doc example iterator handling errors resources

Author: haraldrudell

src/iter/iter.go

@@ -203,6 +203,23 @@ And then a client could delete boring values from the tree using:
 		}
 	}
 
+# Iterators with complex datasource
+
+Iterators encapsulating complex datasources offer value by separating
+the iterator consumer from data-retrieval concerns in terms of databases,
+networking and file systems. Intra-thread iteration over a function means
+additional freedom in designing the iterator for concurrency, synchronization
+and threading.
+
+There are four needs on such iterators, referring to the below example:
+ 1. Receive and maintain internal state: filename, errp, osFile
+ 2. Provide iteration values and determine end of iteration: [LineReader.Lines]
+ 3. Release resources upon end of iteration or panic: [LineReader.cleanup]
+ 4. Propagate error conditions outside the for statement: errp
+
+The below construct ensures faster stack allocation, as opposed to on the heap,
+and features potentially reusable iterator-state encapsulated in struct.
+
 [The Go Blog: Range Over Function Types]: https://go.dev/blog/range-functions
 [range loop]: https://go.dev/ref/spec#For_range
 */

src/iter/iter_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,114 @@
+// Copyright 2025 The Go Authors. All rights reserved.
+// Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+// license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+package iter_test
+
+import (
+	"bufio"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"iter"
+	"os"
+	"path/filepath"
+)
+
+func Example() {
+
+	// errorHandler prints error message and exits 1 on error
+	var err error
+	defer errorHandler(&err)
+
+	// create test file
+	var filename = filepath.Join(os.TempDir(), "test.txt")
+	if err = os.WriteFile(filename, []byte("one\ntwo\n"), 0o600); err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// iterate over lines from test.txt
+	//   - the LineReader iterator is allocated on the stack
+	//   - stack allocation is faster than heap allocation
+	//   - LineReader is on stack even if NewLineReader is in another module
+	//   - LineReader pointer receiver is more performant
+	for line := range NewLineReader(&LineReader{}, filename, &err).Lines {
+		fmt.Println("iterator line:", line)
+	}
+	// return here, err may be non-nil
+
+	// Output:
+	// iterator line: one
+	// iterator line: two
+}
+
+// LineReader provides an iterator reading a file line-by-line
+type LineReader struct {
+	// the file lines are being read from
+	filename string
+	// a pointer to store occurring errors
+	errp *error
+	// the open file
+	osFile *os.File
+}
+
+// NewLineReader returns an iterator over the lines of a file
+//   - [LineReader.Lines] is iterator function
+//   - new-function provides LineReader encapsulation
+func NewLineReader(fieldp *LineReader, filename string, errp *error) (lineReader *LineReader) {
+	if fieldp != nil {
+		lineReader = fieldp
+		osFile = nil
+	} else {
+		lineReader = &LineReader{}
+	}
+	lineReader.filename = filename
+	lineReader.errp = errp
+
+	return
+}
+
+// Lines is the iterator providing text-lines from the file filename
+//   - defer cleanup ensures cleanup is executed on panic
+//     in Lines method or for block
+//   - cleanup updates *LineReader.errp
+func (r *LineReader) Lines(yield func(line string) (keepGoing bool)) {
+	var err error
+	defer r.cleanup(&err)
+
+	if r.osFile, err = os.Open(r.filename); err != nil {
+		return // i/o error
+	}
+	var scanner = bufio.NewScanner(r.osFile)
+	for scanner.Scan() {
+		if !yield(scanner.Text()) {
+			return // iteration canceled by break or such
+		}
+	}
+	// reached end of file
+}
+
+// LineReader.Lines is iter.Seq string
+var _ iter.Seq[string] = (&LineReader{}).Lines
+
+// cleanup is invoked on iteration end or any panic
+//   - errp: possible error from Lines
+func (r *LineReader) cleanup(errp *error) {
+	var err error
+	if r.osFile != nil {
+		err = r.osFile.Close()
+	}
+	if err != nil || *errp != nil {
+		// aggregate errors in order of occurrence
+		*r.errp = errors.Join(*r.errp, *errp, err)
+	}
+}
+
+// errorHandler prints error message and exits 1 on error
+//   - deferrable
+func errorHandler(errp *error) {
+	var err = *errp
+	if err == nil {
+		return
+	}
+	fmt.Fprintln(os.Stderr, err)
+	os.Exit(1)
+}