5 This document is the primary reference for the Rust programming language. It
6 provides three kinds of material:
8 - Chapters that formally define the language grammar and, for each
9 construct, informally describe its semantics and give examples of its
11 - Chapters that informally describe the memory model, concurrency model,
12 runtime services, linkage model and debugging facilities.
13 - Appendix chapters providing rationale and references to languages that
14 influenced the design.
16 This document does not serve as an introduction to the language. Background
17 familiarity with the language is assumed. A separate [guide] is available to
18 help acquire such background familiarity.
20 This document also does not serve as a reference to the [standard] library
21 included in the language distribution. Those libraries are documented
22 separately by extracting documentation attributes from their source code. Many
23 of the features that one might expect to be language features are library
24 features in Rust, so what you're looking for may be there, not here.
27 [standard]: std/index.html
31 Rust's grammar is defined over Unicode codepoints, each conventionally denoted
32 `U+XXXX`, for 4 or more hexadecimal digits `X`. _Most_ of Rust's grammar is
33 confined to the ASCII range of Unicode, and is described in this document by a
34 dialect of Extended Backus-Naur Form (EBNF), specifically a dialect of EBNF
35 supported by common automated LL(k) parsing tools such as `llgen`, rather than
36 the dialect given in ISO 14977. The dialect can be defined self-referentially
41 rule : nonterminal ':' productionrule ';' ;
42 productionrule : production [ '|' production ] * ;
44 term : element repeats ;
45 element : LITERAL | IDENTIFIER | '[' productionrule ']' ;
46 repeats : [ '*' | '+' ] NUMBER ? | NUMBER ? | '?' ;
51 - Whitespace in the grammar is ignored.
52 - Square brackets are used to group rules.
53 - `LITERAL` is a single printable ASCII character, or an escaped hexadecimal
54 ASCII code of the form `\xQQ`, in single quotes, denoting the corresponding
55 Unicode codepoint `U+00QQ`.
56 - `IDENTIFIER` is a nonempty string of ASCII letters and underscores.
57 - The `repeat` forms apply to the adjacent `element`, and are as follows:
58 - `?` means zero or one repetition
59 - `*` means zero or more repetitions
60 - `+` means one or more repetitions
61 - NUMBER trailing a repeat symbol gives a maximum repetition count
62 - NUMBER on its own gives an exact repetition count
64 This EBNF dialect should hopefully be familiar to many readers.
66 ## Unicode productions
68 A few productions in Rust's grammar permit Unicode codepoints outside the ASCII
69 range. We define these productions in terms of character properties specified
70 in the Unicode standard, rather than in terms of ASCII-range codepoints. The
71 section [Special Unicode Productions](#special-unicode-productions) lists these
74 ## String table productions
76 Some rules in the grammar — notably [unary
77 operators](#unary-operator-expressions), [binary
78 operators](#binary-operator-expressions), and [keywords](#keywords) — are
79 given in a simplified form: as a listing of a table of unquoted, printable
80 whitespace-separated strings. These cases form a subset of the rules regarding
81 the [token](#tokens) rule, and are assumed to be the result of a
82 lexical-analysis phase feeding the parser, driven by a DFA, operating over the
83 disjunction of all such string table entries.
85 When such a string enclosed in double-quotes (`"`) occurs inside the grammar,
86 it is an implicit reference to a single member of such a string table
87 production. See [tokens](#tokens) for more information.
93 Rust input is interpreted as a sequence of Unicode codepoints encoded in UTF-8.
94 Most Rust grammar rules are defined in terms of printable ASCII-range
95 codepoints, but a small number are defined in terms of Unicode properties or
96 explicit codepoint lists. [^inputformat]
98 [^inputformat]: Substitute definitions for the special Unicode productions are
99 provided to the grammar verifier, restricted to ASCII range, when verifying the
100 grammar in this document.
102 ## Special Unicode Productions
104 The following productions in the Rust grammar are defined in terms of Unicode
105 properties: `ident`, `non_null`, `non_star`, `non_eol`, `non_slash_or_star`,
106 `non_single_quote` and `non_double_quote`.
110 The `ident` production is any nonempty Unicode string of the following form:
112 - The first character has property `XID_start`
113 - The remaining characters have property `XID_continue`
115 that does _not_ occur in the set of [keywords](#keywords).
117 > **Note**: `XID_start` and `XID_continue` as character properties cover the
118 > character ranges used to form the more familiar C and Java language-family
121 ### Delimiter-restricted productions
123 Some productions are defined by exclusion of particular Unicode characters:
125 - `non_null` is any single Unicode character aside from `U+0000` (null)
126 - `non_eol` is `non_null` restricted to exclude `U+000A` (`'\n'`)
127 - `non_star` is `non_null` restricted to exclude `U+002A` (`*`)
128 - `non_slash_or_star` is `non_null` restricted to exclude `U+002F` (`/`) and `U+002A` (`*`)
129 - `non_single_quote` is `non_null` restricted to exclude `U+0027` (`'`)
130 - `non_double_quote` is `non_null` restricted to exclude `U+0022` (`"`)
135 comment : block_comment | line_comment ;
136 block_comment : "/*" block_comment_body * "*/" ;
137 block_comment_body : [block_comment | character] * ;
138 line_comment : "//" non_eol * ;
141 Comments in Rust code follow the general C++ style of line and block-comment
142 forms. Nested block comments are supported.
144 Line comments beginning with exactly _three_ slashes (`///`), and block
145 comments beginning with exactly one repeated asterisk in the block-open
146 sequence (`/**`), are interpreted as a special syntax for `doc`
147 [attributes](#attributes). That is, they are equivalent to writing
148 `#[doc="..."]` around the body of the comment (this includes the comment
149 characters themselves, ie `/// Foo` turns into `#[doc="/// Foo"]`).
151 `//!` comments apply to the parent of the comment, rather than the item that
152 follows. `//!` comments are usually used to display information on the crate
155 Non-doc comments are interpreted as a form of whitespace.
160 whitespace_char : '\x20' | '\x09' | '\x0a' | '\x0d' ;
161 whitespace : [ whitespace_char | comment ] + ;
164 The `whitespace_char` production is any nonempty Unicode string consisting of
165 any of the following Unicode characters: `U+0020` (space, `' '`), `U+0009`
166 (tab, `'\t'`), `U+000A` (LF, `'\n'`), `U+000D` (CR, `'\r'`).
168 Rust is a "free-form" language, meaning that all forms of whitespace serve only
169 to separate _tokens_ in the grammar, and have no semantic significance.
171 A Rust program has identical meaning if each whitespace element is replaced
172 with any other legal whitespace element, such as a single space character.
177 simple_token : keyword | unop | binop ;
178 token : simple_token | ident | literal | symbol | whitespace token ;
181 Tokens are primitive productions in the grammar defined by regular
182 (non-recursive) languages. "Simple" tokens are given in [string table
183 production](#string-table-productions) form, and occur in the rest of the
184 grammar as double-quoted strings. Other tokens have exact rules given.
188 <p id="keyword-table-marker"></p>
191 |----------|----------|----------|----------|---------|
192 | abstract | alignof | as | be | box |
193 | break | const | continue | crate | do |
194 | else | enum | extern | false | final |
195 | fn | for | if | impl | in |
196 | let | loop | macro | match | mod |
197 | move | mut | offsetof | override | priv |
198 | pub | pure | ref | return | sizeof |
199 | static | self | struct | super | true |
200 | trait | type | typeof | unsafe | unsized |
201 | use | virtual | where | while | yield |
204 Each of these keywords has special meaning in its grammar, and all of them are
205 excluded from the `ident` rule.
207 Note that some of these keywords are reserved, and do not currently do
212 A literal is an expression consisting of a single token, rather than a sequence
213 of tokens, that immediately and directly denotes the value it evaluates to,
214 rather than referring to it by name or some other evaluation rule. A literal is
215 a form of constant expression, so is evaluated (primarily) at compile time.
219 literal : [ string_lit | char_lit | byte_string_lit | byte_lit | num_lit ] lit_suffix ?;
222 The optional suffix is only used for certain numeric literals, but is
223 reserved for future extension, that is, the above gives the lexical
224 grammar, but a Rust parser will reject everything but the 12 special
225 cases mentioned in [Number literals](#number-literals) below.
229 ##### Characters and strings
231 | | Example | Number of `#` pairs allowed | Available characters | Escapes | Equivalent to |
232 |---|---------|-----------------------------|----------------------|---------|---------------|
233 | [Character](#character-literals) | `'H'` | `N/A` | All unicode | `\'` & [Byte escapes](#byte-escapes) & [Unicode escapes](#unicode-escapes) | `N/A` |
234 | [String](#string-literals) | `"hello"` | `N/A` | All unicode | `\"` & [Byte escapes](#byte-escapes) & [Unicode escapes](#unicode-escapes) | `N/A` |
235 | [Raw](#raw-string-literals) | `r##"hello"##` | `0...` | All unicode | `N/A` | `N/A` |
236 | [Byte](#byte-literals) | `b'H'` | `N/A` | All ASCII | `\'` & [Byte escapes](#byte-escapes) | `u8` |
237 | [Byte string](#byte-string-literals) | `b"hello"` | `N/A` | All ASCII | `\"` & [Byte escapes](#byte-escapes) | `&'static [u8]` |
238 | [Raw byte string](#raw-byte-string-literals) | `br##"hello"##` | `0...` | All ASCII | `N/A` | `&'static [u8]` (unsure...not stated) |
244 | `\x7F` | 8-bit character code (exactly 2 digits) |
246 | `\r` | Carriage return |
250 ##### Unicode escapes
253 | `\u7FFF` | 16-bit character code (exactly 4 digits) |
254 | `\U7EEEFFFF` | 32-bit character code (exactly 8 digits) |
258 | [Number literals](#number-literals)`*` | Example | Exponentiation | Suffixes |
259 |----------------------------------------|---------|----------------|----------|
260 | Decimal integer | `98_222i` | `N/A` | Integer suffixes |
261 | Hex integer | `0xffi` | `N/A` | Integer suffixes |
262 | Octal integer | `0o77i` | `N/A` | Integer suffixes |
263 | Binary integer | `0b1111_0000i` | `N/A` | Integer suffixes |
264 | Floating-point | `123.0E+77f64` | `Optional` | Floating-point suffixes |
266 `*` All number literals allow `_` as a visual separator: `1_234.0E+18f64`
269 | Integer | Floating-point |
270 |---------|----------------|
271 | `i` (`int`), `u` (`uint`), `u8`, `i8`, `u16`, `i16`, `u32`, `i32`, `u64`, `i64` | `f32`, `f64` |
273 #### Character and string literals
276 char_lit : '\x27' char_body '\x27' ;
277 string_lit : '"' string_body * '"' | 'r' raw_string ;
279 char_body : non_single_quote
280 | '\x5c' [ '\x27' | common_escape | unicode_escape ] ;
282 string_body : non_double_quote
283 | '\x5c' [ '\x22' | common_escape | unicode_escape ] ;
284 raw_string : '"' raw_string_body '"' | '#' raw_string '#' ;
286 common_escape : '\x5c'
287 | 'n' | 'r' | 't' | '0'
289 unicode_escape : 'u' hex_digit 4
292 hex_digit : 'a' | 'b' | 'c' | 'd' | 'e' | 'f'
293 | 'A' | 'B' | 'C' | 'D' | 'E' | 'F'
295 oct_digit : '0' | '1' | '2' | '3' | '4' | '5' | '6' | '7' ;
296 dec_digit : '0' | nonzero_dec ;
297 nonzero_dec: '1' | '2' | '3' | '4'
298 | '5' | '6' | '7' | '8' | '9' ;
301 ##### Character literals
303 A _character literal_ is a single Unicode character enclosed within two
304 `U+0027` (single-quote) characters, with the exception of `U+0027` itself,
305 which must be _escaped_ by a preceding U+005C character (`\`).
307 ##### String literals
309 A _string literal_ is a sequence of any Unicode characters enclosed within two
310 `U+0022` (double-quote) characters, with the exception of `U+0022` itself,
311 which must be _escaped_ by a preceding `U+005C` character (`\`), or a _raw
314 ##### Character escapes
316 Some additional _escapes_ are available in either character or non-raw string
317 literals. An escape starts with a `U+005C` (`\`) and continues with one of the
320 * An _8-bit codepoint escape_ escape starts with `U+0078` (`x`) and is
321 followed by exactly two _hex digits_. It denotes the Unicode codepoint
322 equal to the provided hex value.
323 * A _16-bit codepoint escape_ starts with `U+0075` (`u`) and is followed
324 by exactly four _hex digits_. It denotes the Unicode codepoint equal to
325 the provided hex value.
326 * A _32-bit codepoint escape_ starts with `U+0055` (`U`) and is followed
327 by exactly eight _hex digits_. It denotes the Unicode codepoint equal to
328 the provided hex value.
329 * A _whitespace escape_ is one of the characters `U+006E` (`n`), `U+0072`
330 (`r`), or `U+0074` (`t`), denoting the unicode values `U+000A` (LF),
331 `U+000D` (CR) or `U+0009` (HT) respectively.
332 * The _backslash escape_ is the character `U+005C` (`\`) which must be
333 escaped in order to denote *itself*.
335 ##### Raw string literals
337 Raw string literals do not process any escapes. They start with the character
338 `U+0072` (`r`), followed by zero or more of the character `U+0023` (`#`) and a
339 `U+0022` (double-quote) character. The _raw string body_ is not defined in the
340 EBNF grammar above: it can contain any sequence of Unicode characters and is
341 terminated only by another `U+0022` (double-quote) character, followed by the
342 same number of `U+0023` (`#`) characters that preceded the opening `U+0022`
343 (double-quote) character.
345 All Unicode characters contained in the raw string body represent themselves,
346 the characters `U+0022` (double-quote) (except when followed by at least as
347 many `U+0023` (`#`) characters as were used to start the raw string literal) or
348 `U+005C` (`\`) do not have any special meaning.
350 Examples for string literals:
353 "foo"; r"foo"; // foo
354 "\"foo\""; r#""foo""#; // "foo"
357 r##"foo #"# bar"##; // foo #"# bar
359 "\x52"; "R"; r"R"; // R
360 "\\x52"; r"\x52"; // \x52
363 #### Byte and byte string literals
366 byte_lit : "b\x27" byte_body '\x27' ;
367 byte_string_lit : "b\x22" string_body * '\x22' | "br" raw_byte_string ;
369 byte_body : ascii_non_single_quote
370 | '\x5c' [ '\x27' | common_escape ] ;
372 byte_string_body : ascii_non_double_quote
373 | '\x5c' [ '\x22' | common_escape ] ;
374 raw_byte_string : '"' raw_byte_string_body '"' | '#' raw_byte_string '#' ;
380 A _byte literal_ is a single ASCII character (in the `U+0000` to `U+007F`
381 range) enclosed within two `U+0027` (single-quote) characters, with the
382 exception of `U+0027` itself, which must be _escaped_ by a preceding U+005C
383 character (`\`), or a single _escape_. It is equivalent to a `u8` unsigned
384 8-bit integer _number literal_.
386 ##### Byte string literals
388 A _byte string literal_ is a sequence of ASCII characters and _escapes_
389 enclosed within two `U+0022` (double-quote) characters, with the exception of
390 `U+0022` itself, which must be _escaped_ by a preceding `U+005C` character
391 (`\`), or a _raw byte string literal_. It is equivalent to a `&'static [u8]`
392 borrowed array of unsigned 8-bit integers.
394 Some additional _escapes_ are available in either byte or non-raw byte string
395 literals. An escape starts with a `U+005C` (`\`) and continues with one of the
398 * An _byte escape_ escape starts with `U+0078` (`x`) and is
399 followed by exactly two _hex digits_. It denotes the byte
400 equal to the provided hex value.
401 * A _whitespace escape_ is one of the characters `U+006E` (`n`), `U+0072`
402 (`r`), or `U+0074` (`t`), denoting the bytes values `0x0A` (ASCII LF),
403 `0x0D` (ASCII CR) or `0x09` (ASCII HT) respectively.
404 * The _backslash escape_ is the character `U+005C` (`\`) which must be
405 escaped in order to denote its ASCII encoding `0x5C`.
407 ##### Raw byte string literals
409 Raw byte string literals do not process any escapes. They start with the
410 character `U+0062` (`b`), followed by `U+0072` (`r`), followed by zero or more
411 of the character `U+0023` (`#`), and a `U+0022` (double-quote) character. The
412 _raw string body_ is not defined in the EBNF grammar above: it can contain any
413 sequence of ASCII characters and is terminated only by another `U+0022`
414 (double-quote) character, followed by the same number of `U+0023` (`#`)
415 characters that preceded the opening `U+0022` (double-quote) character. A raw
416 byte string literal can not contain any non-ASCII byte.
