Functions returning boolean should not use prefix get

Documentos > Code Analysis > Static Analysis Rules > Functions returning boolean should not use prefix get

This page is not yet available in Spanish. We are working on its translation.
If you have any questions or feedback about our current translation project, feel free to reach out to us!

Metadata

ID: go-best-practices/boolean-get-function-name

Language: Go

Severity: Info

Category: Best Practices

Description

In Go programming, it is considered good coding practice to use the is or has prefix instead of get when naming functions that return a boolean value. This convention is suggested to improve code readability and maintainability.

The reason for this recommendation is that functions prefixed with get typically imply that they will return some value. Using get for a function that returns a boolean can be misleading and confusing for other developers who may expect it to return some non-boolean value.

By using the is or has prefix, it explicitly indicates that the function is intended to check the presence or state of a condition and will return a boolean value. This naming convention makes it easier for developers to understand the function’s purpose and appropriately use it in their code.

Non-Compliant Code Examples

func getSomething() bool {
	
}

Compliant Code Examples

func hasSomething() bool {
	
}