Golang: Installation directory error? - go

Question

I have the error:
go install: no install location for directory /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src outside GOPATH
I'm using go version 1.1 on OS X.
I can build & run but can't install packages.
My environment:
GOPATH=/Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project
PATH=/Library/Frameworks/Python.framework/Versions/2.7/bin:/usr/bin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/go/bin:/Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/bin
Project tree:
/Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project
bin
pkg
src
I can build without error:
..:src xwilly$ go build test.go
..:src xwilly$ go install test.go
go install: no install location for directory /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src outside GOPATH
Here is a simple example:
xwilly$ cat test.go
package main
import (
"fmt"
)
func main() {
fmt.Println("Bonjour")
}
xwilly$ go run test.go
Bonjour
xwilly$ go install test.go
go install: no install location for directory /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src/learning outside GOPATH

Answer 1

Command go
GOPATH environment variable
Each directory listed in GOPATH must have a prescribed structure:
The src/ directory holds source code. The path below 'src' determines
the import path or executable name.
The pkg/ directory holds installed package objects. As in the Go tree,
each target operating system and architecture pair has its own
subdirectory of pkg (pkg/GOOS_GOARCH).
If DIR is a directory listed in the GOPATH, a package with source in
DIR/src/foo/bar can be imported as "foo/bar" and has its compiled form
installed to "DIR/pkg/GOOS_GOARCH/foo/bar.a".
The bin/ directory holds compiled commands. Each command is named for
its source directory, but only the final element, not the entire path.
That is, the command with source in DIR/src/foo/quux is installed into
DIR/bin/quux, not DIR/bin/foo/quux. The foo/ is stripped so that you
can add DIR/bin to your PATH to get at the installed commands. If the
GOBIN environment variable is set, commands are installed to the
directory it names instead of DIR/bin.
Here's an example directory layout:
GOPATH=/home/user/gocode
/home/user/gocode/
src/
foo/
bar/ (go code in package bar)
x.go
quux/ (go code in package main)
y.go
bin/
quux (installed command)
pkg/
linux_amd64/
foo/
bar.a (installed package object)
Your directory structure is wrong. You are trying to install a command (package main). It should be in a source directory named after your command. See the quux command above.
In your case, assume your command is going to be named billy.
$ mkdir -p /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src/billy
which is inside your GOPATH. Move your test.go file to this directory. Run
$ go install billy
The command billy should, unless you have set GOBIN, be installed in the
/Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/bin
directory inside your GOPATH, which should be in your PATH.