/Go Engineering/Phase 1

Phase 1Days 1-5

Go Foundations & Toolchain

Go 1.26, values, control flow, functions, and the compiler mental model

Phase Goal

Install Go 1.26 and reason confidently about small programs before abstractions appear.

Progress

Notes

Open the written lectures for this course before checking off the phase topics.

Projects

Trail Ration Planner CLI

Day 1: Why Go, Go 1.26 & Your First Program

Define Go’s design goals and compiled-program mental model in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Go’s design goals and compiled-program mental model is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Go’s design goals and compiled-program mental model and fix it deliberately

Define Install, go version, go env, and workspace setup in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Install, go version, go env, and workspace setup is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Install, go version, go env, and workspace setup and fix it deliberately

Define package main, imports, func main, and fmt in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when package main, imports, func main, and fmt is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for package main, imports, func main, and fmt and fix it deliberately

Define go run, go build, gofmt, and compiler errors in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when go run, go build, gofmt, and compiler errors is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for go run, go build, gofmt, and compiler errors and fix it deliberately

Day 2: Variables, Constants & Primitive Types

Define var, short declarations, zero values, and assignment in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when var, short declarations, zero values, and assignment is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for var, short declarations, zero values, and assignment and fix it deliberately

Define Integers, floats, booleans, strings, bytes, and runes in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Integers, floats, booleans, strings, bytes, and runes is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Integers, floats, booleans, strings, bytes, and runes and fix it deliberately

Define Constants, iota, numeric conversion, and overflow in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Constants, iota, numeric conversion, and overflow is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Constants, iota, numeric conversion, and overflow and fix it deliberately

Define Formatting values with fmt without memorising verbs in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Formatting values with fmt without memorising verbs is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Formatting values with fmt without memorising verbs and fix it deliberately

Day 3: Control Flow Without Hidden Magic

Define if statements with initialization and lexical scope in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when if statements with initialization and lexical scope is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for if statements with initialization and lexical scope and fix it deliberately

Define for as Go’s only loop and its three common forms in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when for as Go’s only loop and its three common forms is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for for as Go’s only loop and its three common forms and fix it deliberately

Define switch, expressionless switch, and fallthrough rules in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when switch, expressionless switch, and fallthrough rules is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for switch, expressionless switch, and fallthrough rules and fix it deliberately

Define Early returns, guard clauses, and readable branching in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Early returns, guard clauses, and readable branching is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Early returns, guard clauses, and readable branching and fix it deliberately

Day 4: Functions, Multiple Returns & defer

Define Parameters, return values, and function signatures in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Parameters, return values, and function signatures is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Parameters, return values, and function signatures and fix it deliberately

Define Multiple returns and the value-error convention preview in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Multiple returns and the value-error convention preview is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Multiple returns and the value-error convention preview and fix it deliberately

Define Variadic functions and first-class function values in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Variadic functions and first-class function values is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Variadic functions and first-class function values and fix it deliberately

Define defer order, resource cleanup, and named-return traps in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when defer order, resource cleanup, and named-return traps is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for defer order, resource cleanup, and named-return traps and fix it deliberately

Day 5: Mini Project — Trail Ration Planner CLI

Define Command-line input and validation in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Command-line input and validation is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Command-line input and validation and fix it deliberately

Define Unit-safe integer arithmetic and allocation policy in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Unit-safe integer arithmetic and allocation policy is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Unit-safe integer arithmetic and allocation policy and fix it deliberately

Define Pure planning functions and formatted output in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Pure planning functions and formatted output is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Pure planning functions and formatted output and fix it deliberately

Define Project requirements, edge cases, tests, and README in plain language and explain the problem it solvesTrace what the Go compiler or runtime does when Project requirements, edge cases, tests, and README is usedWrite a tiny example, then apply it to a realistic backend taskDiagnose the beginner failure mode for Project requirements, edge cases, tests, and README and fix it deliberately

Capstone

Trail Ration Planner CLI

Build a CLI for volunteer trek leaders that converts group size, route days, reserve percentage, and package sizes into a packable ration plan.

Integer-only gram and package calculations
Impossible-plan warnings and useful exit messages
Table-driven tests for boundary and invalid inputs

Phase Complete!

After this phase, you'll be able to:

Go’s design goals and compiled-program mental model
Install, go version, go env, and workspace setup
package main, imports, func main, and fmt
go run, go build, gofmt, and compiler errors
var, short declarations, zero values, and assignment
Integers, floats, booleans, strings, bytes, and runes
Constants, iota, numeric conversion, and overflow
Formatting values with fmt without memorising verbs

You can apply Phase 1 skills in a finished, explainable Go project.

Back to all phases

Phase Goal

Day 1: Why Go, Go 1.26 & Your First Program

Go’s design goals and compiled-program mental model

Install, go version, go env, and workspace setup

package main, imports, func main, and fmt

go run, go build, gofmt, and compiler errors

Day 2: Variables, Constants & Primitive Types

var, short declarations, zero values, and assignment

Integers, floats, booleans, strings, bytes, and runes

Constants, iota, numeric conversion, and overflow

Formatting values with fmt without memorising verbs

Day 3: Control Flow Without Hidden Magic

if statements with initialization and lexical scope

for as Go’s only loop and its three common forms

switch, expressionless switch, and fallthrough rules

Early returns, guard clauses, and readable branching

Day 4: Functions, Multiple Returns & defer

Parameters, return values, and function signatures

Multiple returns and the value-error convention preview

Variadic functions and first-class function values

defer order, resource cleanup, and named-return traps

Day 5: Mini Project — Trail Ration Planner CLI

Command-line input and validation

Unit-safe integer arithmetic and allocation policy

Pure planning functions and formatted output

Project requirements, constraints & review

Trail Ration Planner CLI

Phase Complete!