments, you cannot use NumField on a slice, since that method is allowed only for reflect.Values that are of kind reflect.Struct.
So if you want to handle both kinds you need to know which one was passed in.
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
changeStruct(rv)
}
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
changeSlice(rv)
}
Now, if you want to append to an empty slice, you either have to pass in a pointer to the slice or you have to return the new slice.
change(&b)
change(&c)
Also, to be able to initialize that single element that you want to append you first need to know its type, to get the type of a slice's element you first get the slice's reflect.Type and then use its Elem method to get the type of the slice's element. With that type you can then use reflect.New to allocate a new value of that type and append it to the slice.
var elem reflect.Value
// rv is the slice
typ := rv.Type().Elem()
if typ.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
elem = reflect.New(typ.Elem())
}
if typ.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
elem = reflect.New(typ).Elem()
}
To then loop over a slice you can use the reflect.Value.Len and reflect.Value.Index methods.
ln := rv.Len()
for i := 0; i < ln; i++ {
changerv(rv.Index(i))
}
The code:
func change(a interface{}) {
rv := reflect.ValueOf(a)
changerv(rv)
}
func changerv(rv reflect.Value) {
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
rv = rv.Elem()
}
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
changeStruct(rv)
}
if rv.Kind() == reflect.Slice {
changeSlice(rv)
}
}
// assumes rv is a slice
func changeSlice(rv reflect.Value) {
ln := rv.Len()
if ln == 0 && rv.CanAddr() {
var elem reflect.Value
typ := rv.Type().Elem()
if typ.Kind() == reflect.Ptr {
elem = reflect.New(typ.Elem())
}
if typ.Kind() == reflect.Struct {
elem = reflect.New(typ).Elem()
}
rv.Set(reflect.Append(rv, elem))
}
ln = rv.Len()
for i := 0; i < ln; i++ {
changerv(rv.Index(i))
}
}
// assumes rv is a struct
func changeStruct(rv reflect.Value) {
if !rv.CanAddr() {
return
}
for i := 0; i < rv.NumField(); i++ {
field := rv.Field(i)
switch field.Kind() {
case reflect.String:
field.SetString("fred")
case reflect.Int:
field.SetInt(54)
default:
fmt.Println("unknown field")
}
}
}
The playground.