Overview

Select allows both send and receive operations from a channel in its case statement. Let’s see examples of

• One send one receive operation

• All send operations 

• All receive operations

One send one receive operation

package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
ch1 := make(chan string)
ch2 := make(chan string)
go goOne(ch1)
go goTwo(ch2)
select {
case msg1 := <-ch1:
fmt.Println(msg1)
case ch2 <- "To goTwo goroutine":
}
}
func goOne(ch chan string) {
ch <- "From goOne goroutine"
}
func goTwo(ch chan string) {
msg := <-ch
fmt.Println(msg)
}

Output

To goTwo goroutine

In the above program we created two channels which are passed to two different goroutines. In the select statement, the first case statement is receiving from ch1 channel. The second case statement is sending data to the ch2 channel and that data is being received in the goTwo goroutine. Since it is not deterministic whether the receive operation on ch1 will complete earlier or send operation on ch2 will completely  earlier the program may either output this 

To goTwo goroutine

or this

From goOne goroutine

All send operations 

package main
import (
"fmt"
"time"
)
func main() {
ch1 := make(chan string)
ch2 := make(chan string)
go goOne(ch1)
go goTwo(ch2)
select {
case ch1 <- "To goOne goroutine":
case ch2 <- "To goTwo goroutine":
}
time.Sleep(time.Second * 1)
}
func goOne(ch chan string) {
msg := <-ch
fmt.Println(msg)
}
func goTwo(ch chan string) {
msg := <-ch
fmt.Println(msg)
}

Output

To goTwo goroutine

In the above program, both case statements is sending data to the ch1 and ch2 channel respectively. The data from the ch1 channel is being received in goOne goroutine and the data from the ch2 channel is being received in goTwo goroutine. None of the send operation in each of the case statement is blocked.  So the program can either output this

To goOne goroutine

or this

To goTwo goroutine

All receive operations

package main
import "fmt"
func main() {
ch1 := make(chan string)
ch2 := make(chan string)
go goOne(ch1)
go goTwo(ch2)
select {
case msg1 := <-ch1:
fmt.Println(msg1)
case msg2 := <-ch2:
fmt.Println(msg2)
}
}
func goOne(ch chan string) {
ch <- "From goOne goroutine"
}
func goTwo(ch chan string) {
ch <- "From goTwo goroutine"
}

Output

From goOne goroutine

In the above program we created two channels which are passed to two different goroutines. Then each of the goroutine is sending one value to the channel. In the select we have two case statement. Each of the two case statement is waiting for a receive operation to complete on one of the channels. Once any receive operation is complete on any of the channel it is executed and select exits. So as seen from output, in the above program it prints the received value from one of the channel and exits.

So in the above program since it is not deterministic which of the send operation will complete earlier that is why you will see different output if you run the program different times.