418 All characters contained in the raw string body represent their ASCII encoding,
419 the characters `U+0022` (double-quote) (except when followed by at least as
420 many `U+0023` (`#`) characters as were used to start the raw string literal) or
421 `U+005C` (`\`) do not have any special meaning.
423 Examples for byte string literals:
426 b"foo"; br"foo"; // foo
427 b"\"foo\""; br#""foo""#; // "foo"
430 br##"foo #"# bar"##; // foo #"# bar
432 b"\x52"; b"R"; br"R"; // R
433 b"\\x52"; br"\x52"; // \x52
439 num_lit : nonzero_dec [ dec_digit | '_' ] * float_suffix ?
440 | '0' [ [ dec_digit | '_' ] * float_suffix ?
441 | 'b' [ '1' | '0' | '_' ] +
442 | 'o' [ oct_digit | '_' ] +
443 | 'x' [ hex_digit | '_' ] + ] ;
445 float_suffix : [ exponent | '.' dec_lit exponent ? ] ? ;
447 exponent : ['E' | 'e'] ['-' | '+' ] ? dec_lit ;
448 dec_lit : [ dec_digit | '_' ] + ;
451 A _number literal_ is either an _integer literal_ or a _floating-point
452 literal_. The grammar for recognizing the two kinds of literals is mixed.
454 ##### Integer literals
456 An _integer literal_ has one of four forms:
458 * A _decimal literal_ starts with a *decimal digit* and continues with any
459 mixture of *decimal digits* and _underscores_.
460 * A _hex literal_ starts with the character sequence `U+0030` `U+0078`
461 (`0x`) and continues as any mixture of hex digits and underscores.
462 * An _octal literal_ starts with the character sequence `U+0030` `U+006F`
463 (`0o`) and continues as any mixture of octal digits and underscores.
464 * A _binary literal_ starts with the character sequence `U+0030` `U+0062`
465 (`0b`) and continues as any mixture of binary digits and underscores.
467 Like any literal, an integer literal may be followed (immediately,
468 without any spaces) by an _integer suffix_, which forcibly sets the
469 type of the literal. There are 10 valid values for an integer suffix:
471 * The `i` and `u` suffixes give the literal type `int` or `uint`,
473 * Each of the signed and unsigned machine types `u8`, `i8`,
474 `u16`, `i16`, `u32`, `i32`, `u64` and `i64`
475 give the literal the corresponding machine type.
477 The type of an _unsuffixed_ integer literal is determined by type inference.
478 If an integer type can be _uniquely_ determined from the surrounding program
479 context, the unsuffixed integer literal has that type. If the program context
480 underconstrains the type, it is considered a static type error; if the program
481 context overconstrains the type, it is also considered a static type error.
483 Examples of integer literals of various forms:
490 0o70_i16; // type i16
491 0b1111_1111_1001_0000_i32; // type i32
494 ##### Floating-point literals
496 A _floating-point literal_ has one of two forms:
498 * A _decimal literal_ followed by a period character `U+002E` (`.`). This is
499 optionally followed by another decimal literal, with an optional _exponent_.
500 * A single _decimal literal_ followed by an _exponent_.
502 By default, a floating-point literal has a generic type, and, like integer
503 literals, the type must be uniquely determined from the context. There are two valid
504 _floating-point suffixes_, `f32` and `f64` (the 32-bit and 64-bit floating point
505 types), which explicitly determine the type of the literal.
507 Examples of floating-point literals of various forms:
510 123.0f64; // type f64
513 12E+99_f64; // type f64
514 let x: f64 = 2.; // type f64
517 This last example is different because it is not possible to use the suffix
518 syntax with a floating point literal ending in a period. `2.f64` would attempt
519 to call a method named `f64` on `2`.
521 #### Boolean literals
523 The two values of the boolean type are written `true` and `false`.
529 | '#' | '[' | ']' | '(' | ')' | '{' | '}'
533 Symbols are a general class of printable [token](#tokens) that play structural
534 roles in a variety of grammar productions. They are catalogued here for
535 completeness as the set of remaining miscellaneous printable tokens that do not
536 otherwise appear as [unary operators](#unary-operator-expressions), [binary
537 operators](#binary-operator-expressions), or [keywords](#keywords).
543 expr_path : [ "::" ] ident [ "::" expr_path_tail ] + ;
544 expr_path_tail : '<' type_expr [ ',' type_expr ] + '>'
547 type_path : ident [ type_path_tail ] + ;
548 type_path_tail : '<' type_expr [ ',' type_expr ] + '>'
552 A _path_ is a sequence of one or more path components _logically_ separated by
553 a namespace qualifier (`::`). If a path consists of only one component, it may
554 refer to either an [item](#items) or a [slot](#memory-slots) in a local control
555 scope. If a path has multiple components, it refers to an item.
557 Every item has a _canonical path_ within its crate, but the path naming an item
558 is only meaningful within a given crate. There is no global namespace across
559 crates; an item's canonical path merely identifies it within the crate.
561 Two examples of simple paths consisting of only identifier components:
568 Path components are usually [identifiers](#identifiers), but the trailing
569 component of a path may be an angle-bracket-enclosed list of type arguments. In
570 [expression](#expressions) context, the type argument list is given after a
571 final (`::`) namespace qualifier in order to disambiguate it from a relational
572 expression involving the less-than symbol (`<`). In type expression context,
573 the final namespace qualifier is omitted.
575 Two examples of paths with type arguments:
578 # struct HashMap<K, V>;
580 # fn id<T>(t: T) -> T { t }
581 type T = HashMap<int,String>; // Type arguments used in a type expression
582 let x = id::<int>(10); // Type arguments used in a call expression
586 Paths can be denoted with various leading qualifiers to change the meaning of
589 * Paths starting with `::` are considered to be global paths where the
590 components of the path start being resolved from the crate root. Each
591 identifier in the path must resolve to an item.
599 ::a::foo(); // call a's foo function
605 * Paths starting with the keyword `super` begin resolution relative to the
606 parent module. Each further identifier must resolve to an item
614 super::a::foo(); // call a's foo function
620 * Paths starting with the keyword `self` begin resolution relative to the
621 current module. Each further identifier must resolve to an item.
633 A number of minor features of Rust are not central enough to have their own
634 syntax, and yet are not implementable as functions. Instead, they are given
635 names, and invoked through a consistent syntax: `name!(...)`. Examples include:
637 * `format!` : format data into a string
638 * `env!` : look up an environment variable's value at compile time
639 * `file!`: return the path to the file being compiled
640 * `stringify!` : pretty-print the Rust expression given as an argument
641 * `include!` : include the Rust expression in the given file
642 * `include_str!` : include the contents of the given file as a string
643 * `include_bytes!` : include the contents of the given file as a binary blob
644 * `error!`, `warn!`, `info!`, `debug!` : provide diagnostic information.
646 All of the above extensions are expressions with values.
648 Users of `rustc` can define new syntax extensions in two ways:
650 * [Compiler plugins](guide-plugin.html#syntax-extensions) can include arbitrary
651 Rust code that manipulates syntax trees at compile time.
653 * [Macros](guide-macros.html) define new syntax in a higher-level,
659 expr_macro_rules : "macro_rules" '!' ident '(' macro_rule * ')' ;
660 macro_rule : '(' matcher * ')' "=>" '(' transcriber * ')' ';' ;
661 matcher : '(' matcher * ')' | '[' matcher * ']'
662 | '{' matcher * '}' | '$' ident ':' ident
663 | '$' '(' matcher * ')' sep_token? [ '*' | '+' ]
664 | non_special_token ;
665 transcriber : '(' transcriber * ')' | '[' transcriber * ']'
666 | '{' transcriber * '}' | '$' ident
667 | '$' '(' transcriber * ')' sep_token? [ '*' | '+' ]
668 | non_special_token ;
671 `macro_rules` allows users to define syntax extension in a declarative way. We
672 call such extensions "macros by example" or simply "macros" — to be distinguished
673 from the "procedural macros" defined in [compiler plugins][plugin].
675 Currently, macros can expand to expressions, statements, items, or patterns.
677 (A `sep_token` is any token other than `*` and `+`. A `non_special_token` is
678 any token other than a delimiter or `$`.)
680 The macro expander looks up macro invocations by name, and tries each macro
681 rule in turn. It transcribes the first successful match. Matching and
682 transcription are closely related to each other, and we will describe them
687 The macro expander matches and transcribes every token that does not begin with
688 a `$` literally, including delimiters. For parsing reasons, delimiters must be
689 balanced, but they are otherwise not special.
691 In the matcher, `$` _name_ `:` _designator_ matches the nonterminal in the Rust
692 syntax named by _designator_. Valid designators are `item`, `block`, `stmt`,
693 `pat`, `expr`, `ty` (type), `ident`, `path`, `tt` (either side of the `=>`
694 in macro rules). In the transcriber, the designator is already known, and so
695 only the name of a matched nonterminal comes after the dollar sign.
697 In both the matcher and transcriber, the Kleene star-like operator indicates
698 repetition. The Kleene star operator consists of `$` and parens, optionally
699 followed by a separator token, followed by `*` or `+`. `*` means zero or more
700 repetitions, `+` means at least one repetition. The parens are not matched or
701 transcribed. On the matcher side, a name is bound to _all_ of the names it
702 matches, in a structure that mimics the structure of the repetition encountered
703 on a successful match. The job of the transcriber is to sort that structure
706 The rules for transcription of these repetitions are called "Macro By Example".
707 Essentially, one "layer" of repetition is discharged at a time, and all of them
708 must be discharged by the time a name is transcribed. Therefore, `( $( $i:ident
709 ),* ) => ( $i )` is an invalid macro, but `( $( $i:ident ),* ) => ( $( $i:ident
710 ),* )` is acceptable (if trivial).
712 When Macro By Example encounters a repetition, it examines all of the `$`
713 _name_ s that occur in its body. At the "current layer", they all must repeat
714 the same number of times, so ` ( $( $i:ident ),* ; $( $j:ident ),* ) => ( $(
715 ($i,$j) ),* )` is valid if given the argument `(a,b,c ; d,e,f)`, but not
716 `(a,b,c ; d,e)`. The repetition walks through the choices at that layer in
717 lockstep, so the former input transcribes to `( (a,d), (b,e), (c,f) )`.
719 Nested repetitions are allowed.
721 ### Parsing limitations
723 The parser used by the macro system is reasonably powerful, but the parsing of
724 Rust syntax is restricted in two ways:
726 1. The parser will always parse as much as possible. If it attempts to match
727 `$i:expr [ , ]` against `8 [ , ]`, it will attempt to parse `i` as an array
728 index operation and fail. Adding a separator can solve this problem.
729 2. The parser must have eliminated all ambiguity by the time it reaches a `$`
730 _name_ `:` _designator_. This requirement most often affects name-designator
731 pairs when they occur at the beginning of, or immediately after, a `$(...)*`;
732 requiring a distinctive token in front can solve the problem.
734 ## Syntax extensions useful for the macro author
736 * `log_syntax!` : print out the arguments at compile time
737 * `trace_macros!` : supply `true` or `false` to enable or disable macro expansion logging
738 * `stringify!` : turn the identifier argument into a string literal
739 * `concat!` : concatenates a comma-separated list of literals
740 * `concat_idents!` : create a new identifier by concatenating the arguments
742 # Crates and source files
744 Rust is a *compiled* language. Its semantics obey a *phase distinction*
745 between compile-time and run-time. Those semantic rules that have a *static
746 interpretation* govern the success or failure of compilation. We refer to
747 these rules as "static semantics". Semantic rules called "dynamic semantics"
748 govern the behavior of programs at run-time. A program that fails to compile
749 due to violation of a compile-time rule has no defined dynamic semantics; the
750 compiler should halt with an error report, and produce no executable artifact.
752 The compilation model centers on artifacts called _crates_. Each compilation
753 processes a single crate in source form, and if successful, produces a single
754 crate in binary form: either an executable or a library.[^cratesourcefile]
756 [^cratesourcefile]: A crate is somewhat analogous to an *assembly* in the
757 ECMA-335 CLI model, a *library* in the SML/NJ Compilation Manager, a *unit*
758 in the Owens and Flatt module system, or a *configuration* in Mesa.
760 A _crate_ is a unit of compilation and linking, as well as versioning,
761 distribution and runtime loading. A crate contains a _tree_ of nested
762 [module](#modules) scopes. The top level of this tree is a module that is
763 anonymous (from the point of view of paths within the module) and any item
764 within a crate has a canonical [module path](#paths) denoting its location
765 within the crate's module tree.
767 The Rust compiler is always invoked with a single source file as input, and
768 always produces a single output crate. The processing of that source file may
769 result in other source files being loaded as modules. Source files have the
772 A Rust source file describes a module, the name and location of which —
773 in the module tree of the current crate — are defined from outside the
774 source file: either by an explicit `mod_item` in a referencing source file, or
775 by the name of the crate itself.
777 Each source file contains a sequence of zero or more `item` definitions, and
778 may optionally begin with any number of `attributes` that apply to the
779 containing module. Attributes on the anonymous crate module define important
780 metadata that influences the behavior of the compiler.
783 # #![allow(unused_attribute)]
785 #![crate_name = "projx"]
787 // Specify the output type
788 #![crate_type = "lib"]
791 #![warn(non_camel_case_types)]
794 A crate that contains a `main` function can be compiled to an executable. If a
795 `main` function is present, its return type must be [`unit`](#primitive-types)
796 and it must take no arguments.
798 # Items and attributes
800 Crates contain [items](#items), each of which may have some number of
801 [attributes](#attributes) attached to it.
806 item : mod_item | fn_item | type_item | struct_item | enum_item
807 | static_item | trait_item | impl_item | extern_block ;
810 An _item_ is a component of a crate; some module items can be defined in crate
811 files, but most are defined in source files. Items are organized within a crate
812 by a nested set of [modules](#modules). Every crate has a single "outermost"
813 anonymous module; all further items within the crate have [paths](#paths)
814 within the module tree of the crate.
816 Items are entirely determined at compile-time, generally remain fixed during
817 execution, and may reside in read-only memory.
819 There are several kinds of item:
821 * [modules](#modules)
822 * [functions](#functions)
823 * [type definitions](#type-definitions)
824 * [structures](#structures)
825 * [enumerations](#enumerations)
826 * [static items](#static-items)
828 * [implementations](#implementations)
830 Some items form an implicit scope for the declaration of sub-items. In other
831 words, within a function or module, declarations of items can (in many cases)
832 be mixed with the statements, control blocks, and similar artifacts that
833 otherwise compose the item body. The meaning of these scoped items is the same
834 as if the item was declared outside the scope — it is still a static item
835 — except that the item's *path name* within the module namespace is
836 qualified by the name of the enclosing item, or is private to the enclosing
837 item (in the case of functions). The grammar specifies the exact locations in
838 which sub-item declarations may appear.
842 All items except modules may be *parameterized* by type. Type parameters are
843 given as a comma-separated list of identifiers enclosed in angle brackets
844 (`<...>`), after the name of the item and before its definition. The type
845 parameters of an item are considered "part of the name", not part of the type
846 of the item. A referencing [path](#paths) must (in principle) provide type
847 arguments as a list of comma-separated types enclosed within angle brackets, in
848 order to refer to the type-parameterized item. In practice, the type-inference
849 system can usually infer such argument types from context. There are no
850 general type-parametric types, only type-parametric items. That is, Rust has
851 no notion of type abstraction: there are no first-class "forall" types.
856 mod_item : "mod" ident ( ';' | '{' mod '}' );
857 mod : [ view_item | item ] * ;
860 A module is a container for zero or more [view items](#view-items) and zero or
861 more [items](#items). The view items manage the visibility of the items defined
862 within the module, as well as the visibility of names from outside the module
863 when referenced from inside the module.
865 A _module item_ is a module, surrounded in braces, named, and prefixed with the
866 keyword `mod`. A module item introduces a new, named module into the tree of
867 modules making up a crate. Modules can nest arbitrarily.
869 An example of a module:
873 type Complex = (f64, f64);
874 fn sin(f: f64) -> f64 {
878 fn cos(f: f64) -> f64 {
882 fn tan(f: f64) -> f64 {
889 Modules and types share the same namespace. Declaring a named type with
890 the same name as a module in scope is forbidden: that is, a type definition,
891 trait, struct, enumeration, or type parameter can't shadow the name of a module
892 in scope, or vice versa.
894 A module without a body is loaded from an external file, by default with the
895 same name as the module, plus the `.rs` extension. When a nested submodule is
896 loaded from an external file, it is loaded from a subdirectory path that
897 mirrors the module hierarchy.
