Golang: Installation directory error?

Question

I have the error:

go install: no install location for directory /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src outside GOPATH 

I\'m using go version 1.1

Answer 1

Command go

GOPATH environment variable

Each directory listed in GOPATH must have a prescribed structure:

The src/ directory holds source code. The path below 'src' determines the import path or executable name.

The pkg/ directory holds installed package objects. As in the Go tree, each target operating system and architecture pair has its own subdirectory of pkg (pkg/GOOS_GOARCH).

If DIR is a directory listed in the GOPATH, a package with source in DIR/src/foo/bar can be imported as "foo/bar" and has its compiled form installed to "DIR/pkg/GOOS_GOARCH/foo/bar.a".

The bin/ directory holds compiled commands. Each command is named for its source directory, but only the final element, not the entire path. That is, the command with source in DIR/src/foo/quux is installed into DIR/bin/quux, not DIR/bin/foo/quux. The foo/ is stripped so that you can add DIR/bin to your PATH to get at the installed commands. If the GOBIN environment variable is set, commands are installed to the directory it names instead of DIR/bin.

Here's an example directory layout:

GOPATH=/home/user/gocode

/home/user/gocode/
    src/
        foo/
            bar/               (go code in package bar)
                x.go
            quux/              (go code in package main)
                y.go
    bin/
        quux                   (installed command)
    pkg/
        linux_amd64/
            foo/
                bar.a          (installed package object)

Your directory structure is wrong. You are trying to install a command (package main). It should be in a source directory named after your command. See the quux command above.

In your case, assume your command is going to be named billy.

$ mkdir -p /Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/src/billy

which is inside your GOPATH. Move your test.go file to this directory. Run

$ go install billy

The command billy should, unless you have set GOBIN, be installed in the

/Users/xwilly/Dropbox/go/project/bin

directory inside your GOPATH, which should be in your PATH.