Example Go Code

main.go

package main

import (
  "encoding/json"
  "fmt"
)

// Comment from Database
type Comment struct {
  ID       string `json:"id""`
  ParentID string `json:"pid"`
  Text     string `json:"text"`
}

// NestedComment output
type NestedComment struct {
  Comment
  Children []NestedComment `json:"children,omitempty"`
}

func main() {
  // Some comment data from DB
  jsondata := `[{"id":"f1c3a838-f4b4-4ebd-bb1b-d3e4c0dce27d","pid":"6a162b3f-9341-46e9-95f7-dedc6cd06868","text":"comment 1"},{"id":"131cf4bb-1971-43a2-992f-2cbb042a4184","pid":"","text":"comment 2"},{"id":"4c93a789-ecab-4173-954c-b039cd3a9e17","pid":"131cf4bb-1971-43a2-992f-2cbb042a4184","text":"comment 3"},{"id":"c7974b6d-67e1-47d0-84fa-c78d51682df2","pid":"131cf4bb-1971-43a2-992f-2cbb042a4184","text":"comment 4"},{"id":"386c4439-4596-47c1-99bf-cb479055fe5a","pid":"","text":"comment 5"},{"id":"5ef0816e-ea13-4a7e-8009-e67ee08ef906","pid":"386c4439-4596-47c1-99bf-cb479055fe5a","text":"comment 6"},{"id":"96b0a536-602b-4f3f-a352-020f22cdfb18","pid":"","text":"comment 7"},{"id":"d0f11e98-deea-4fd5-becb-8f406ebcae83","pid":"96b0a536-602b-4f3f-a352-020f22cdfb18","text":"comment 8"},{"id":"bad87461-3cbf-4ecb-a8c7-36876b57d652","pid":"","text":"comment 9"},{"id":"e3ee6f90-495f-4348-9c29-bd6e15ec3b39","pid":"bad87461-3cbf-4ecb-a8c7-36876b57d652","text":"comment 10"},{"id":"6a162b3f-9341-46e9-95f7-dedc6cd06868","pid":"","text":"comment 11"},{"id":"041c7c2d-0688-491e-b6cd-899eac95bd3d","pid":"","text":"comment 12"},{"id":"5acdf3ff-345b-47a5-bd66-a6687a1441b7","pid":"041c7c2d-0688-491e-b6cd-899eac95bd3d","text":"comment 13"},{"id":"aaee2ae5-7e3a-4435-a094-83bf6b77abfb","pid":"","text":"comment 14"},{"id":"6108b28c-a7af-4c5a-a38c-c22db0d34b31","pid":"aaee2ae5-7e3a-4435-a094-83bf6b77abfb","text":"comment 15"},{"id":"1736393e-95b0-4f5d-a149-50fe52c28350","pid":"","text":"comment 16"},{"id":"b646f202-17aa-4af9-b8dc-c1d8ff3529ac","pid":"1736393e-95b0-4f5d-a149-50fe52c28350","text":"comment 17"},{"id":"a8827b1d-fdbc-41c2-bdb5-38e8b308dedc","pid":"b646f202-17aa-4af9-b8dc-c1d8ff3529ac","text":"comment 18"},{"id":"76e49597-6039-4cb5-a595-556ccc2e3c12","pid":"a8827b1d-fdbc-41c2-bdb5-38e8b308dedc","text":"comment 19"},{"id":"07dc4b90-65d3-4f75-8351-457305988235","pid":"76e49597-6039-4cb5-a595-556ccc2e3c12","text":"comment 20"},{"id":"2d4e838b-82df-4ca0-bf9b-f1dfb99d6763","pid":"07dc4b90-65d3-4f75-8351-457305988235","text":"comment 21"},{"id":"617c1760-0dca-409c-af2a-c614f0530e07","pid":"","text":"comment 22"},{"id":"712c0b7e-a9e4-40fd-ab78-c39b483b1435","pid":"617c1760-0dca-409c-af2a-c614f0530e07","text":"comment 23"},{"id":"e325094c-886e-42c9-bd59-fdd7a189b384","pid":"","text":"comment 24"},{"id":"f3b8b0f9-edef-4ee6-9555-42e8595f854c","pid":"e325094c-886e-42c9-bd59-fdd7a189b384","text":"comment 25"},{"id":"6e09a231-a2ee-4aa1-a898-57695e6fe153","pid":"","text":"comment 26"},{"id":"63e629d6-c0f9-4b36-ad96-e0c47cf8bb4e","pid":"6e09a231-a2ee-4aa1-a898-57695e6fe153","text":"comment 27"},{"id":"d7b698f1-8757-46db-a6e6-5141a481b42b","pid":"","text":"comment 28"},{"id":"a7e3d522-553c-44f1-befa-047bd94f0e59","pid":"","text":"comment 29"},{"id":"fe78ce24-c2c8-4d00-b96d-8b8be9ce0f06","pid":"","text":"comment 30"},{"id":"fabdccb5-a024-4476-bd51-7d55fb685c42","pid":"","text":"comment 31"},{"id":"608d0693-6e43-46a0-9e54-107da6adb109","pid":"fabdccb5-a024-4476-bd51-7d55fb685c42","text":"comment 32"}]`