900 // Load the `vec` module from `vec.rs`
904 // Load the `local_data` module from `thread/local_data.rs`
909 The directories and files used for loading external file modules can be
910 influenced with the `path` attribute.
913 #[path = "thread_files"]
915 // Load the `local_data` module from `thread_files/tls.rs`
924 view_item : extern_crate_decl | use_decl ;
927 A view item manages the namespace of a module. View items do not define new
928 items, but rather, simply change other items' visibility. There are two
931 * [`extern crate` declarations](#extern-crate-declarations)
932 * [`use` declarations](#use-declarations)
934 ##### Extern crate declarations
937 extern_crate_decl : "extern" "crate" crate_name
938 crate_name: ident | ( string_lit "as" ident )
941 An _`extern crate` declaration_ specifies a dependency on an external crate.
942 The external crate is then bound into the declaring scope as the `ident`
943 provided in the `extern_crate_decl`.
945 The external crate is resolved to a specific `soname` at compile time, and a
946 runtime linkage requirement to that `soname` is passed to the linker for
947 loading at runtime. The `soname` is resolved at compile time by scanning the
948 compiler's library path and matching the optional `crateid` provided as a
949 string literal against the `crateid` attributes that were declared on the
950 external crate when it was compiled. If no `crateid` is provided, a default
951 `name` attribute is assumed, equal to the `ident` given in the
954 Three examples of `extern crate` declarations:
959 extern crate std; // equivalent to: extern crate std as std;
961 extern crate "std" as ruststd; // linking to 'std' under another name
964 ##### Use declarations
967 use_decl : "pub" ? "use" [ path "as" ident
970 path_glob : ident [ "::" [ path_glob
972 | '{' path_item [ ',' path_item ] * '}' ;
974 path_item : ident | "mod" ;
977 A _use declaration_ creates one or more local name bindings synonymous with
978 some other [path](#paths). Usually a `use` declaration is used to shorten the
979 path required to refer to a module item. These declarations may appear at the
980 top of [modules](#modules) and [blocks](#blocks).
982 > **Note**: Unlike in many languages,
983 > `use` declarations in Rust do *not* declare linkage dependency with external crates.
984 > Rather, [`extern crate` declarations](#extern-crate-declarations) declare linkage dependencies.
986 Use declarations support a number of convenient shortcuts:
988 * Rebinding the target name as a new local name, using the syntax `use p::q::r as x;`.
989 * Simultaneously binding a list of paths differing only in their final element,
990 using the glob-like brace syntax `use a::b::{c,d,e,f};`
991 * Binding all paths matching a given prefix, using the asterisk wildcard syntax
993 * Simultaneously binding a list of paths differing only in their final element
994 and their immediate parent module, using the `mod` keyword, such as
995 `use a::b::{mod, c, d};`
997 An example of `use` declarations:
1000 use std::iter::range_step;
1001 use std::option::Option::{Some, None};
1002 use std::collections::hash_map::{mod, HashMap};
1005 fn bar(map1: HashMap<String, uint>, map2: hash_map::HashMap<String, uint>){}
1008 // Equivalent to 'std::iter::range_step(0u, 10u, 2u);'
1009 range_step(0u, 10u, 2u);
1011 // Equivalent to 'foo(vec![std::option::Option::Some(1.0f64),
1012 // std::option::Option::None]);'
1013 foo(vec![Some(1.0f64), None]);
1015 // Both `hash_map` and `HashMap` are in scope.
1016 let map1 = HashMap::new();
1017 let map2 = hash_map::HashMap::new();
1022 Like items, `use` declarations are private to the containing module, by
1023 default. Also like items, a `use` declaration can be public, if qualified by
1024 the `pub` keyword. Such a `use` declaration serves to _re-export_ a name. A
1025 public `use` declaration can therefore _redirect_ some public name to a
1026 different target definition: even a definition with a private canonical path,
1027 inside a different module. If a sequence of such redirections form a cycle or
1028 cannot be resolved unambiguously, they represent a compile-time error.
1030 An example of re-exporting:
1035 pub use quux::foo::{bar, baz};
1044 In this example, the module `quux` re-exports two public names defined in
1047 Also note that the paths contained in `use` items are relative to the crate
1048 root. So, in the previous example, the `use` refers to `quux::foo::{bar,
1049 baz}`, and not simply to `foo::{bar, baz}`. This also means that top-level
1050 module declarations should be at the crate root if direct usage of the declared
1051 modules within `use` items is desired. It is also possible to use `self` and
1052 `super` at the beginning of a `use` item to refer to the current and direct
1053 parent modules respectively. All rules regarding accessing declared modules in
1054 `use` declarations applies to both module declarations and `extern crate`
1057 An example of what will and will not work for `use` items:
1060 # #![allow(unused_imports)]
1061 use foo::core::iter; // good: foo is at the root of the crate
1062 use foo::baz::foobaz; // good: foo is at the root of the crate
1067 use foo::core::iter; // good: foo is at crate root
1068 // use core::iter; // bad: native is not at the crate root
1069 use self::baz::foobaz; // good: self refers to module 'foo'
1070 use foo::bar::foobar; // good: foo is at crate root
1077 use super::bar::foobar; // good: super refers to module 'foo'
1087 A _function item_ defines a sequence of [statements](#statements) and an
1088 optional final [expression](#expressions), along with a name and a set of
1089 parameters. Functions are declared with the keyword `fn`. Functions declare a
1090 set of *input* [*slots*](#memory-slots) as parameters, through which the caller
1091 passes arguments into the function, and an *output* [*slot*](#memory-slots)
1092 through which the function passes results back to the caller.
1094 A function may also be copied into a first class *value*, in which case the
1095 value has the corresponding [*function type*](#function-types), and can be used
1096 otherwise exactly as a function item (with a minor additional cost of calling
1097 the function indirectly).
1099 Every control path in a function logically ends with a `return` expression or a
1100 diverging expression. If the outermost block of a function has a
1101 value-producing expression in its final-expression position, that expression is
1102 interpreted as an implicit `return` expression applied to the final-expression.
1104 An example of a function:
1107 fn add(x: int, y: int) -> int {
1112 As with `let` bindings, function arguments are irrefutable patterns, so any
1113 pattern that is valid in a let binding is also valid as an argument.
1116 fn first((value, _): (int, int)) -> int { value }
1120 #### Generic functions
1122 A _generic function_ allows one or more _parameterized types_ to appear in its
1123 signature. Each type parameter must be explicitly declared, in an
1124 angle-bracket-enclosed, comma-separated list following the function name.
1127 fn iter<T>(seq: &[T], f: |T|) {
1128 for elt in seq.iter() { f(elt); }
1130 fn map<T, U>(seq: &[T], f: |T| -> U) -> Vec<U> {
1131 let mut acc = vec![];
1132 for elt in seq.iter() { acc.push(f(elt)); }
1137 Inside the function signature and body, the name of the type parameter can be
1138 used as a type name.
1140 When a generic function is referenced, its type is instantiated based on the
1141 context of the reference. For example, calling the `iter` function defined
1142 above on `[1, 2]` will instantiate type parameter `T` with `int`, and require
1143 the closure parameter to have type `fn(int)`.
1145 The type parameters can also be explicitly supplied in a trailing
1146 [path](#paths) component after the function name. This might be necessary if
1147 there is not sufficient context to determine the type parameters. For example,
1148 `mem::size_of::<u32>() == 4`.
1150 Since a parameter type is opaque to the generic function, the set of operations
1151 that can be performed on it is limited. Values of parameter type can only be
1155 fn id<T>(x: T) -> T { x }
1158 Similarly, [trait](#traits) bounds can be specified for type parameters to
1159 allow methods with that trait to be called on values of that type.
1163 Unsafe operations are those that potentially violate the memory-safety
1164 guarantees of Rust's static semantics.
1166 The following language level features cannot be used in the safe subset of
1169 - Dereferencing a [raw pointer](#pointer-types).
1170 - Reading or writing a [mutable static variable](#mutable-statics).
1171 - Calling an unsafe function (including an intrinsic or foreign function).
1173 ##### Unsafe functions
1175 Unsafe functions are functions that are not safe in all contexts and/or for all
1176 possible inputs. Such a function must be prefixed with the keyword `unsafe` and
1177 can only be called from an `unsafe` block or another `unsafe` function.
1181 A block of code can be prefixed with the `unsafe` keyword, to permit calling
1182 `unsafe` functions or dereferencing raw pointers within a safe function.
1184 When a programmer has sufficient conviction that a sequence of potentially
1185 unsafe operations is actually safe, they can encapsulate that sequence (taken
1186 as a whole) within an `unsafe` block. The compiler will consider uses of such
1187 code safe, in the surrounding context.
1189 Unsafe blocks are used to wrap foreign libraries, make direct use of hardware
1190 or implement features not directly present in the language. For example, Rust
1191 provides the language features necessary to implement memory-safe concurrency
1192 in the language but the implementation of threads and message passing is in the
1195 Rust's type system is a conservative approximation of the dynamic safety
1196 requirements, so in some cases there is a performance cost to using safe code.
1197 For example, a doubly-linked list is not a tree structure and can only be
1198 represented with reference-counted pointers in safe code. By using `unsafe`
1199 blocks to represent the reverse links as raw pointers, it can be implemented
1202 ##### Behavior considered undefined
1204 The following is a list of behavior which is forbidden in all Rust code,
1205 including within `unsafe` blocks and `unsafe` functions. Type checking provides
1206 the guarantee that these issues are never caused by safe code.
1209 * Dereferencing a null/dangling raw pointer
1210 * Mutating an immutable value/reference without `UnsafeCell`
1211 * Reads of [undef](http://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html#undefined-values)
1212 (uninitialized) memory
1213 * Breaking the [pointer aliasing
1214 rules](http://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html#pointer-aliasing-rules)
1215 with raw pointers (a subset of the rules used by C)
1216 * Invoking undefined behavior via compiler intrinsics:
1217 * Indexing outside of the bounds of an object with `std::ptr::offset`
1218 (`offset` intrinsic), with
1219 the exception of one byte past the end which is permitted.
1220 * Using `std::ptr::copy_nonoverlapping_memory` (`memcpy32`/`memcpy64`
1221 intrinsics) on overlapping buffers
1222 * Invalid values in primitive types, even in private fields/locals:
1223 * Dangling/null references or boxes
1224 * A value other than `false` (0) or `true` (1) in a `bool`
1225 * A discriminant in an `enum` not included in the type definition
1226 * A value in a `char` which is a surrogate or above `char::MAX`
1227 * non-UTF-8 byte sequences in a `str`
1228 * Unwinding into Rust from foreign code or unwinding from Rust into foreign
1229 code. Rust's failure system is not compatible with exception handling in
1230 other languages. Unwinding must be caught and handled at FFI boundaries.
1232 ##### Behaviour not considered unsafe
1234 This is a list of behaviour not considered *unsafe* in Rust terms, but that may
1238 * Reading data from private fields (`std::repr`)
1239 * Leaks due to reference count cycles, even in the global heap
1240 * Exiting without calling destructors
1242 * Accessing/modifying the file system
1243 * Unsigned integer overflow (well-defined as wrapping)
1244 * Signed integer overflow (well-defined as two's complement representation
1247 #### Diverging functions
1249 A special kind of function can be declared with a `!` character where the
1250 output slot type would normally be. For example:
1253 fn my_err(s: &str) -> ! {
1259 We call such functions "diverging" because they never return a value to the
1260 caller. Every control path in a diverging function must end with a `panic!()` or
1261 a call to another diverging function on every control path. The `!` annotation
1262 does *not* denote a type. Rather, the result type of a diverging function is a
1263 special type called ⊥ ("bottom") that unifies with any type. Rust has no
1266 It might be necessary to declare a diverging function because as mentioned
1267 previously, the typechecker checks that every control path in a function ends
1268 with a [`return`](#return-expressions) or diverging expression. So, if `my_err`
1269 were declared without the `!` annotation, the following code would not
1273 # fn my_err(s: &str) -> ! { panic!() }
1275 fn f(i: int) -> int {
1280 my_err("Bad number!");
1285 This will not compile without the `!` annotation on `my_err`, since the `else`
1286 branch of the conditional in `f` does not return an `int`, as required by the
1287 signature of `f`. Adding the `!` annotation to `my_err` informs the
1288 typechecker that, should control ever enter `my_err`, no further type judgments
1289 about `f` need to hold, since control will never resume in any context that
1290 relies on those judgments. Thus the return type on `f` only needs to reflect
1291 the `if` branch of the conditional.
1293 #### Extern functions
1295 Extern functions are part of Rust's foreign function interface, providing the
1296 opposite functionality to [external blocks](#external-blocks). Whereas
1297 external blocks allow Rust code to call foreign code, extern functions with
1298 bodies defined in Rust code _can be called by foreign code_. They are defined
1299 in the same way as any other Rust function, except that they have the `extern`
1303 // Declares an extern fn, the ABI defaults to "C"
1304 extern fn new_int() -> int { 0 }
1306 // Declares an extern fn with "stdcall" ABI
1307 extern "stdcall" fn new_int_stdcall() -> int { 0 }
1310 Unlike normal functions, extern fns have an `extern "ABI" fn()`. This is the
1311 same type as the functions declared in an extern block.
1314 # extern fn new_int() -> int { 0 }
1315 let fptr: extern "C" fn() -> int = new_int;
1318 Extern functions may be called directly from Rust code as Rust uses large,
1319 contiguous stack segments like C.
1323 A _type alias_ defines a new name for an existing [type](#types). Type
1324 aliases are declared with the keyword `type`. Every value has a single,
1325 specific type; the type-specified aspects of a value include:
1327 * Whether the value is composed of sub-values or is indivisible.
1328 * Whether the value represents textual or numerical information.
1329 * Whether the value represents integral or floating-point information.
1330 * The sequence of memory operations required to access the value.
1331 * The [kind](#type-kinds) of the type.
1333 For example, the type `(u8, u8)` defines the set of immutable values that are
1334 composite pairs, each containing two unsigned 8-bit integers accessed by
1335 pattern-matching and laid out in memory with the `x` component preceding the
1339 type Point = (u8, u8);
1340 let p: Point = (41, 68);
1345 A _structure_ is a nominal [structure type](#structure-types) defined with the
1348 An example of a `struct` item and its use:
1351 struct Point {x: int, y: int}
1352 let p = Point {x: 10, y: 11};
1356 A _tuple structure_ is a nominal [tuple type](#tuple-types), also defined with
1357 the keyword `struct`. For example:
1360 struct Point(int, int);
1361 let p = Point(10, 11);
1362 let px: int = match p { Point(x, _) => x };
1365 A _unit-like struct_ is a structure without any fields, defined by leaving off
1366 the list of fields entirely. Such types will have a single value, just like
1367 the [unit value `()`](#unit-and-boolean-literals) of the unit type. For
1372 let c = [Cookie, Cookie, Cookie, Cookie];
1375 The precise memory layout of a structure is not specified. One can specify a
1376 particular layout using the [`repr` attribute](#ffi-attributes).
1380 An _enumeration_ is a simultaneous definition of a nominal [enumerated
1381 type](#enumerated-types) as well as a set of *constructors*, that can be used
1382 to create or pattern-match values of the corresponding enumerated type.
1384 Enumerations are declared with the keyword `enum`.
1386 An example of an `enum` item and its use:
1394 let mut a: Animal = Animal::Dog;
1398 Enumeration constructors can have either named or unnamed fields:
1401 # #![feature(struct_variant)]
1405 Cat { name: String, weight: f64 }
1408 let mut a: Animal = Animal::Dog("Cocoa".to_string(), 37.2);
1409 a = Animal::Cat { name: "Spotty".to_string(), weight: 2.7 };
1413 In this example, `Cat` is a _struct-like enum variant_,
1414 whereas `Dog` is simply called an enum variant.
1419 const_item : "const" ident ':' type '=' expr ';' ;
1422 A *constant item* is a named _constant value_ which is not associated with a
1423 specific memory location in the program. Constants are essentially inlined
1424 wherever they are used, meaning that they are copied directly into the relevant
1425 context when used. References to the same constant are not necessarily
1426 guaranteed to refer to the same memory address.
1428 Constant values must not have destructors, and otherwise permit most forms of
1429 data. Constants may refer to the address of other constants, in which case the
1430 address will have the `static` lifetime. The compiler is, however, still at
1431 liberty to translate the constant many times, so the address referred to may not
1434 Constants must be explicitly typed. The type may be `bool`, `char`, a number, or
1435 a type derived from those primitive types. The derived types are references with
1436 the `static` lifetime, fixed-size arrays, tuples, enum variants, and structs.
