How to Use Struct with Pointer in Go: Syntax and Examples

In Go, you use a struct pointer by declaring a variable with *StructType and using the & operator to get the address of a struct instance. Access struct fields through the pointer using the dot notation, as Go automatically dereferences pointers to structs.

Syntax

To use a pointer to a struct in Go, declare a variable with *StructType. Use the & operator to get the pointer to a struct instance. Access fields with the dot . operator directly on the pointer.

• StructType: The name of your struct.
• *StructType: Pointer to the struct.
• &: Gets the memory address of a struct instance.
• Pointer.field: Accesses the field; Go dereferences automatically.

go

type Person struct {
    Name string
    Age  int
}

var p *Person       // Pointer to Person struct
p = &Person{Name: "Alice", Age: 30}  // Get pointer to struct instance

fmt.Println(p.Name)  // Access field via pointer

Example

This example shows how to create a struct, get its pointer, modify fields through the pointer, and print the results.

go

package main

import "fmt"

type Person struct {
    Name string
    Age  int
}

func main() {
    p := Person{Name: "Bob", Age: 25}  // Create struct instance
    ptr := &p                            // Get pointer to struct

    fmt.Println("Before:", ptr.Name, ptr.Age)  // Access fields via pointer

    ptr.Age = 26  // Modify field through pointer
    fmt.Println("After:", ptr.Name, ptr.Age)
}

Output

Before: Bob 25
After: Bob 26

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include trying to access fields with (*ptr).field instead of ptr.field, or forgetting to use & to get the pointer. Also, assigning a struct value to a pointer variable without using & causes errors.

Go automatically dereferences pointers to structs, so use ptr.field directly.

go

package main

import "fmt"

type Person struct {
    Name string
}

func main() {
    p := Person{Name: "Eve"}
    // Wrong: var ptr *Person = p  // Cannot assign struct to pointer
    var ptr *Person = &p          // Correct: get pointer with &

    // Wrong: fmt.Println((*ptr).Name)  // Works but verbose
    fmt.Println(ptr.Name)          // Preferred: Go auto-dereferences
}

Output

Eve

Quick Reference

Concept	Usage	Notes
Declare pointer	var p *Person	Pointer to struct type
Get pointer	p = &Person{Name: "Ann"}	Use & to get address
Access field	p.Name	Auto dereference pointer
Modify field	p.Age = 30	Change value via pointer
Common error	var p *Person = Person{}	Must use & to assign pointer

Key Takeaways

Use & to get a pointer to a struct instance in Go.

Access struct fields through pointers using dot notation; Go dereferences automatically.

Never assign a struct value directly to a pointer variable without &.

Modifying struct fields via pointer changes the original struct.

Avoid using *ptr.field; just use ptr.field for clarity and simplicity.