Setting a name on a route disables URI method

[Arcnor]

Hello, I'm not sure if this is expected behavior or I'm using it wrong, but when I set the name for a route (e.GET("", myHandler).Name = "MyName") I'm not able to use e.URI(myHandler) anymore and have to use e.Reverse("MyName") instead. I was expecting URI to continue working, can't see why one should affect the other.

Thanks in advance.

[Felipeness]

$(cat <<'ENDOFBODY'
You're mixing up two different APIs here.

e.URI() takes a handler function and builds the path from it:

e.URI(getUser, "42") // looks up the route registered with getUser handler

e.Reverse() takes a route name and does the same thing:

e.GET("/users/:id", getUser).Name = "get-user"
e.Reverse("get-user", "42") // → "/users/42"

Use Reverse() — it's what you want 99% of the time. Named routes are stable references that don't break when you refactor handler functions or move them between files. e.URI() needs the actual function reference, which gets awkward fast when handlers are methods or closures.

// register with a name
usersRoute := e.GET("/users/:id", getUser)
usersRoute.Name = "get-user"

// generate URLs anywhere
url := e.Reverse("get-user", userId)

Short version: Reverse() = lookup by name (use this), URI() = lookup by function pointer (fragile, mostly legacy).
ENDOFBODY
)

[vynazevedo]

The two APIs share the same lookup underneath. URI(handler) gets the handler's function name, then calls Reverse with that name; it doesn't keep a separate lookup by function pointer.

When a route is registered, its default Name is that function name. Replacing route.Name removes the name that URI is trying to find. This reproduces on Echo v4.13.4:

route := e.GET("/users/:id", myHandler)
fmt.Println(e.URI(myHandler, "42")) // /users/42

route.Name = "user-detail"
fmt.Println(e.URI(myHandler, "42"))        // empty string
fmt.Println(e.Reverse("user-detail", "42")) // /users/42

So your observation is correct; naming a route changes what URI can resolve. Use Reverse for an explicitly named route, or leave the default name if you want URI(handler) to work. It's an implementation consequence, not a problem with your handler.

The relevant implementation is just three lines: Echo.URI. I checked all three outputs above in a local test.