1439 const BIT1: uint = 1 << 0;
1440 const BIT2: uint = 1 << 1;
1442 const BITS: [uint; 2] = [BIT1, BIT2];
1443 const STRING: &'static str = "bitstring";
1445 struct BitsNStrings<'a> {
1450 const BITS_N_STRINGS: BitsNStrings<'static> = BitsNStrings {
1459 static_item : "static" ident ':' type '=' expr ';' ;
1462 A *static item* is similar to a *constant*, except that it represents a precise
1463 memory location in the program. A static is never "inlined" at the usage site,
1464 and all references to it refer to the same memory location. Static items have
1465 the `static` lifetime, which outlives all other lifetimes in a Rust program.
1466 Static items may be placed in read-only memory if they do not contain any
1467 interior mutability.
1469 Statics may contain interior mutability through the `UnsafeCell` language item.
1470 All access to a static is safe, but there are a number of restrictions on
1473 * Statics may not contain any destructors.
1474 * The types of static values must ascribe to `Sync` to allow threadsafe access.
1475 * Statics may not refer to other statics by value, only by reference.
1476 * Constants cannot refer to statics.
1478 Constants should in general be preferred over statics, unless large amounts of
1479 data are being stored, or single-address and mutability properties are required.
1482 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUint, Ordering, ATOMIC_UINT_INIT};;
1484 // Note that ATOMIC_UINT_INIT is a *const*, but it may be used to initialize a
1485 // static. This static can be modified, so it is not placed in read-only memory.
1486 static COUNTER: AtomicUint = ATOMIC_UINT_INIT;
1488 // This table is a candidate to be placed in read-only memory.
1489 static TABLE: &'static [uint] = &[1, 2, 3, /* ... */];
1491 for slot in TABLE.iter() {
1492 println!("{}", slot);
1494 COUNTER.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
1497 #### Mutable statics
1499 If a static item is declared with the `mut` keyword, then it is allowed to
1500 be modified by the program. One of Rust's goals is to make concurrency bugs
1501 hard to run into, and this is obviously a very large source of race conditions
1502 or other bugs. For this reason, an `unsafe` block is required when either
1503 reading or writing a mutable static variable. Care should be taken to ensure
1504 that modifications to a mutable static are safe with respect to other threads
1505 running in the same process.
1507 Mutable statics are still very useful, however. They can be used with C
1508 libraries and can also be bound from C libraries (in an `extern` block).
1511 # fn atomic_add(_: &mut uint, _: uint) -> uint { 2 }
1513 static mut LEVELS: uint = 0;
1515 // This violates the idea of no shared state, and this doesn't internally
1516 // protect against races, so this function is `unsafe`
1517 unsafe fn bump_levels_unsafe1() -> uint {
1523 // Assuming that we have an atomic_add function which returns the old value,
1524 // this function is "safe" but the meaning of the return value may not be what
1525 // callers expect, so it's still marked as `unsafe`
1526 unsafe fn bump_levels_unsafe2() -> uint {
1527 return atomic_add(&mut LEVELS, 1);
1531 Mutable statics have the same restrictions as normal statics, except that the
1532 type of the value is not required to ascribe to `Sync`.
1536 A _trait_ describes a set of method types.
1538 Traits can include default implementations of methods, written in terms of some
1539 unknown [`self` type](#self-types); the `self` type may either be completely
1540 unspecified, or constrained by some other trait.
1542 Traits are implemented for specific types through separate
1543 [implementations](#implementations).
1546 # type Surface = int;
1547 # type BoundingBox = int;
1549 fn draw(&self, Surface);
1550 fn bounding_box(&self) -> BoundingBox;
1554 This defines a trait with two methods. All values that have
1555 [implementations](#implementations) of this trait in scope can have their
1556 `draw` and `bounding_box` methods called, using `value.bounding_box()`
1557 [syntax](#method-call-expressions).
1559 Type parameters can be specified for a trait to make it generic. These appear
1560 after the trait name, using the same syntax used in [generic
1561 functions](#generic-functions).
1565 fn len(&self) -> uint;
1566 fn elt_at(&self, n: uint) -> T;
1567 fn iter<F>(&self, F) where F: Fn(T);
1571 Generic functions may use traits as _bounds_ on their type parameters. This
1572 will have two effects: only types that have the trait may instantiate the
1573 parameter, and within the generic function, the methods of the trait can be
1574 called on values that have the parameter's type. For example:
1577 # type Surface = int;
1578 # trait Shape { fn draw(&self, Surface); }
1579 fn draw_twice<T: Shape>(surface: Surface, sh: T) {
1585 Traits also define an [object type](#object-types) with the same name as the
1586 trait. Values of this type are created by [casting](#type-cast-expressions)
1587 pointer values (pointing to a type for which an implementation of the given
1588 trait is in scope) to pointers to the trait name, used as a type.
1592 # impl Shape for int { }
1593 # let mycircle = 0i;
1594 let myshape: Box<Shape> = box mycircle as Box<Shape>;
1597 The resulting value is a box containing the value that was cast, along with
1598 information that identifies the methods of the implementation that was used.
1599 Values with a trait type can have [methods called](#method-call-expressions) on
1600 them, for any method in the trait, and can be used to instantiate type
1601 parameters that are bounded by the trait.
1603 Trait methods may be static, which means that they lack a `self` argument.
1604 This means that they can only be called with function call syntax (`f(x)`) and
1605 not method call syntax (`obj.f()`). The way to refer to the name of a static
1606 method is to qualify it with the trait name, treating the trait name like a
1607 module. For example:
1611 fn from_int(n: int) -> Self;
1614 fn from_int(n: int) -> f64 { n as f64 }
1616 let x: f64 = Num::from_int(42);
1619 Traits may inherit from other traits. For example, in
1622 trait Shape { fn area() -> f64; }
1623 trait Circle : Shape { fn radius() -> f64; }
1626 the syntax `Circle : Shape` means that types that implement `Circle` must also
1627 have an implementation for `Shape`. Multiple supertraits are separated by `+`,
1628 `trait Circle : Shape + PartialEq { }`. In an implementation of `Circle` for a
1629 given type `T`, methods can refer to `Shape` methods, since the typechecker
1630 checks that any type with an implementation of `Circle` also has an
1631 implementation of `Shape`.
1633 In type-parameterized functions, methods of the supertrait may be called on
1634 values of subtrait-bound type parameters. Referring to the previous example of
1635 `trait Circle : Shape`:
1638 # trait Shape { fn area(&self) -> f64; }
1639 # trait Circle : Shape { fn radius(&self) -> f64; }
1640 fn radius_times_area<T: Circle>(c: T) -> f64 {
1641 // `c` is both a Circle and a Shape
1642 c.radius() * c.area()
1646 Likewise, supertrait methods may also be called on trait objects.
1649 # trait Shape { fn area(&self) -> f64; }
1650 # trait Circle : Shape { fn radius(&self) -> f64; }
1651 # impl Shape for int { fn area(&self) -> f64 { 0.0 } }
1652 # impl Circle for int { fn radius(&self) -> f64 { 0.0 } }
1654 let mycircle = box mycircle as Box<Circle>;
1655 let nonsense = mycircle.radius() * mycircle.area();
1660 An _implementation_ is an item that implements a [trait](#traits) for a
1663 Implementations are defined with the keyword `impl`.
1666 # struct Point {x: f64, y: f64};
1667 # impl Copy for Point {}
1668 # type Surface = int;
1669 # struct BoundingBox {x: f64, y: f64, width: f64, height: f64};
1670 # trait Shape { fn draw(&self, Surface); fn bounding_box(&self) -> BoundingBox; }
1671 # fn do_draw_circle(s: Surface, c: Circle) { }
1677 impl Copy for Circle {}
1679 impl Shape for Circle {
1680 fn draw(&self, s: Surface) { do_draw_circle(s, *self); }
1681 fn bounding_box(&self) -> BoundingBox {
1682 let r = self.radius;
1683 BoundingBox{x: self.center.x - r, y: self.center.y - r,
1684 width: 2.0 * r, height: 2.0 * r}
1689 It is possible to define an implementation without referring to a trait. The
1690 methods in such an implementation can only be used as direct calls on the
1691 values of the type that the implementation targets. In such an implementation,
1692 the trait type and `for` after `impl` are omitted. Such implementations are
1693 limited to nominal types (enums, structs), and the implementation must appear
1694 in the same module or a sub-module as the `self` type:
1697 struct Point {x: int, y: int}
1701 println!("Point is at ({}, {})", self.x, self.y);
1705 let my_point = Point {x: 10, y:11};
1709 When a trait _is_ specified in an `impl`, all methods declared as part of the
1710 trait must be implemented, with matching types and type parameter counts.
1712 An implementation can take type parameters, which can be different from the
1713 type parameters taken by the trait it implements. Implementation parameters
1714 are written after the `impl` keyword.
1718 impl<T> Seq<T> for Vec<T> {
1721 impl Seq<bool> for u32 {
1722 /* Treat the integer as a sequence of bits */
1729 extern_block_item : "extern" '{' extern_block '}' ;
1730 extern_block : [ foreign_fn ] * ;
1733 External blocks form the basis for Rust's foreign function interface.
1734 Declarations in an external block describe symbols in external, non-Rust
1737 Functions within external blocks are declared in the same way as other Rust
1738 functions, with the exception that they may not have a body and are instead
1739 terminated by a semicolon.
1743 use libc::{c_char, FILE};
1746 fn fopen(filename: *const c_char, mode: *const c_char) -> *mut FILE;
1751 Functions within external blocks may be called by Rust code, just like
1752 functions defined in Rust. The Rust compiler automatically translates between
1753 the Rust ABI and the foreign ABI.
1755 A number of [attributes](#attributes) control the behavior of external blocks.
1757 By default external blocks assume that the library they are calling uses the
1758 standard C "cdecl" ABI. Other ABIs may be specified using an `abi` string, as
1762 // Interface to the Windows API
1763 extern "stdcall" { }
1766 The `link` attribute allows the name of the library to be specified. When
1767 specified the compiler will attempt to link against the native library of the
1771 #[link(name = "crypto")]
1775 The type of a function declared in an extern block is `extern "abi" fn(A1, ...,
1776 An) -> R`, where `A1...An` are the declared types of its arguments and `R` is
1777 the declared return type.
1779 ## Visibility and Privacy
1781 These two terms are often used interchangeably, and what they are attempting to
1782 convey is the answer to the question "Can this item be used at this location?"
1784 Rust's name resolution operates on a global hierarchy of namespaces. Each level
1785 in the hierarchy can be thought of as some item. The items are one of those
1786 mentioned above, but also include external crates. Declaring or defining a new
1787 module can be thought of as inserting a new tree into the hierarchy at the
1788 location of the definition.
1790 To control whether interfaces can be used across modules, Rust checks each use
1791 of an item to see whether it should be allowed or not. This is where privacy
1792 warnings are generated, or otherwise "you used a private item of another module
1793 and weren't allowed to."
1795 By default, everything in Rust is *private*, with one exception. Enum variants
1796 in a `pub` enum are also public by default. You are allowed to alter this
1797 default visibility with the `priv` keyword. When an item is declared as `pub`,
1798 it can be thought of as being accessible to the outside world. For example:
1801 # #![allow(missing_copy_implementations)]
1803 // Declare a private struct
1806 // Declare a public struct with a private field
1811 // Declare a public enum with two public variants
1813 PubliclyAccessibleState,
1814 PubliclyAccessibleState2,
1818 With the notion of an item being either public or private, Rust allows item
1819 accesses in two cases:
1821 1. If an item is public, then it can be used externally through any of its
1823 2. If an item is private, it may be accessed by the current module and its
1826 These two cases are surprisingly powerful for creating module hierarchies
1827 exposing public APIs while hiding internal implementation details. To help
1828 explain, here's a few use cases and what they would entail.
1830 * A library developer needs to expose functionality to crates which link
1831 against their library. As a consequence of the first case, this means that
1832 anything which is usable externally must be `pub` from the root down to the
1833 destination item. Any private item in the chain will disallow external
1836 * A crate needs a global available "helper module" to itself, but it doesn't
1837 want to expose the helper module as a public API. To accomplish this, the
1838 root of the crate's hierarchy would have a private module which then
1839 internally has a "public api". Because the entire crate is a descendant of
1840 the root, then the entire local crate can access this private module through
1843 * When writing unit tests for a module, it's often a common idiom to have an
1844 immediate child of the module to-be-tested named `mod test`. This module
1845 could access any items of the parent module through the second case, meaning
1846 that internal implementation details could also be seamlessly tested from the
1849 In the second case, it mentions that a private item "can be accessed" by the
1850 current module and its descendants, but the exact meaning of accessing an item
1851 depends on what the item is. Accessing a module, for example, would mean
1852 looking inside of it (to import more items). On the other hand, accessing a
1853 function would mean that it is invoked. Additionally, path expressions and
1854 import statements are considered to access an item in the sense that the
1855 import/expression is only valid if the destination is in the current visibility
1858 Here's an example of a program which exemplifies the three cases outlined
1862 // This module is private, meaning that no external crate can access this
1863 // module. Because it is private at the root of this current crate, however, any
1864 // module in the crate may access any publicly visible item in this module.
1865 mod crate_helper_module {
1867 // This function can be used by anything in the current crate
1868 pub fn crate_helper() {}
1870 // This function *cannot* be used by anything else in the crate. It is not
1871 // publicly visible outside of the `crate_helper_module`, so only this
1872 // current module and its descendants may access it.
1873 fn implementation_detail() {}
1876 // This function is "public to the root" meaning that it's available to external
1877 // crates linking against this one.
1878 pub fn public_api() {}
1880 // Similarly to 'public_api', this module is public so external crates may look
1883 use crate_helper_module;
1885 pub fn my_method() {
1886 // Any item in the local crate may invoke the helper module's public
1887 // interface through a combination of the two rules above.
1888 crate_helper_module::crate_helper();
1891 // This function is hidden to any module which is not a descendant of
1893 fn my_implementation() {}
1899 fn test_my_implementation() {
1900 // Because this module is a descendant of `submodule`, it's allowed
1901 // to access private items inside of `submodule` without a privacy
1903 super::my_implementation();
1911 For a rust program to pass the privacy checking pass, all paths must be valid
1912 accesses given the two rules above. This includes all use statements,
1913 expressions, types, etc.
1915 ### Re-exporting and Visibility
1917 Rust allows publicly re-exporting items through a `pub use` directive. Because
1918 this is a public directive, this allows the item to be used in the current
1919 module through the rules above. It essentially allows public access into the
1920 re-exported item. For example, this program is valid:
1923 pub use self::implementation as api;
1925 mod implementation {
1932 This means that any external crate referencing `implementation::f` would
1933 receive a privacy violation, while the path `api::f` would be allowed.
1935 When re-exporting a private item, it can be thought of as allowing the "privacy
1936 chain" being short-circuited through the reexport instead of passing through
1937 the namespace hierarchy as it normally would.
1942 attribute : "#!" ? '[' meta_item ']' ;
1943 meta_item : ident [ '=' literal
1944 | '(' meta_seq ')' ] ? ;
1945 meta_seq : meta_item [ ',' meta_seq ] ? ;
1948 Any item declaration may have an _attribute_ applied to it. Attributes in Rust
1949 are modeled on Attributes in ECMA-335, with the syntax coming from ECMA-334
1950 (C#). An attribute is a general, free-form metadatum that is interpreted
1951 according to name, convention, and language and compiler version. Attributes
1952 may appear as any of:
1954 * A single identifier, the attribute name
1955 * An identifier followed by the equals sign '=' and a literal, providing a
1957 * An identifier followed by a parenthesized list of sub-attribute arguments
1959 Attributes with a bang ("!") after the hash ("#") apply to the item that the
1960 attribute is declared within. Attributes that do not have a bang after the hash
1961 apply to the item that follows the attribute.
1963 An example of attributes:
1966 // General metadata applied to the enclosing module or crate.
1967 #![crate_type = "lib"]
1969 // A function marked as a unit test
1975 // A conditionally-compiled module
1976 #[cfg(target_os="linux")]
1981 // A lint attribute used to suppress a warning/error
1982 #[allow(non_camel_case_types)]
1986 > **Note:** At some point in the future, the compiler will distinguish between
1987 > language-reserved and user-available attributes. Until then, there is
1988 > effectively no difference between an attribute handled by a loadable syntax
1989 > extension and the compiler.
1991 ### Crate-only attributes
1993 - `crate_name` - specify the this crate's crate name.
1994 - `crate_type` - see [linkage](#linkage).
1995 - `feature` - see [compiler features](#compiler-features).
