ptr

Overview ¶

Package ptr provides small, generic helpers for working with pointers.

This package is intentionally tiny. It exists to reduce repetitive boilerplate when you need a pointer to a value (for example for optional configuration fields, APIs that take *T, or tests).

Helpers ¶

Zero returns a pointer to the zero value of T:

var p *int = ptr.Zero[int]() // points to 0

Value returns a pointer to the provided value:

p := ptr.Value("hello") // *string

Semantics and pitfalls ¶

These helpers allocate storage for the pointed-to value and return a pointer to that storage. Each call returns a distinct pointer.

For example, two calls produce two different pointers even if the values are equal:

a := ptr.Zero[int]()
b := ptr.Zero[int]()
// a != b, but *a == *b

When not to use this package ¶

If you already have an addressable variable, taking its address is typically clearer and avoids an extra helper call:

v := 42
p := &v

Similarly, for composite literals you can take the address directly:

p := &MyStruct{Field: "x"}

This package is best used when you need a pointer but don't have an addressable value at the call site or you want a concise, generic helper in tests and configuration wiring.