Short Variable Declaration

Inside a function (even the main function), the := short assignment statement can be used in place of a var declaration. The := operator infers the type of the new variable based on the value.

var empty string

Is the same as

empty := ""

numCars := 10 // inferred to be an integer

temperature := 0.0 // temperature is inferred to be a floating point value because it has a decimal point

var isFunny = true // isFunny is inferred to be a boolean

Outside of a function (in the global/package scope), every statement begins with a keyword (var, func, and so on) and so the := construct is not available.

Assignment

A lot of our users send birthday messages using the Textio API.

Declare a variable named congrats with the value "happy birthday!" using a short variable declaration.