1996 - `no_builtins` - disable optimizing certain code patterns to invocations of
1997 library functions that are assumed to exist
1998 - `no_main` - disable emitting the `main` symbol. Useful when some other
1999 object being linked to defines `main`.
2000 - `no_start` - disable linking to the `native` crate, which specifies the
2001 "start" language item.
2002 - `no_std` - disable linking to the `std` crate.
2004 ### Module-only attributes
2006 - `no_implicit_prelude` - disable injecting `use std::prelude::*` in this
2008 - `path` - specifies the file to load the module from. `#[path="foo.rs"] mod
2009 bar;` is equivalent to `mod bar { /* contents of foo.rs */ }`. The path is
2010 taken relative to the directory that the current module is in.
2012 ### Function-only attributes
2014 - `main` - indicates that this function should be passed to the entry point,
2015 rather than the function in the crate root named `main`.
2016 - `plugin_registrar` - mark this function as the registration point for
2017 [compiler plugins][plugin], such as loadable syntax extensions.
2018 - `start` - indicates that this function should be used as the entry point,
2019 overriding the "start" language item. See the "start" [language
2020 item](#language-items) for more details.
2021 - `test` - indicates that this function is a test function, to only be compiled
2022 in case of `--test`.
2024 ### Static-only attributes
2026 - `thread_local` - on a `static mut`, this signals that the value of this
2027 static may change depending on the current thread. The exact consequences of
2028 this are implementation-defined.
2032 On an `extern` block, the following attributes are interpreted:
2034 - `link_args` - specify arguments to the linker, rather than just the library
2035 name and type. This is feature gated and the exact behavior is
2036 implementation-defined (due to variety of linker invocation syntax).
2037 - `link` - indicate that a native library should be linked to for the
2038 declarations in this block to be linked correctly. `link` supports an optional `kind`
2039 key with three possible values: `dylib`, `static`, and `framework`. See [external blocks](#external-blocks) for more about external blocks. Two
2040 examples: `#[link(name = "readline")]` and
2041 `#[link(name = "CoreFoundation", kind = "framework")]`.
2043 On declarations inside an `extern` block, the following attributes are
2046 - `link_name` - the name of the symbol that this function or static should be
2048 - `linkage` - on a static, this specifies the [linkage
2049 type](http://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html#linkage-types).
2053 - `repr` - on C-like enums, this sets the underlying type used for
2054 representation. Takes one argument, which is the primitive
2055 type this enum should be represented for, or `C`, which specifies that it
2056 should be the default `enum` size of the C ABI for that platform. Note that
2057 enum representation in C is undefined, and this may be incorrect when the C
2058 code is compiled with certain flags.
2062 - `repr` - specifies the representation to use for this struct. Takes a list
2063 of options. The currently accepted ones are `C` and `packed`, which may be
2064 combined. `C` will use a C ABI compatible struct layout, and `packed` will
2065 remove any padding between fields (note that this is very fragile and may
2066 break platforms which require aligned access).
2068 ### Macro- and plugin-related attributes
2070 - `macro_use` on a `mod` — macros defined in this module will be visible in the
2071 module's parent, after this module has been included.
2073 - `macro_use` on an `extern crate` — load macros from this crate. An optional
2074 list of names `#[macro_use(foo, bar)]` restricts the import to just those
2075 macros named. The `extern crate` must appear at the crate root, not inside
2076 `mod`, which ensures proper function of the [`$crate` macro
2077 variable](guide-macros.html#the-variable-$crate).
2079 - `macro_reexport` on an `extern crate` — re-export the named macros.
2081 - `macro_export` - export a macro for cross-crate usage.
2083 - `plugin` on an `extern crate` — load this crate as a [compiler
2084 plugin][plugin]. The `plugin` feature gate is required. Any arguments to
2085 the attribute, e.g. `#[plugin=...]` or `#[plugin(...)]`, are provided to the
2088 - `no_link` on an `extern crate` — even if we load this crate for macros or
2089 compiler plugins, don't link it into the output.
2091 See the [macros guide](guide-macros.html#scoping-and-macro-import/export) for
2092 more information on macro scope.
2095 ### Miscellaneous attributes
2097 - `export_name` - on statics and functions, this determines the name of the
2099 - `link_section` - on statics and functions, this specifies the section of the
2100 object file that this item's contents will be placed into.
2101 - `no_mangle` - on any item, do not apply the standard name mangling. Set the
2102 symbol for this item to its identifier.
2103 - `packed` - on structs or enums, eliminate any padding that would be used to
2105 - `simd` - on certain tuple structs, derive the arithmetic operators, which
2106 lower to the target's SIMD instructions, if any; the `simd` feature gate
2107 is necessary to use this attribute.
2108 - `static_assert` - on statics whose type is `bool`, terminates compilation
2109 with an error if it is not initialized to `true`.
2110 - `unsafe_destructor` - allow implementations of the "drop" language item
2111 where the type it is implemented for does not implement the "send" language
2112 item; the `unsafe_destructor` feature gate is needed to use this attribute
2113 - `unsafe_no_drop_flag` - on structs, remove the flag that prevents
2114 destructors from being run twice. Destructors might be run multiple times on
2115 the same object with this attribute.
2116 - `doc` - Doc comments such as `/// foo` are equivalent to `#[doc = "foo"]`.
2118 ### Conditional compilation
2120 Sometimes one wants to have different compiler outputs from the same code,
2121 depending on build target, such as targeted operating system, or to enable
2124 There are two kinds of configuration options, one that is either defined or not
2125 (`#[cfg(foo)]`), and the other that contains a string that can be checked
2126 against (`#[cfg(bar = "baz")]` (currently only compiler-defined configuration
2127 options can have the latter form).
2130 // The function is only included in the build when compiling for OSX
2131 #[cfg(target_os = "macos")]
2136 // This function is only included when either foo or bar is defined
2137 #[cfg(any(foo, bar))]
2138 fn needs_foo_or_bar() {
2142 // This function is only included when compiling for a unixish OS with a 32-bit
2144 #[cfg(all(unix, target_word_size = "32"))]
2145 fn on_32bit_unix() {
2149 // This function is only included when foo is not defined
2151 fn needs_not_foo() {
2156 This illustrates some conditional compilation can be achieved using the
2157 `#[cfg(...)]` attribute. `any`, `all` and `not` can be used to assemble
2158 arbitrarily complex configurations through nesting.
2160 The following configurations must be defined by the implementation:
2162 * `target_arch = "..."`. Target CPU architecture, such as `"x86"`, `"x86_64"`
2163 `"mips"`, `"arm"`, or `"aarch64"`.
2164 * `target_endian = "..."`. Endianness of the target CPU, either `"little"` or
2166 * `target_family = "..."`. Operating system family of the target, e. g.
2167 `"unix"` or `"windows"`. The value of this configuration option is defined
2168 as a configuration itself, like `unix` or `windows`.
2169 * `target_os = "..."`. Operating system of the target, examples include
2170 `"win32"`, `"macos"`, `"linux"`, `"android"`, `"freebsd"` or `"dragonfly"`.
2171 * `target_word_size = "..."`. Target word size in bits. This is set to `"32"`
2172 for targets with 32-bit pointers, and likewise set to `"64"` for 64-bit
2174 * `unix`. See `target_family`.
2175 * `windows`. See `target_family`.
2177 ### Lint check attributes
2179 A lint check names a potentially undesirable coding pattern, such as
2180 unreachable code or omitted documentation, for the static entity to which the
2183 For any lint check `C`:
2185 * `allow(C)` overrides the check for `C` so that violations will go
2187 * `deny(C)` signals an error after encountering a violation of `C`,
2188 * `forbid(C)` is the same as `deny(C)`, but also forbids changing the lint
2190 * `warn(C)` warns about violations of `C` but continues compilation.
2192 The lint checks supported by the compiler can be found via `rustc -W help`,
2193 along with their default settings. [Compiler
2194 plugins](guide-plugin.html#lint-plugins) can provide additional lint checks.
2198 // Missing documentation is ignored here
2199 #[allow(missing_docs)]
2200 pub fn undocumented_one() -> int { 1 }
2202 // Missing documentation signals a warning here
2203 #[warn(missing_docs)]
2204 pub fn undocumented_too() -> int { 2 }
2206 // Missing documentation signals an error here
2207 #[deny(missing_docs)]
2208 pub fn undocumented_end() -> int { 3 }
2212 This example shows how one can use `allow` and `warn` to toggle a particular
2216 #[warn(missing_docs)]
2218 #[allow(missing_docs)]
2220 // Missing documentation is ignored here
2221 pub fn undocumented_one() -> int { 1 }
2223 // Missing documentation signals a warning here,
2224 // despite the allow above.
2225 #[warn(missing_docs)]
2226 pub fn undocumented_two() -> int { 2 }
2229 // Missing documentation signals a warning here
2230 pub fn undocumented_too() -> int { 3 }
2234 This example shows how one can use `forbid` to disallow uses of `allow` for
2238 #[forbid(missing_docs)]
2240 // Attempting to toggle warning signals an error here
2241 #[allow(missing_docs)]
2243 pub fn undocumented_too() -> int { 2 }
2249 Some primitive Rust operations are defined in Rust code, rather than being
2250 implemented directly in C or assembly language. The definitions of these
2251 operations have to be easy for the compiler to find. The `lang` attribute
2252 makes it possible to declare these operations. For example, the `str` module
2253 in the Rust standard library defines the string equality function:
2257 pub fn eq_slice(a: &str, b: &str) -> bool {
2262 The name `str_eq` has a special meaning to the Rust compiler, and the presence
2263 of this definition means that it will use this definition when generating calls
2264 to the string equality function.
2266 A complete list of the built-in language items follows:
2268 #### Built-in Traits
2271 : Types that do not move ownership when used by-value.
2275 : Able to be sent across thread boundaries.
2277 : Has a size known at compile time.
2279 : Able to be safely shared between threads when aliased.
2283 These language items are traits:
2286 : Elements can be added (for example, integers and floats).
2288 : Elements can be subtracted.
2290 : Elements can be multiplied.
2292 : Elements have a division operation.
2294 : Elements have a remainder operation.
2296 : Elements can be negated arithmetically.
2298 : Elements can be negated logically.
2300 : Elements have an exclusive-or operation.
2302 : Elements have a bitwise `and` operation.
2304 : Elements have a bitwise `or` operation.
2306 : Elements have a left shift operation.
2308 : Elements have a right shift operation.
2310 : Elements can be indexed.
2312 : ___Needs filling in___
2314 : Elements can be compared for equality.
2316 : Elements have a partial ordering.
2318 : `*` can be applied, yielding a reference to another type
2320 : `*` can be applied, yielding a mutable reference to another type
2322 These are functions:
2325 : ___Needs filling in___
2327 : ___Needs filling in___
2329 : ___Needs filling in___
2331 : Compare two strings (`&str`) for equality.
2333 : Return a new unique string
2334 containing a copy of the contents of a unique string.
2339 : The type returned by the `type_id` intrinsic.
2341 : A type whose contents can be mutated through an immutable reference
2345 These types help drive the compiler's analysis
2348 : ___Needs filling in___
2350 : This type does not implement "copy", even if eligible
2352 : This type does not implement "send", even if eligible
2354 : This type does not implement "sync", even if eligible
2356 : ___Needs filling in___
2358 : Free memory that was allocated on the exchange heap.
2360 : Allocate memory on the exchange heap.
2361 * `closure_exchange_malloc`
2362 : ___Needs filling in___
2364 : Abort the program with an error.
2365 * `fail_bounds_check`
2366 : Abort the program with a bounds check error.
2368 : Free memory that was allocated on the managed heap.
2370 : ___Needs filling in___
2372 : ___Needs filling in___
2374 : ___Needs filling in___
2375 * `contravariant_lifetime`
2376 : The lifetime parameter should be considered contravariant
2377 * `covariant_lifetime`
2378 : The lifetime parameter should be considered covariant
2379 * `invariant_lifetime`
2380 : The lifetime parameter should be considered invariant
2382 : Allocate memory on the managed heap.
2384 : ___Needs filling in___
2386 : ___Needs filling in___
2388 : ___Needs filling in___
2389 * `contravariant_type`
2390 : The type parameter should be considered contravariant
2392 : The type parameter should be considered covariant
2394 : The type parameter should be considered invariant
2396 : ___Needs filling in___
2398 > **Note:** This list is likely to become out of date. We should auto-generate
2399 > it from `librustc/middle/lang_items.rs`.
2401 ### Inline attributes
2403 The inline attribute is used to suggest to the compiler to perform an inline
2404 expansion and place a copy of the function or static in the caller rather than
2405 generating code to call the function or access the static where it is defined.
2407 The compiler automatically inlines functions based on internal heuristics.
2408 Incorrectly inlining functions can actually making the program slower, so it
2409 should be used with care.
2411 Immutable statics are always considered inlineable unless marked with
2412 `#[inline(never)]`. It is undefined whether two different inlineable statics
2413 have the same memory address. In other words, the compiler is free to collapse
2414 duplicate inlineable statics together.
2416 `#[inline]` and `#[inline(always)]` always causes the function to be serialized
2417 into crate metadata to allow cross-crate inlining.
2419 There are three different types of inline attributes:
2421 * `#[inline]` hints the compiler to perform an inline expansion.
2422 * `#[inline(always)]` asks the compiler to always perform an inline expansion.
2423 * `#[inline(never)]` asks the compiler to never perform an inline expansion.
2427 The `deriving` attribute allows certain traits to be automatically implemented
2428 for data structures. For example, the following will create an `impl` for the
2429 `PartialEq` and `Clone` traits for `Foo`, the type parameter `T` will be given
2430 the `PartialEq` or `Clone` constraints for the appropriate `impl`:
2433 #[deriving(PartialEq, Clone)]
2440 The generated `impl` for `PartialEq` is equivalent to
2443 # struct Foo<T> { a: int, b: T }
2444 impl<T: PartialEq> PartialEq for Foo<T> {
2445 fn eq(&self, other: &Foo<T>) -> bool {
2446 self.a == other.a && self.b == other.b
2449 fn ne(&self, other: &Foo<T>) -> bool {
2450 self.a != other.a || self.b != other.b
2455 Supported traits for `deriving` are:
2457 * Comparison traits: `PartialEq`, `Eq`, `PartialOrd`, `Ord`.
2458 * Serialization: `Encodable`, `Decodable`. These require `serialize`.
2459 * `Clone`, to create `T` from `&T` via a copy.
2460 * `Default`, to create an empty instance of a data type.
2461 * `FromPrimitive`, to create an instance from a numeric primitive.
2462 * `Hash`, to iterate over the bytes in a data type.
2463 * `Rand`, to create a random instance of a data type.
2464 * `Show`, to format a value using the `{}` formatter.
2465 * `Zero`, to create a zero instance of a numeric data type.
2469 One can indicate the stability of an API using the following attributes:
2471 * `deprecated`: This item should no longer be used, e.g. it has been
2472 replaced. No guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2473 * `experimental`: This item was only recently introduced or is
2474 otherwise in a state of flux. It may change significantly, or even
2475 be removed. No guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2476 * `unstable`: This item is still under development, but requires more
2477 testing to be considered stable. No guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2478 * `stable`: This item is considered stable, and will not change
2479 significantly. Guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2480 * `frozen`: This item is very stable, and is unlikely to
2481 change. Guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2482 * `locked`: This item will never change unless a serious bug is
2483 found. Guarantee of backwards-compatibility.
2485 These levels are directly inspired by
2486 [Node.js' "stability index"](http://nodejs.org/api/documentation.html).
2488 Stability levels are inherited, so an item's stability attribute is the default
2489 stability for everything nested underneath it.
2491 There are lints for disallowing items marked with certain levels: `deprecated`,
2492 `experimental` and `unstable`. For now, only `deprecated` warns by default, but
2493 this will change once the standard library has been stabilized. Stability
2494 levels are meant to be promises at the crate level, so these lints only apply
2495 when referencing items from an _external_ crate, not to items defined within
2496 the current crate. Items with no stability level are considered to be unstable
2497 for the purposes of the lint. One can give an optional string that will be
2498 displayed when the lint flags the use of an item.
2500 For example, if we define one crate called `stability_levels`:
2503 #[deprecated="replaced by `best`"]
2505 // delete everything
2509 // delete fewer things
2518 then the lints will work as follows for a client crate:
2522 extern crate stability_levels;
2523 use stability_levels::{bad, better, best};
2526 bad(); // "warning: use of deprecated item: replaced by `best`"
2528 better(); // "warning: use of unmarked item"
2530 best(); // no warning
2534 > **Note:** Currently these are only checked when applied to individual
2535 > functions, structs, methods and enum variants, *not* to entire modules,
2536 > traits, impls or enums themselves.
