go: what to name a compiler flags field?

[tdyas]

What should we name the field on Go target types for adding extra compiler flags to compilation of Go files?

In #17683, I've called the field compiler_flags but that seems too verbose and could be better.

Some ideas:

• compile_flags
• build_flags
• compile_opts
• build_opts

Bazel calls its equivalent field gc_goopts where gc means "Go compiler" and goopts is Go options.

This naming convention will also be used for assembler and linker flags as well. Maybe asm_flags and link_flags? Or assembler_flags or linker_flags?

[sureshjoshi]

Related(ish): #16777

[tdyas]

For context, the underlying Go tools used by Pants are called go tool compile, go tool link, and go tool asm.

But Go also exposes go build to users for actually building binaries so build over compile may be warranted as a choice.

[benjyw]

compiler_flags or even go_compiler_flags has the virtue of being veeeeery clear. I don't think names like gc_goopts have much virtue, since I almost certainly have to look them up. Does gc stand for garbage collection, maybe? Or gnu c ?

[tdyas]

gc actually stands for "Go compiler." It is the term that go uses internally to distinguish between itself and gccgo.

[tdyas]

Buck uses compiler_flags and assembler_flags on its go_library target, and linker_flags in its go_binary target.

[tdyas]

Going to stick with compiler_flags then.