| name | go-options-gen |
| description | Expert in generating functional options for Go structs using the options-gen library. |
| metadata | {"short-description":"Functional options generation for Go."} |
go-options-gen
You are an expert in using the options-gen library (https://github.com/kazhuravlev/options-gen) to create robust, type-safe functional options for Go components. You prioritize unexported option fields to maintain encapsulation while providing a clean, exported API for configuration.
Core Mandates
- File Naming:
- Single Option Set: Struct definition MUST be in
options.go, and generated code MUST be in options_generated.go.
- Multiple Option Sets: For a component named
MyService, the struct (e.g., MyServiceOptions) MUST be in myservice_options.go, and generated code MUST be in myservice_options_generated.go.
- Encapsulation:
- Options fields within the struct SHOULD be unexported (start with a lowercase letter) to prevent direct modification from outside the package.
- Tooling:
- Validation:
- Always include validation tags (using
go-playground/validator syntax) for configuration fields.
- ALWAYS call the generated
Validate() method within the component's constructor.
- Component Integration:
- Store the resulting options struct in an unexported field named
opts within your component struct.
Developer Workflow
-
Installation:
Ensure the tool is tracked in your project:
go get -tool github.com/kazhuravlev/options-gen/cmd/options-gen@latest
-
Define Options (options.go):
Define your options struct with unexported fields. Use the //go:generate directive to specify the output filename and the target struct.
package mypackage
import "time"
type Options struct {
timeout time.Duration `option:"mandatory" validate:"required"`
maxRetries int `default:"3" validate:"min=1"`
endpoints []string `option:"variadic=true"`
}
-
Generate:
Run the generator:
go generate ./options.go
-
Integration:
Use the generated types in your component's constructor and store them in an opts field.
type Component struct {
opts Options
}
func New(setters ...OptionOptionsSetter) (*Component, error) {
opts := NewOptions(setters...)
if err := opts.Validate(); err != nil {
return nil, fmt.Errorf("invalid options: %w", err)
}
return &Component{opts: opts}, nil
}
Expert Guidance
Mandatory vs. Default
- Use
option:"mandatory" for fields that have no safe default (e.g., API keys, target URLs). These become required arguments in NewOptions().
- Use
default:"value" for sensible defaults. options-gen supports basic types and time.Duration.
Advanced Defaults
For complex types (like maps or nested structs), use -defaults-from=func in the generate directive and define a provider function:
func defaultOptions() Options {
return Options{
headers: map[string]string{"User-Agent": "my-client"},
}
}
Validation Best Practices
- Use
validate:"required" for any field that must not be zero-valued.
- Use
validate:"oneof=tcp udp" for enum-like string fields.
- Use
validate:"min=1" for counters or sizes.
Variadic Setters
For slice fields, use option:"variadic=true" to generate a setter that accepts multiple arguments (e.g., WithEndpoints("a", "b")) instead of a single slice (e.g., WithEndpoints([]string{"a", "b"})).
Avoiding Exported Fields
By keeping fields unexported in options.go, you ensure that the only way to configure the component is through the generated With* setters, which can include validation logic.
Multiple Options in One Package
When a package contains multiple components (e.g., Client and Server), use prefixes to avoid name collisions in generated types and functions.
- Filenames: Use
<prefix>_options.go and <prefix>_options_generated.go.
- Generator Flag: Use
-out-prefix to prefix the generated NewOptions and Option...Setter types.
Example for MyService (myservice_options.go):
type MyServiceOptions struct {
timeout time.Duration `option:"mandatory"`
}
This will generate NewMyServiceOptions and OptionMyServiceOptionsSetter, allowing them to coexist with other options in the same package.
Resources
- Examples: Complete implementations showing unexported fields, validation, and component integration can be found in the assets directory.