2538 ### Compiler Features
2540 Certain aspects of Rust may be implemented in the compiler, but they're not
2541 necessarily ready for every-day use. These features are often of "prototype
2542 quality" or "almost production ready", but may not be stable enough to be
2543 considered a full-fledged language feature.
2545 For this reason, Rust recognizes a special crate-level attribute of the form:
2548 #![feature(feature1, feature2, feature3)]
2551 This directive informs the compiler that the feature list: `feature1`,
2552 `feature2`, and `feature3` should all be enabled. This is only recognized at a
2553 crate-level, not at a module-level. Without this directive, all features are
2554 considered off, and using the features will result in a compiler error.
2556 The currently implemented features of the reference compiler are:
2558 * `asm` - The `asm!` macro provides a means for inline assembly. This is often
2559 useful, but the exact syntax for this feature along with its
2560 semantics are likely to change, so this macro usage must be opted
2563 * `concat_idents` - Allows use of the `concat_idents` macro, which is in many
2564 ways insufficient for concatenating identifiers, and may be
2565 removed entirely for something more wholesome.
2567 * `default_type_params` - Allows use of default type parameters. The future of
2568 this feature is uncertain.
2570 * `intrinsics` - Allows use of the "rust-intrinsics" ABI. Compiler intrinsics
2571 are inherently unstable and no promise about them is made.
2573 * `lang_items` - Allows use of the `#[lang]` attribute. Like `intrinsics`,
2574 lang items are inherently unstable and no promise about them
2577 * `link_args` - This attribute is used to specify custom flags to the linker,
2578 but usage is strongly discouraged. The compiler's usage of the
2579 system linker is not guaranteed to continue in the future, and
2580 if the system linker is not used then specifying custom flags
2581 doesn't have much meaning.
2583 * `link_llvm_intrinsics` – Allows linking to LLVM intrinsics via
2584 `#[link_name="llvm.*"]`.
2586 * `linkage` - Allows use of the `linkage` attribute, which is not portable.
2588 * `log_syntax` - Allows use of the `log_syntax` macro attribute, which is a
2589 nasty hack that will certainly be removed.
2591 * `non_ascii_idents` - The compiler supports the use of non-ascii identifiers,
2592 but the implementation is a little rough around the
2593 edges, so this can be seen as an experimental feature
2594 for now until the specification of identifiers is fully
2597 * `once_fns` - Onceness guarantees a closure is only executed once. Defining a
2598 closure as `once` is unlikely to be supported going forward. So
2599 they are hidden behind this feature until they are to be removed.
2601 * `plugin` - Usage of [compiler plugins][plugin] for custom lints or syntax extensions.
2602 These depend on compiler internals and are subject to change.
2604 * `plugin_registrar` - Indicates that a crate provides [compiler plugins][plugin].
2606 * `quote` - Allows use of the `quote_*!` family of macros, which are
2607 implemented very poorly and will likely change significantly
2608 with a proper implementation.
2610 * `rustc_diagnostic_macros`- A mysterious feature, used in the implementation
2611 of rustc, not meant for mortals.
2613 * `simd` - Allows use of the `#[simd]` attribute, which is overly simple and
2614 not the SIMD interface we want to expose in the long term.
2616 * `struct_inherit` - Allows using struct inheritance, which is barely
2617 implemented and will probably be removed. Don't use this.
2619 * `struct_variant` - Structural enum variants (those with named fields). It is
2620 currently unknown whether this style of enum variant is as
2621 fully supported as the tuple-forms, and it's not certain
2622 that this style of variant should remain in the language.
2623 For now this style of variant is hidden behind a feature
2626 * `thread_local` - The usage of the `#[thread_local]` attribute is experimental
2627 and should be seen as unstable. This attribute is used to
2628 declare a `static` as being unique per-thread leveraging
2629 LLVM's implementation which works in concert with the kernel
2630 loader and dynamic linker. This is not necessarily available
2631 on all platforms, and usage of it is discouraged (rust
2632 focuses more on thread-local data instead of thread-local
2635 * `trace_macros` - Allows use of the `trace_macros` macro, which is a nasty
2636 hack that will certainly be removed.
2638 * `unboxed_closures` - Rust's new closure design, which is currently a work in
2639 progress feature with many known bugs.
2641 * `unsafe_destructor` - Allows use of the `#[unsafe_destructor]` attribute,
2642 which is considered wildly unsafe and will be
2643 obsoleted by language improvements.
2645 * `associated_types` - Allows type aliases in traits. Experimental.
2647 If a feature is promoted to a language feature, then all existing programs will
2648 start to receive compilation warnings about #[feature] directives which enabled
2649 the new feature (because the directive is no longer necessary). However, if a
2650 feature is decided to be removed from the language, errors will be issued (if
2651 there isn't a parser error first). The directive in this case is no longer
2652 necessary, and it's likely that existing code will break if the feature isn't
2655 If an unknown feature is found in a directive, it results in a compiler error.
2656 An unknown feature is one which has never been recognized by the compiler.
2658 # Statements and expressions
2660 Rust is _primarily_ an expression language. This means that most forms of
2661 value-producing or effect-causing evaluation are directed by the uniform syntax
2662 category of _expressions_. Each kind of expression can typically _nest_ within
2663 each other kind of expression, and rules for evaluation of expressions involve
2664 specifying both the value produced by the expression and the order in which its
2665 sub-expressions are themselves evaluated.
2667 In contrast, statements in Rust serve _mostly_ to contain and explicitly
2668 sequence expression evaluation.
2672 A _statement_ is a component of a block, which is in turn a component of an
2673 outer [expression](#expressions) or [function](#functions).
2675 Rust has two kinds of statement: [declaration
2676 statements](#declaration-statements) and [expression
2677 statements](#expression-statements).
2679 ### Declaration statements
2681 A _declaration statement_ is one that introduces one or more *names* into the
2682 enclosing statement block. The declared names may denote new slots or new
2685 #### Item declarations
2687 An _item declaration statement_ has a syntactic form identical to an
2688 [item](#items) declaration within a module. Declaring an item — a
2689 function, enumeration, structure, type, static, trait, implementation or module
2690 — locally within a statement block is simply a way of restricting its
2691 scope to a narrow region containing all of its uses; it is otherwise identical
2692 in meaning to declaring the item outside the statement block.
2694 > **Note**: there is no implicit capture of the function's dynamic environment when
2695 > declaring a function-local item.
2697 #### Slot declarations
2700 let_decl : "let" pat [':' type ] ? [ init ] ? ';' ;
2701 init : [ '=' ] expr ;
2704 A _slot declaration_ introduces a new set of slots, given by a pattern. The
2705 pattern may be followed by a type annotation, and/or an initializer expression.
2706 When no type annotation is given, the compiler will infer the type, or signal
2707 an error if insufficient type information is available for definite inference.
2708 Any slots introduced by a slot declaration are visible from the point of
2709 declaration until the end of the enclosing block scope.
2711 ### Expression statements
2713 An _expression statement_ is one that evaluates an [expression](#expressions)
2714 and ignores its result. The type of an expression statement `e;` is always
2715 `()`, regardless of the type of `e`. As a rule, an expression statement's
2716 purpose is to trigger the effects of evaluating its expression.
2720 An expression may have two roles: it always produces a *value*, and it may have
2721 *effects* (otherwise known as "side effects"). An expression *evaluates to* a
2722 value, and has effects during *evaluation*. Many expressions contain
2723 sub-expressions (operands). The meaning of each kind of expression dictates
2726 * Whether or not to evaluate the sub-expressions when evaluating the expression
2727 * The order in which to evaluate the sub-expressions
2728 * How to combine the sub-expressions' values to obtain the value of the expression
2730 In this way, the structure of expressions dictates the structure of execution.
2731 Blocks are just another kind of expression, so blocks, statements, expressions,
2732 and blocks again can recursively nest inside each other to an arbitrary depth.
2734 #### Lvalues, rvalues and temporaries
2736 Expressions are divided into two main categories: _lvalues_ and _rvalues_.
2737 Likewise within each expression, sub-expressions may occur in _lvalue context_
2738 or _rvalue context_. The evaluation of an expression depends both on its own
2739 category and the context it occurs within.
2741 An lvalue is an expression that represents a memory location. These expressions
2742 are [paths](#path-expressions) (which refer to local variables, function and
2743 method arguments, or static variables), dereferences (`*expr`), [indexing
2744 expressions](#index-expressions) (`expr[expr]`), and [field
2745 references](#field-expressions) (`expr.f`). All other expressions are rvalues.
2747 The left operand of an [assignment](#assignment-expressions) or
2748 [compound-assignment](#compound-assignment-expressions) expression is an lvalue
2749 context, as is the single operand of a unary
2750 [borrow](#unary-operator-expressions). All other expression contexts are
2753 When an lvalue is evaluated in an _lvalue context_, it denotes a memory
2754 location; when evaluated in an _rvalue context_, it denotes the value held _in_
2755 that memory location.
2757 When an rvalue is used in an lvalue context, a temporary un-named lvalue is
2758 created and used instead. A temporary's lifetime equals the largest lifetime
2759 of any reference that points to it.
2761 #### Moved and copied types
2763 When a [local variable](#memory-slots) is used as an
2764 [rvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) the variable will either be moved
2765 or copied, depending on its type. For types that contain [owning
2766 pointers](#pointer-types) or values that implement the special trait `Drop`,
2767 the variable is moved. All other types are copied.
2769 ### Literal expressions
2771 A _literal expression_ consists of one of the [literal](#literals) forms
2772 described earlier. It directly describes a number, character, string, boolean
2773 value, or the unit value.
2777 "hello"; // string type
2778 '5'; // character type
2782 ### Path expressions
2784 A [path](#paths) used as an expression context denotes either a local variable
2785 or an item. Path expressions are [lvalues](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries).
2787 ### Tuple expressions
2789 Tuples are written by enclosing zero or more comma-separated expressions in
2790 parentheses. They are used to create [tuple-typed](#tuple-types) values.
2798 ### Unit expressions
2800 The expression `()` denotes the _unit value_, the only value of the type with
2803 ### Structure expressions
2806 struct_expr : expr_path '{' ident ':' expr
2807 [ ',' ident ':' expr ] *
2810 [ ',' expr ] * ')' |
2814 There are several forms of structure expressions. A _structure expression_
2815 consists of the [path](#paths) of a [structure item](#structures), followed by
2816 a brace-enclosed list of one or more comma-separated name-value pairs,
2817 providing the field values of a new instance of the structure. A field name
2818 can be any identifier, and is separated from its value expression by a colon.
2819 The location denoted by a structure field is mutable if and only if the
2820 enclosing structure is mutable.
2822 A _tuple structure expression_ consists of the [path](#paths) of a [structure
2823 item](#structures), followed by a parenthesized list of one or more
2824 comma-separated expressions (in other words, the path of a structure item
2825 followed by a tuple expression). The structure item must be a tuple structure
2828 A _unit-like structure expression_ consists only of the [path](#paths) of a
2829 [structure item](#structures).
2831 The following are examples of structure expressions:
2834 # struct Point { x: f64, y: f64 }
2835 # struct TuplePoint(f64, f64);
2836 # mod game { pub struct User<'a> { pub name: &'a str, pub age: uint, pub score: uint } }
2837 # struct Cookie; fn some_fn<T>(t: T) {}
2838 Point {x: 10.0, y: 20.0};
2839 TuplePoint(10.0, 20.0);
2840 let u = game::User {name: "Joe", age: 35, score: 100_000};
2841 some_fn::<Cookie>(Cookie);
2844 A structure expression forms a new value of the named structure type. Note
2845 that for a given *unit-like* structure type, this will always be the same
2848 A structure expression can terminate with the syntax `..` followed by an
2849 expression to denote a functional update. The expression following `..` (the
2850 base) must have the same structure type as the new structure type being formed.
2851 The entire expression denotes the result of constructing a new structure (with
2852 the same type as the base expression) with the given values for the fields that
2853 were explicitly specified and the values in the base expression for all other
2857 # struct Point3d { x: int, y: int, z: int }
2858 let base = Point3d {x: 1, y: 2, z: 3};
2859 Point3d {y: 0, z: 10, .. base};
2862 ### Block expressions
2865 block_expr : '{' [ view_item ] *
2866 [ stmt ';' | item ] *
2870 A _block expression_ is similar to a module in terms of the declarations that
2871 are possible. Each block conceptually introduces a new namespace scope. View
2872 items can bring new names into scopes and declared items are in scope for only
2875 A block will execute each statement sequentially, and then execute the
2876 expression (if given). If the final expression is omitted, the type and return
2877 value of the block are `()`, but if it is provided, the type and return value
2878 of the block are that of the expression itself.
2880 ### Method-call expressions
2883 method_call_expr : expr '.' ident paren_expr_list ;
2886 A _method call_ consists of an expression followed by a single dot, an
2887 identifier, and a parenthesized expression-list. Method calls are resolved to
2888 methods on specific traits, either statically dispatching to a method if the
2889 exact `self`-type of the left-hand-side is known, or dynamically dispatching if
2890 the left-hand-side expression is an indirect [object type](#object-types).
2892 ### Field expressions
2895 field_expr : expr '.' ident ;
2898 A _field expression_ consists of an expression followed by a single dot and an
2899 identifier, when not immediately followed by a parenthesized expression-list
2900 (the latter is a [method call expression](#method-call-expressions)). A field
2901 expression denotes a field of a [structure](#structure-types).
2906 (Struct {a: 10, b: 20}).a;
2909 A field access is an [lvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) referring to
2910 the value of that field. When the type providing the field inherits mutability,
2911 it can be [assigned](#assignment-expressions) to.
2913 Also, if the type of the expression to the left of the dot is a pointer, it is
2914 automatically dereferenced to make the field access possible.
2916 ### Array expressions
2919 array_expr : '[' "mut" ? vec_elems? ']' ;
2921 array_elems : [expr [',' expr]*] | [expr ',' ".." expr] ;
2924 An [array](#array,-and-slice-types) _expression_ is written by enclosing zero
2925 or more comma-separated expressions of uniform type in square brackets.
2927 In the `[expr ',' ".." expr]` form, the expression after the `".."` must be a
2928 constant expression that can be evaluated at compile time, such as a
2929 [literal](#literals) or a [static item](#static-items).
2933 ["a", "b", "c", "d"];
2934 [0i; 128]; // array with 128 zeros
2935 [0u8, 0u8, 0u8, 0u8];
2938 ### Index expressions
2941 idx_expr : expr '[' expr ']' ;
2944 [Array](#array,-and-slice-types)-typed expressions can be indexed by
2945 writing a square-bracket-enclosed expression (the index) after them. When the
2946 array is mutable, the resulting [lvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) can
2949 Indices are zero-based, and may be of any integral type. Vector access is
2950 bounds-checked at run-time. When the check fails, it will put the thread in a
2955 (["a", "b"])[10]; // panics
2958 ### Unary operator expressions
2960 Rust defines six symbolic unary operators. They are all written as prefix
2961 operators, before the expression they apply to.
2964 : Negation. May only be applied to numeric types.
2966 : Dereference. When applied to a [pointer](#pointer-types) it denotes the
2967 pointed-to location. For pointers to mutable locations, the resulting
2968 [lvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) can be assigned to.
2969 On non-pointer types, it calls the `deref` method of the `std::ops::Deref`
2970 trait, or the `deref_mut` method of the `std::ops::DerefMut` trait (if
2971 implemented by the type and required for an outer expression that will or
2972 could mutate the dereference), and produces the result of dereferencing the
2973 `&` or `&mut` borrowed pointer returned from the overload method.
2976 : Logical negation. On the boolean type, this flips between `true` and
2977 `false`. On integer types, this inverts the individual bits in the
2978 two's complement representation of the value.
2980 : [Boxing](#pointer-types) operators. Allocate a box to hold the value they
2981 are applied to, and store the value in it. `box` creates a box.
2983 : Borrow operator. Returns a reference, pointing to its operand. The operand
2984 of a borrow is statically proven to outlive the resulting pointer. If the
2985 borrow-checker cannot prove this, it is a compilation error.
2987 ### Binary operator expressions
2990 binop_expr : expr binop expr ;
2993 Binary operators expressions are given in terms of [operator
2994 precedence](#operator-precedence).
2996 #### Arithmetic operators
2998 Binary arithmetic expressions are syntactic sugar for calls to built-in traits,
2999 defined in the `std::ops` module of the `std` library. This means that
3000 arithmetic operators can be overridden for user-defined types. The default
3001 meaning of the operators on standard types is given here.
3004 : Addition and array/string concatenation.
