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Go Access Elements of a Slice
Last Updated : May 04, 2025
In Go, you can access elements of a slice using index positions, just like arrays. The index starts at 0, and you can use square brackets to retrieve or update a value at a specific position.
Accessing Elements Using Index
To access an element from a slice, use its index inside square brackets.
Example
In this example, we are accessing and printing elements of a slice using index positions:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
cities := []string{"Delhi", "Mumbai", "Bengaluru"}
fmt.Println("First city:", cities[0])
fmt.Println("Second city:", cities[1])
fmt.Println("Third city:", cities[2])
}
When executed, this program outputs:
First city: Delhi
Second city: Mumbai
Third city: Bengaluru
Modifying Elements in a Slice
You can also change the value of a slice element by assigning a new value to a specific index.
Example
In this example, we are modifying an element of a slice by updating the value at a specific index and then printing the updated slice:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
students := []string{"Aarav", "Meena", "Ravi"}
students[1] = "Pooja" // Changing the second element
fmt.Println("Updated students list:", students)
}
When executed, this program outputs:
Updated students list: [Aarav Pooja Ravi]
Accessing Elements in a Loop
You can use a for loop or for...range loop to iterate and access each element of a slice.
Example
In this example, we are iterating over a slice using a for loop to access and print each element along with its index:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
numbers := []int{100, 200, 300}
// Using for loop
for i := 0; i < len(numbers); i++ {
fmt.Println("Element at index", i, "is", numbers[i])
}
}
When executed, this program outputs:
Element at index 0 is 100
Element at index 1 is 200
Element at index 2 is 300
Using range with Slices
The range keyword allows iterating over slices and retrieving both index and value conveniently.
Example
In this example, we are using a for range loop to iterate over a slice and print each element along with its index:
package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
fruits := []string{"Apple", "Orange", "Mango"}
for index, fruit := range fruits {
fmt.Printf("Fruit at index %d: %s\n", index, fruit)
}
}
When executed, this program outputs:
Fruit at index 0: Apple
Fruit at index 1: Orange
Fruit at index 2: Mango
Exercise
Select the correct option to complete each statement about accessing elements of a slice in Go.
- To access the element at index i in a Go slice, you use the syntax ___.
- If you try to access an index i that is out of range in a Go slice, it will result in a ___.
- To get a sub-slice from index i to j of a slice, the syntax is ___.
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