How to Best Handle Local Files in Go Tests?

Testing with Local Files in Go

When testing functionality that relies on local files, the best practice in Go is to use a dedicated folder named testdata. This folder is ignored by the go tool, as explained in the documentation (type go help packages).

Advantages of Using testdata:

• Isolation: The testdata folder provides a safe and isolated environment for storing test files.
• Convenience: You can easily organize and maintain test data within the same location as your tests.
• Portability: The testdata folder can be included in your Git repository, allowing you to share and collaborate on tests with others.

Structure of testdata Folder:

Create a folder named testdata in the same directory as your Go package. You can then place any test files within this folder.

Reading Files from testdata:

To read files from the testdata folder, use the following code:

<code class="go">package mypackage

import (
    "io/ioutil"
    "os"
    "path/filepath"
)

func readLocalFile(filename string) ([]byte, error) {
    pwd, err := os.Getwd()
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    path := filepath.Join(pwd, "testdata", filename)
    return ioutil.ReadFile(path)
}</code>

Replace filename with the name of the file you want to read.

Alternative Approaches:

While using testdata is the recommended approach, you can also consider other options:

• Temporary Files: You can create temporary files just before running the tests, but this requires more setup and cleanup code.
• Custom Test Folder: Creating a separate test folder is acceptable, but it provides less isolation and portability than using testdata.

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