Multiple ways to Convert(Cast) String to/from Float in Golang

This post covers converting (cast) the String type to float type or float type to String with an example.

Golang strconv package

The string is a group of characters referenced by a variable. A float is a numeric number that stores a set of all IEEE-754 64-bit floating-point numbers.

Both are of different types, and automatic conversions will not occur.

The developer needs to write code to handle this. Golang provides a standard inbuilt package strconv to convert string types to other types.

It is a common task of the developer to convert String to float or float to String.

How to Convert String to float in Golang?

strconv package provides ParseFloat function to convert to float numeric types.

You can check more about this function here

Here is syntax

func ParseFloat(s string, bitSize int) (float64, error)

Arguments:

• The string is an input string. if a given string is not numeric, It gives the error strconv.ParseFloat: parsing “abc”: invalid syntax
• bisize is of int type with values 32 or 64.

Here is a strconv ParseFloat function example program

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "reflect"
    "strconv"
)

func main() {
    floatString: = "587.23"
    floatNumb,
    err: = strconv.ParseFloat("abc", 32)
    fmt.Println(floatNumb)
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(floatNumb))
    fmt.Println(err)
    if n1,
    err: = strconv.ParseFloat(floatString, 32);err == nil {
        fmt.Printf("%T, %v\n", n1, n1)
    }
    if n2,
    err: = strconv.ParseFloat(floatString, 64);err == nil {
        fmt.Printf("%T, %v\n", n2, n2)
    }

}

An output of the above program

0
float64
strconv.ParseFloat: parsing "abc": invalid syntax
float64, 587.22998046875
float64, 587.23

Golang Convert float number to String Example

There are two ways to convert the float type to a String type.

• One, is using fmt.Sprintf() function
• Another way, is using the strconv.FormatFloat function

Convert float number to String using golang fmt Sprintf function example

fmt package provides Sprintf is used to convert to string.

Here is a syntax

func Sprintf(format string, a ...interface{}) string

the format is a string that contains the following characters for different formats.

• %f - Decimal format
• %e - scientific notation format
• %.5f- the precision with 5 format
• %g - exponent format

and parameter a is of the vardiac interface that accepts any value type.

Here is an fmt Sprintf function example program

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "reflect"
)

func main() {
    str: = fmt.Sprintf("%f", 45.1) //45.100000
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str))
    fmt.Println(str)
    str1: = fmt.Sprintf("%e", 45.1) //4.510000e+01
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str1))
    fmt.Println(str1)
    str2: = fmt.Sprintf("%.5f", 45.1) //45.10000
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str2))
    fmt.Println(str2)
    str3: = fmt.Sprintf("%g", 45.1) //45.1
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str3))
    fmt.Println(str3)
}

Output:

string
45.100000
string
4.510000e+01
string
45.10000
string
45.1

Convert float to String using golang strconv FormatFloat function example

strconv package has a FormatFloat function to convert the floating number to string with a given format and precision. Here is the syntax of this function

func FormatFloat(f float64, fmt byte, prec, bitSize int) string

Arguments:

• f is a floating number converted to a string
• fmt is of byte contains values b -binary exponent, e or E - Decimal exponent, F - no exponent, g or G - a large exponents
• prec is of int precision value
• bitSize is of int type that contains 32 and 64 values.

Here is a strconv FormatFloat function example program

package main

import (
    "fmt"
    "reflect"
    "strconv"
)

func main() {
    floatNumb: = 5.789455
    str: = strconv.FormatFloat(floatNumb, 'f', 5, 64)
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str))
    fmt.Println(str)
    str1: = strconv.FormatFloat(floatNumb, 'e', 5, 64)
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str1))
    fmt.Println(str1)
    str2: = strconv.FormatFloat(floatNumb, 'g', 5, 64)
    fmt.Println(reflect.TypeOf(str2))
    fmt.Println(str2)
}

Output:

string
5.78946
string
5.78946e+00
string
5.7895