3005 Calls the `add` method on the `std::ops::Add` trait.
3008 Calls the `sub` method on the `std::ops::Sub` trait.
3011 Calls the `mul` method on the `std::ops::Mul` trait.
3014 Calls the `div` method on the `std::ops::Div` trait.
3017 Calls the `rem` method on the `std::ops::Rem` trait.
3019 #### Bitwise operators
3021 Like the [arithmetic operators](#arithmetic-operators), bitwise operators are
3022 syntactic sugar for calls to methods of built-in traits. This means that
3023 bitwise operators can be overridden for user-defined types. The default
3024 meaning of the operators on standard types is given here.
3028 Calls the `bitand` method of the `std::ops::BitAnd` trait.
3031 Calls the `bitor` method of the `std::ops::BitOr` trait.
3034 Calls the `bitxor` method of the `std::ops::BitXor` trait.
3036 : Logical left shift.
3037 Calls the `shl` method of the `std::ops::Shl` trait.
3039 : Logical right shift.
3040 Calls the `shr` method of the `std::ops::Shr` trait.
3042 #### Lazy boolean operators
3044 The operators `||` and `&&` may be applied to operands of boolean type. The
3045 `||` operator denotes logical 'or', and the `&&` operator denotes logical
3046 'and'. They differ from `|` and `&` in that the right-hand operand is only
3047 evaluated when the left-hand operand does not already determine the result of
3048 the expression. That is, `||` only evaluates its right-hand operand when the
3049 left-hand operand evaluates to `false`, and `&&` only when it evaluates to
3052 #### Comparison operators
3054 Comparison operators are, like the [arithmetic
3055 operators](#arithmetic-operators), and [bitwise operators](#bitwise-operators),
3056 syntactic sugar for calls to built-in traits. This means that comparison
3057 operators can be overridden for user-defined types. The default meaning of the
3058 operators on standard types is given here.
3062 Calls the `eq` method on the `std::cmp::PartialEq` trait.
3065 Calls the `ne` method on the `std::cmp::PartialEq` trait.
3068 Calls the `lt` method on the `std::cmp::PartialOrd` trait.
3071 Calls the `gt` method on the `std::cmp::PartialOrd` trait.
3073 : Less than or equal.
3074 Calls the `le` method on the `std::cmp::PartialOrd` trait.
3076 : Greater than or equal.
3077 Calls the `ge` method on the `std::cmp::PartialOrd` trait.
3079 #### Type cast expressions
3081 A type cast expression is denoted with the binary operator `as`.
3083 Executing an `as` expression casts the value on the left-hand side to the type
3084 on the right-hand side.
3086 A numeric value can be cast to any numeric type. A raw pointer value can be
3087 cast to or from any integral type or raw pointer type. Any other cast is
3088 unsupported and will fail to compile.
3090 An example of an `as` expression:
3093 # fn sum(v: &[f64]) -> f64 { 0.0 }
3094 # fn len(v: &[f64]) -> int { 0 }
3096 fn avg(v: &[f64]) -> f64 {
3097 let sum: f64 = sum(v);
3098 let sz: f64 = len(v) as f64;
3103 #### Assignment expressions
3105 An _assignment expression_ consists of an
3106 [lvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) expression followed by an equals
3107 sign (`=`) and an [rvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries) expression.
3109 Evaluating an assignment expression [either copies or
3110 moves](#moved-and-copied-types) its right-hand operand to its left-hand
3120 #### Compound assignment expressions
3122 The `+`, `-`, `*`, `/`, `%`, `&`, `|`, `^`, `<<`, and `>>` operators may be
3123 composed with the `=` operator. The expression `lval OP= val` is equivalent to
3124 `lval = lval OP val`. For example, `x = x + 1` may be written as `x += 1`.
3126 Any such expression always has the [`unit`](#primitive-types) type.
3128 #### Operator precedence
3130 The precedence of Rust binary operators is ordered as follows, going from
3133 ```{.text .precedence}
3148 Operators at the same precedence level are evaluated left-to-right. [Unary
3149 operators](#unary-operator-expressions) have the same precedence level and are
3150 stronger than any of the binary operators.
3152 ### Grouped expressions
3154 An expression enclosed in parentheses evaluates to the result of the enclosed
3155 expression. Parentheses can be used to explicitly specify evaluation order
3156 within an expression.
3159 paren_expr : '(' expr ')' ;
3162 An example of a parenthesized expression:
3165 let x: int = (2 + 3) * 4;
3169 ### Call expressions
3172 expr_list : [ expr [ ',' expr ]* ] ? ;
3173 paren_expr_list : '(' expr_list ')' ;
3174 call_expr : expr paren_expr_list ;
3177 A _call expression_ invokes a function, providing zero or more input slots and
3178 an optional reference slot to serve as the function's output, bound to the
3179 `lval` on the right hand side of the call. If the function eventually returns,
3180 then the expression completes.
3182 Some examples of call expressions:
3185 # fn add(x: int, y: int) -> int { 0 }
3187 let x: int = add(1, 2);
3188 let pi: Option<f32> = "3.14".parse();
3191 ### Lambda expressions
3194 ident_list : [ ident [ ',' ident ]* ] ? ;
3195 lambda_expr : '|' ident_list '|' expr ;
3198 A _lambda expression_ (sometimes called an "anonymous function expression")
3199 defines a function and denotes it as a value, in a single expression. A lambda
3200 expression is a pipe-symbol-delimited (`|`) list of identifiers followed by an
3203 A lambda expression denotes a function that maps a list of parameters
3204 (`ident_list`) onto the expression that follows the `ident_list`. The
3205 identifiers in the `ident_list` are the parameters to the function. These
3206 parameters' types need not be specified, as the compiler infers them from
3209 Lambda expressions are most useful when passing functions as arguments to other
3210 functions, as an abbreviation for defining and capturing a separate function.
3212 Significantly, lambda expressions _capture their environment_, which regular
3213 [function definitions](#functions) do not. The exact type of capture depends
3214 on the [function type](#function-types) inferred for the lambda expression. In
3215 the simplest and least-expensive form (analogous to a ```|| { }``` expression),
3216 the lambda expression captures its environment by reference, effectively
3217 borrowing pointers to all outer variables mentioned inside the function.
3218 Alternately, the compiler may infer that a lambda expression should copy or
3219 move values (depending on their type.) from the environment into the lambda
3220 expression's captured environment.
3222 In this example, we define a function `ten_times` that takes a higher-order
3223 function argument, and call it with a lambda expression as an argument.
3226 fn ten_times<F>(f: F) where F: Fn(int) {
3234 ten_times(|j| println!("hello, {}", j));
3240 while_expr : "while" no_struct_literal_expr '{' block '}' ;
3243 A `while` loop begins by evaluating the boolean loop conditional expression.
3244 If the loop conditional expression evaluates to `true`, the loop body block
3245 executes and control returns to the loop conditional expression. If the loop
3246 conditional expression evaluates to `false`, the `while` expression completes.
3261 A `loop` expression denotes an infinite loop.
3264 loop_expr : [ lifetime ':' ] "loop" '{' block '}';
3267 A `loop` expression may optionally have a _label_. If a label is present, then
3268 labeled `break` and `continue` expressions nested within this loop may exit out
3269 of this loop or return control to its head. See [Break
3270 expressions](#break-expressions) and [Continue
3271 expressions](#continue-expressions).
3273 ### Break expressions
3276 break_expr : "break" [ lifetime ];
3279 A `break` expression has an optional _label_. If the label is absent, then
3280 executing a `break` expression immediately terminates the innermost loop
3281 enclosing it. It is only permitted in the body of a loop. If the label is
3282 present, then `break foo` terminates the loop with label `foo`, which need not
3283 be the innermost label enclosing the `break` expression, but must enclose it.
3285 ### Continue expressions
3288 continue_expr : "continue" [ lifetime ];
3291 A `continue` expression has an optional _label_. If the label is absent, then
3292 executing a `continue` expression immediately terminates the current iteration
3293 of the innermost loop enclosing it, returning control to the loop *head*. In
3294 the case of a `while` loop, the head is the conditional expression controlling
3295 the loop. In the case of a `for` loop, the head is the call-expression
3296 controlling the loop. If the label is present, then `continue foo` returns
3297 control to the head of the loop with label `foo`, which need not be the
3298 innermost label enclosing the `break` expression, but must enclose it.
3300 A `continue` expression is only permitted in the body of a loop.
3305 for_expr : "for" pat "in" no_struct_literal_expr '{' block '}' ;
3308 A `for` expression is a syntactic construct for looping over elements provided
3309 by an implementation of `std::iter::Iterator`.
3311 An example of a for loop over the contents of an array:
3315 # fn bar(f: Foo) { }
3320 let v: &[Foo] = &[a, b, c];
3327 An example of a for loop over a series of integers:
3330 # fn bar(b:uint) { }
3331 for i in range(0u, 256) {
3339 if_expr : "if" no_struct_literal_expr '{' block '}'
3342 else_tail : "else" [ if_expr | if_let_expr
3346 An `if` expression is a conditional branch in program control. The form of an
3347 `if` expression is a condition expression, followed by a consequent block, any
3348 number of `else if` conditions and blocks, and an optional trailing `else`
3349 block. The condition expressions must have type `bool`. If a condition
3350 expression evaluates to `true`, the consequent block is executed and any
3351 subsequent `else if` or `else` block is skipped. If a condition expression
3352 evaluates to `false`, the consequent block is skipped and any subsequent `else
3353 if` condition is evaluated. If all `if` and `else if` conditions evaluate to
3354 `false` then any `else` block is executed.
3356 ### Match expressions
3359 match_expr : "match" no_struct_literal_expr '{' match_arm * '}' ;
3361 match_arm : attribute * match_pat "=>" [ expr "," | '{' block '}' ] ;
3363 match_pat : pat [ '|' pat ] * [ "if" expr ] ? ;
3366 A `match` expression branches on a *pattern*. The exact form of matching that
3367 occurs depends on the pattern. Patterns consist of some combination of
3368 literals, destructured arrays or enum constructors, structures and tuples,
3369 variable binding specifications, wildcards (`..`), and placeholders (`_`). A
3370 `match` expression has a *head expression*, which is the value to compare to
3371 the patterns. The type of the patterns must equal the type of the head
3374 In a pattern whose head expression has an `enum` type, a placeholder (`_`)
3375 stands for a *single* data field, whereas a wildcard `..` stands for *all* the
3376 fields of a particular variant. For example:
3379 enum List<X> { Nil, Cons(X, Box<List<X>>) }
3381 let x: List<int> = List::Cons(10, box List::Cons(11, box List::Nil));
3384 List::Cons(_, box List::Nil) => panic!("singleton list"),
3385 List::Cons(..) => return,
3386 List::Nil => panic!("empty list")
3390 The first pattern matches lists constructed by applying `Cons` to any head
3391 value, and a tail value of `box Nil`. The second pattern matches _any_ list
3392 constructed with `Cons`, ignoring the values of its arguments. The difference
3393 between `_` and `..` is that the pattern `C(_)` is only type-correct if `C` has
3394 exactly one argument, while the pattern `C(..)` is type-correct for any enum
3395 variant `C`, regardless of how many arguments `C` has.
3397 Used inside an array pattern, `..` stands for any number of elements, when the
3398 `advanced_slice_patterns` feature gate is turned on. This wildcard can be used
3399 at most once for a given array, which implies that it cannot be used to
3400 specifically match elements that are at an unknown distance from both ends of a
3401 array, like `[.., 42, ..]`. If followed by a variable name, it will bind the
3402 corresponding slice to the variable. Example:
3405 # #![feature(advanced_slice_patterns)]
3406 fn is_symmetric(list: &[uint]) -> bool {
3409 [x, inside.., y] if x == y => is_symmetric(inside),
3415 let sym = &[0, 1, 4, 2, 4, 1, 0];
3416 let not_sym = &[0, 1, 7, 2, 4, 1, 0];
3417 assert!(is_symmetric(sym));
3418 assert!(!is_symmetric(not_sym));
3422 A `match` behaves differently depending on whether or not the head expression
3423 is an [lvalue or an rvalue](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries). If the head
3424 expression is an rvalue, it is first evaluated into a temporary location, and
3425 the resulting value is sequentially compared to the patterns in the arms until
3426 a match is found. The first arm with a matching pattern is chosen as the branch
3427 target of the `match`, any variables bound by the pattern are assigned to local
3428 variables in the arm's block, and control enters the block.
3430 When the head expression is an lvalue, the match does not allocate a temporary
3431 location (however, a by-value binding may copy or move from the lvalue). When
3432 possible, it is preferable to match on lvalues, as the lifetime of these
3433 matches inherits the lifetime of the lvalue, rather than being restricted to
3434 the inside of the match.
3436 An example of a `match` expression:
3439 # fn process_pair(a: int, b: int) { }
3440 # fn process_ten() { }
3442 enum List<X> { Nil, Cons(X, Box<List<X>>) }
3444 let x: List<int> = List::Cons(10, box List::Cons(11, box List::Nil));
3447 List::Cons(a, box List::Cons(b, _)) => {
3450 List::Cons(10, _) => {
3462 Patterns that bind variables default to binding to a copy or move of the
3463 matched value (depending on the matched value's type). This can be changed to
3464 bind to a reference by using the `ref` keyword, or to a mutable reference using
3467 Subpatterns can also be bound to variables by the use of the syntax `variable @
3468 subpattern`. For example:
3471 enum List { Nil, Cons(uint, Box<List>) }
3473 fn is_sorted(list: &List) -> bool {
3475 List::Nil | List::Cons(_, box List::Nil) => true,
3476 List::Cons(x, ref r @ box List::Cons(_, _)) => {
3478 box List::Cons(y, _) => (x <= y) && is_sorted(&**r),
3486 let a = List::Cons(6, box List::Cons(7, box List::Cons(42, box List::Nil)));
3487 assert!(is_sorted(&a));
3492 Patterns can also dereference pointers by using the `&`, `&mut` and `box`
3493 symbols, as appropriate. For example, these two matches on `x: &int` are
3498 let y = match *x { 0 => "zero", _ => "some" };
3499 let z = match x { &0 => "zero", _ => "some" };
3504 A pattern that's just an identifier, like `Nil` in the previous example, could
3505 either refer to an enum variant that's in scope, or bind a new variable. The
3506 compiler resolves this ambiguity by forbidding variable bindings that occur in
3507 `match` patterns from shadowing names of variants that are in scope. For
3508 example, wherever `List` is in scope, a `match` pattern would not be able to
3509 bind `Nil` as a new name. The compiler interprets a variable pattern `x` as a
3510 binding _only_ if there is no variant named `x` in scope. A convention you can
3511 use to avoid conflicts is simply to name variants with upper-case letters, and
3512 local variables with lower-case letters.
3514 Multiple match patterns may be joined with the `|` operator. A range of values
3515 may be specified with `...`. For example:
3520 let message = match x {
3521 0 | 1 => "not many",
3527 Range patterns only work on scalar types (like integers and characters; not
3528 like arrays and structs, which have sub-components). A range pattern may not
3529 be a sub-range of another range pattern inside the same `match`.
3531 Finally, match patterns can accept *pattern guards* to further refine the
3532 criteria for matching a case. Pattern guards appear after the pattern and
3533 consist of a bool-typed expression following the `if` keyword. A pattern guard
3534 may refer to the variables bound within the pattern they follow.
3537 # let maybe_digit = Some(0);
3538 # fn process_digit(i: int) { }
3539 # fn process_other(i: int) { }
3541 let message = match maybe_digit {
3542 Some(x) if x < 10 => process_digit(x),
3543 Some(x) => process_other(x),
3548 ### If let expressions
3551 if_let_expr : "if" "let" pat '=' expr '{' block '}'
3553 else_tail : "else" [ if_expr | if_let_expr | '{' block '}' ] ;
3556 An `if let` expression is semantically identical to an `if` expression but in place
3557 of a condition expression it expects a refutable let statement. If the value of the
3558 expression on the right hand side of the let statement matches the pattern, the corresponding
3559 block will execute, otherwise flow proceeds to the first `else` block that follows.
3564 while_let_expr : "while" "let" pat '=' expr '{' block '}' ;
3567 A `while let` loop is semantically identical to a `while` loop but in place of a
3568 condition expression it expects a refutable let statement. If the value of the
3569 expression on the right hand side of the let statement matches the pattern, the
3570 loop body block executes and control returns to the pattern matching statement.
3571 Otherwise, the while expression completes.
3573 ### Return expressions
3576 return_expr : "return" expr ? ;
3579 Return expressions are denoted with the keyword `return`. Evaluating a `return`
3580 expression moves its argument into the output slot of the current function,
3581 destroys the current function activation frame, and transfers control to the
3584 An example of a `return` expression:
3587 fn max(a: int, b: int) -> int {
3599 Every slot, item and value in a Rust program has a type. The _type_ of a
3600 *value* defines the interpretation of the memory holding it.