  var comments []Comment

  err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(jsondata), &comments)
  if err != nil {
    panic(err)
  }

  arranged := ArrangeComments(comments)

  arrangedjson, _ := json.MarshalIndent(arranged, "", "  ")

  fmt.Println(string(arrangedjson))
  fmt.Println("comments", len(comments), "arranged", recursiveCount(arranged))
}

func recursiveCount(arranged []NestedComment) int {
    count := len(arranged)
    for _, item := range arranged {
        count += recursiveCount(item.Children)
    }
    return count
}

// Nesting function -------------------------------------------------------------------------

func ArrangeComments(comments []Comment) []NestedComment {
    // Map to hold references to NestedComment by their ID
    queue := make(map[string]*NestedComment)

    // Result slice
    var result []NestedComment

    // First, create all NestedComments and store references in the map
    for _, comment := range comments {
        nc := &NestedComment{Comment: comment}
        queue[comment.ID] = nc
    }

    // Second, loop through the map and add children to their parents
    for _, comment := range queue {
        if comment.ParentID != "" {
            parent := queue[comment.Comment.ParentID]
            if parent != nil {
                parent.Children = append(parent.Children, *comment)
            }
        }
    }

    // Third, loop through the map and add all root comments to the result slice
    for _, comment := range queue {
        if comment.ParentID == "" {
            result = append(result, *comment)
        }
    }

    return result
}

The issue is that you're dereferencing the comment ptr at line 68.

This will have the effect of only storing the value of comment, not its reference.

So when you append a comment to it's children later on, this change is not reflected on the value previously stored in its parent's Children.

Using pointers to store the children should resolve the issue.

@MysteriousPotato you mean like this?

    for _, comment := range queue {
        if comment.ParentID != "" {
            if queue[comment.Comment.ParentID] != nil {
                queue[comment.Comment.ParentID].Children = append(queue[comment.Comment.ParentID].Children, *comment)
            }
        }
    }

Same output, what am I doing wrong?

I mean using []*NestedComment instead of []NestedComment for storing children as pointers.

If you don't use pointers, any changes made to the children won't affect the child previously stored in its parent's children.

Ex.:

func main() {	
        type myStruct struct {
		value int
	}

	test := myStruct{}

	ptr := &test
	ptr.value = 1
	fmt.Println(test.value) // prints 1

	// This will effectively create a copy of the value stored in `ptr`
	// So any changes made to `ptr` won't affect `dereferenced` since it's a value copy, not a reference.
	dereferenced := *ptr
	ptr.value = 2
	fmt.Println(dereferenced.value) // still prints 1
}

@MysteriousPotato that was it, thank you so much!

@MysteriousPotato do you have a BuyMeACoffee or something? I'd like to show my appreciation

That's very generous of you. I don't have a BuyMeACoffee but here's an idea:

You could donate to a charity of your choice! At the end, it's up to you. I'm just glad I could help.

@MysteriousPotato Great idea, I gave you a shout-out in my donation, thanks again!

@dlford 🎉 Great choice