What is Lexical File Name Order in Go and Why Does it Matter for Reproducible Initialization?

What is Lexical File Name Order?

In Go, ensuring reproducible initialization involves presenting multiple files belonging to the same package to the compiler in "lexical file name order."

Understanding Lexical Order

Lexical order, as defined by Wikipedia, is a generalization of alphabetical order, applied to the character codes of words or file names. Simply put, names are compared as strings, using their character codes to determine the order.

Significance in Go

For Go packages with multiple source files, compiling them in lexical file name order ensures a consistent order irrespective of the actual file names. This convention is crucial because:

• Source files are always processed in the same order.
• Package initialization functions (init()) are executed in the same order.

Practical Application

While the order of package init() functions is often immaterial, some scenarios may necessitate a specific order. By following the lexical file name order convention, developers can predict and rely on the consistent execution order of these functions.

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