3602 Built-in types and type-constructors are tightly integrated into the language,
3603 in nontrivial ways that are not possible to emulate in user-defined types.
3604 User-defined types have limited capabilities.
3608 The primitive types are the following:
3610 * The "unit" type `()`, having the single "unit" value `()` (occasionally called
3612 * The boolean type `bool` with values `true` and `false`.
3613 * The machine types.
3614 * The machine-dependent integer and floating-point types.
3616 [^unittype]: The "unit" value `()` is *not* a sentinel "null pointer" value for
3617 reference slots; the "unit" type is the implicit return type from functions
3618 otherwise lacking a return type, and can be used in other contexts (such as
3619 message-sending or type-parametric code) as a zero-size type.]
3623 The machine types are the following:
3625 * The unsigned word types `u8`, `u16`, `u32` and `u64`, with values drawn from
3626 the integer intervals [0, 2^8 - 1], [0, 2^16 - 1], [0, 2^32 - 1] and
3627 [0, 2^64 - 1] respectively.
3629 * The signed two's complement word types `i8`, `i16`, `i32` and `i64`, with
3630 values drawn from the integer intervals [-(2^(7)), 2^7 - 1],
3631 [-(2^(15)), 2^15 - 1], [-(2^(31)), 2^31 - 1], [-(2^(63)), 2^63 - 1]
3634 * The IEEE 754-2008 `binary32` and `binary64` floating-point types: `f32` and
3635 `f64`, respectively.
3637 #### Machine-dependent integer types
3639 The `uint` type is an unsigned integer type with the same number of bits as the
3640 platform's pointer type. It can represent every memory address in the process.
3642 The `int` type is a signed integer type with the same number of bits as the
3643 platform's pointer type. The theoretical upper bound on object and array size
3644 is the maximum `int` value. This ensures that `int` can be used to calculate
3645 differences between pointers into an object or array and can address every byte
3646 within an object along with one byte past the end.
3650 The types `char` and `str` hold textual data.
3652 A value of type `char` is a [Unicode scalar value](
3653 http://www.unicode.org/glossary/#unicode_scalar_value) (ie. a code point that
3654 is not a surrogate), represented as a 32-bit unsigned word in the 0x0000 to
3655 0xD7FF or 0xE000 to 0x10FFFF range. A `[char]` array is effectively an UCS-4 /
3658 A value of type `str` is a Unicode string, represented as an array of 8-bit
3659 unsigned bytes holding a sequence of UTF-8 codepoints. Since `str` is of
3660 unknown size, it is not a _first class_ type, but can only be instantiated
3661 through a pointer type, such as `&str` or `String`.
3665 A tuple *type* is a heterogeneous product of other types, called the *elements*
3666 of the tuple. It has no nominal name and is instead structurally typed.
3668 Tuple types and values are denoted by listing the types or values of their
3669 elements, respectively, in a parenthesized, comma-separated list.
3671 Because tuple elements don't have a name, they can only be accessed by
3674 The members of a tuple are laid out in memory contiguously, in order specified
3677 An example of a tuple type and its use:
3680 type Pair<'a> = (int, &'a str);
3681 let p: Pair<'static> = (10, "hello");
3683 assert!(b != "world");
3686 ### Array, and Slice types
3688 Rust has two different types for a list of items:
3690 * `[T ..N]`, an 'array'
3691 * `&[T]`, a 'slice'.
3693 An array has a fixed size, and can be allocated on either the stack or the
3696 A slice is a 'view' into an array. It doesn't own the data it points
3699 An example of each kind:
3702 let vec: Vec<int> = vec![1, 2, 3];
3703 let arr: [int; 3] = [1, 2, 3];
3704 let s: &[int] = vec.as_slice();
3707 As you can see, the `vec!` macro allows you to create a `Vec<T>` easily. The
3708 `vec!` macro is also part of the standard library, rather than the language.
3710 All in-bounds elements of arrays, and slices are always initialized, and access
3711 to an array or slice is always bounds-checked.
3715 A `struct` *type* is a heterogeneous product of other types, called the
3716 *fields* of the type.[^structtype]
3718 [^structtype]: `struct` types are analogous `struct` types in C,
3719 the *record* types of the ML family,
3720 or the *structure* types of the Lisp family.
3722 New instances of a `struct` can be constructed with a [struct
3723 expression](#structure-expressions).
3725 The memory layout of a `struct` is undefined by default to allow for compiler
3726 optimizations like field reordering, but it can be fixed with the
3727 `#[repr(...)]` attribute. In either case, fields may be given in any order in
3728 a corresponding struct *expression*; the resulting `struct` value will always
3729 have the same memory layout.
3731 The fields of a `struct` may be qualified by [visibility
3732 modifiers](#re-exporting-and-visibility), to allow access to data in a
3733 structure outside a module.
3735 A _tuple struct_ type is just like a structure type, except that the fields are
3738 A _unit-like struct_ type is like a structure type, except that it has no
3739 fields. The one value constructed by the associated [structure
3740 expression](#structure-expressions) is the only value that inhabits such a
3743 ### Enumerated types
3745 An *enumerated type* is a nominal, heterogeneous disjoint union type, denoted
3746 by the name of an [`enum` item](#enumerations). [^enumtype]
3748 [^enumtype]: The `enum` type is analogous to a `data` constructor declaration in
3749 ML, or a *pick ADT* in Limbo.
3751 An [`enum` item](#enumerations) declares both the type and a number of *variant
3752 constructors*, each of which is independently named and takes an optional tuple
3755 New instances of an `enum` can be constructed by calling one of the variant
3756 constructors, in a [call expression](#call-expressions).
3758 Any `enum` value consumes as much memory as the largest variant constructor for
3759 its corresponding `enum` type.
3761 Enum types cannot be denoted *structurally* as types, but must be denoted by
3762 named reference to an [`enum` item](#enumerations).
3766 Nominal types — [enumerations](#enumerated-types) and
3767 [structures](#structure-types) — may be recursive. That is, each `enum`
3768 constructor or `struct` field may refer, directly or indirectly, to the
3769 enclosing `enum` or `struct` type itself. Such recursion has restrictions:
3771 * Recursive types must include a nominal type in the recursion
3772 (not mere [type definitions](#type-definitions),
3773 or other structural types such as [arrays](#array,-and-slice-types) or [tuples](#tuple-types)).
3774 * A recursive `enum` item must have at least one non-recursive constructor
3775 (in order to give the recursion a basis case).
3776 * The size of a recursive type must be finite;
3777 in other words the recursive fields of the type must be [pointer types](#pointer-types).
3778 * Recursive type definitions can cross module boundaries, but not module *visibility* boundaries,
3779 or crate boundaries (in order to simplify the module system and type checker).
3781 An example of a *recursive* type and its use:
3786 Cons(T, Box<List<T>>)
3789 let a: List<int> = List::Cons(7, box List::Cons(13, box List::Nil));
3794 All pointers in Rust are explicit first-class values. They can be copied,
3795 stored into data structures, and returned from functions. There are two
3796 varieties of pointer in Rust:
3799 : These point to memory _owned by some other value_.
3800 A reference type is written `&type` for some lifetime-variable `f`,
3801 or just `&'a type` when you need an explicit lifetime.
3802 Copying a reference is a "shallow" operation:
3803 it involves only copying the pointer itself.
3804 Releasing a reference typically has no effect on the value it points to,
3805 with the exception of temporary values, which are released when the last
3806 reference to them is released.
3808 * Raw pointers (`*`)
3809 : Raw pointers are pointers without safety or liveness guarantees.
3810 Raw pointers are written as `*const T` or `*mut T`,
3811 for example `*const int` means a raw pointer to an integer.
3812 Copying or dropping a raw pointer has no effect on the lifecycle of any
3813 other value. Dereferencing a raw pointer or converting it to any other
3814 pointer type is an [`unsafe` operation](#unsafe-functions).
3815 Raw pointers are generally discouraged in Rust code;
3816 they exist to support interoperability with foreign code,
3817 and writing performance-critical or low-level functions.
3819 The standard library contains additional 'smart pointer' types beyond references
3824 The function type constructor `fn` forms new function types. A function type
3825 consists of a possibly-empty set of function-type modifiers (such as `unsafe`
3826 or `extern`), a sequence of input types and an output type.
3828 An example of a `fn` type:
3831 fn add(x: int, y: int) -> int {
3835 let mut x = add(5,7);
3837 type Binop = fn(int, int) -> int;
3838 let bo: Binop = add;
3844 ```{.ebnf .notation}
3845 closure_type := [ 'unsafe' ] [ '<' lifetime-list '>' ] '|' arg-list '|'
3846 [ ':' bound-list ] [ '->' type ]
3847 lifetime-list := lifetime | lifetime ',' lifetime-list
3848 arg-list := ident ':' type | ident ':' type ',' arg-list
3849 bound-list := bound | bound '+' bound-list
3850 bound := path | lifetime
3853 The type of a closure mapping an input of type `A` to an output of type `B` is
3854 `|A| -> B`. A closure with no arguments or return values has type `||`.
3856 An example of creating and calling a closure:
3859 let captured_var = 10i;
3861 let closure_no_args = |&:| println!("captured_var={}", captured_var);
3863 let closure_args = |&: arg: int| -> int {
3864 println!("captured_var={}, arg={}", captured_var, arg);
3865 arg // Note lack of semicolon after 'arg'
3868 fn call_closure<F: Fn(), G: Fn(int) -> int>(c1: F, c2: G) {
3873 call_closure(closure_no_args, closure_args);
3879 Every trait item (see [traits](#traits)) defines a type with the same name as
3880 the trait. This type is called the _object type_ of the trait. Object types
3881 permit "late binding" of methods, dispatched using _virtual method tables_
3882 ("vtables"). Whereas most calls to trait methods are "early bound" (statically
3883 resolved) to specific implementations at compile time, a call to a method on an
3884 object type is only resolved to a vtable entry at compile time. The actual
3885 implementation for each vtable entry can vary on an object-by-object basis.
3887 Given a pointer-typed expression `E` of type `&T` or `Box<T>`, where `T`
3888 implements trait `R`, casting `E` to the corresponding pointer type `&R` or
3889 `Box<R>` results in a value of the _object type_ `R`. This result is
3890 represented as a pair of pointers: the vtable pointer for the `T`
3891 implementation of `R`, and the pointer value of `E`.
3893 An example of an object type:
3897 fn stringify(&self) -> String;
3900 impl Printable for int {
3901 fn stringify(&self) -> String { self.to_string() }
3904 fn print(a: Box<Printable>) {
3905 println!("{}", a.stringify());
3909 print(box 10i as Box<Printable>);
3913 In this example, the trait `Printable` occurs as an object type in both the
3914 type signature of `print`, and the cast expression in `main`.
3918 Within the body of an item that has type parameter declarations, the names of
3919 its type parameters are types:
3922 fn map<A: Clone, B: Clone>(f: |A| -> B, xs: &[A]) -> Vec<B> {
3926 let first: B = f(xs[0].clone());
3927 let mut rest: Vec<B> = map(f, xs.slice(1, xs.len()));
3928 rest.insert(0, first);
3933 Here, `first` has type `B`, referring to `map`'s `B` type parameter; and `rest`
3934 has type `Vec<B>`, a vector type with element type `B`.
3938 The special type `self` has a meaning within methods inside an impl item. It
3939 refers to the type of the implicit `self` argument. For example, in:
3943 fn make_string(&self) -> String;
3946 impl Printable for String {
3947 fn make_string(&self) -> String {
3953 `self` refers to the value of type `String` that is the receiver for a call to
3954 the method `make_string`.
3958 Types in Rust are categorized into kinds, based on various properties of the
3959 components of the type. The kinds are:
3962 : Types of this kind can be safely sent between threads.
3963 This kind includes scalars, boxes, procs, and
3964 structural types containing only other owned types.
3965 All `Send` types are `'static`.
3967 : Types of this kind consist of "Plain Old Data"
3968 which can be copied by simply moving bits.
3969 All values of this kind can be implicitly copied.
3970 This kind includes scalars and immutable references,
3971 as well as structural types containing other `Copy` types.
3973 : Types of this kind do not contain any references (except for
3974 references with the `static` lifetime, which are allowed).
3975 This can be a useful guarantee for code
3976 that breaks borrowing assumptions
3977 using [`unsafe` operations](#unsafe-functions).
3979 : This is not strictly a kind,
3980 but its presence interacts with kinds:
3981 the `Drop` trait provides a single method `drop`
3982 that takes no parameters,
3983 and is run when values of the type are dropped.
3984 Such a method is called a "destructor",
3985 and are always executed in "top-down" order:
3986 a value is completely destroyed
3987 before any of the values it owns run their destructors.
3988 Only `Send` types can implement `Drop`.
3991 : Types with destructors, closure environments,
3992 and various other _non-first-class_ types,
3993 are not copyable at all.
3994 Such types can usually only be accessed through pointers,
3995 or in some cases, moved between mutable locations.
3997 Kinds can be supplied as _bounds_ on type parameters, like traits, in which
3998 case the parameter is constrained to types satisfying that kind.
4000 By default, type parameters do not carry any assumed kind-bounds at all. When
4001 instantiating a type parameter, the kind bounds on the parameter are checked to
4002 be the same or narrower than the kind of the type that it is instantiated with.
4004 Sending operations are not part of the Rust language, but are implemented in
4005 the library. Generic functions that send values bound the kind of these values
4008 # Memory and concurrency models
4010 Rust has a memory model centered around concurrently-executing _threads_. Thus
4011 its memory model and its concurrency model are best discussed simultaneously,
4012 as parts of each only make sense when considered from the perspective of the
4015 When reading about the memory model, keep in mind that it is partitioned in
4016 order to support threads; and when reading about threads, keep in mind that their
4017 isolation and communication mechanisms are only possible due to the ownership
4018 and lifetime semantics of the memory model.
4022 A Rust program's memory consists of a static set of *items*, a set of
4023 [threads](#threads) each with its own *stack*, and a *heap*. Immutable portions of
4024 the heap may be shared between threads, mutable portions may not.
4026 Allocations in the stack consist of *slots*, and allocations in the heap
4029 ### Memory allocation and lifetime
4031 The _items_ of a program are those functions, modules and types that have their
4032 value calculated at compile-time and stored uniquely in the memory image of the
4033 rust process. Items are neither dynamically allocated nor freed.
4035 A thread's _stack_ consists of activation frames automatically allocated on entry
4036 to each function as the thread executes. A stack allocation is reclaimed when
4037 control leaves the frame containing it.
4039 The _heap_ is a general term that describes boxes. The lifetime of an
4040 allocation in the heap depends on the lifetime of the box values pointing to
4041 it. Since box values may themselves be passed in and out of frames, or stored
4042 in the heap, heap allocations may outlive the frame they are allocated within.
4044 ### Memory ownership
4046 A thread owns all memory it can *safely* reach through local variables, as well
4047 as boxes and references.
4049 When a thread sends a value that has the `Send` trait to another thread, it loses
4050 ownership of the value sent and can no longer refer to it. This is statically
4051 guaranteed by the combined use of "move semantics", and the compiler-checked
4052 _meaning_ of the `Send` trait: it is only instantiated for (transitively)
4053 sendable kinds of data constructor and pointers, never including references.
4055 When a stack frame is exited, its local allocations are all released, and its
4056 references to boxes are dropped.
4058 When a thread finishes, its stack is necessarily empty and it therefore has no
4059 references to any boxes; the remainder of its heap is immediately freed.
4063 A thread's stack contains slots.
4065 A _slot_ is a component of a stack frame, either a function parameter, a
4066 [temporary](#lvalues,-rvalues-and-temporaries), or a local variable.
4068 A _local variable_ (or *stack-local* allocation) holds a value directly,
4069 allocated within the stack's memory. The value is a part of the stack frame.
4071 Local variables are immutable unless declared otherwise like: `let mut x = ...`.
4073 Function parameters are immutable unless declared with `mut`. The `mut` keyword
4074 applies only to the following parameter (so `|mut x, y|` and `fn f(mut x:
4075 Box<int>, y: Box<int>)` declare one mutable variable `x` and one immutable
4078 Methods that take either `self` or `Box<Self>` can optionally place them in a
4079 mutable slot by prefixing them with `mut` (similar to regular arguments):
4083 fn change(mut self) -> Self;
4084 fn modify(mut self: Box<Self>) -> Box<Self>;
4088 Local variables are not initialized when allocated; the entire frame worth of
4089 local variables are allocated at once, on frame-entry, in an uninitialized
4090 state. Subsequent statements within a function may or may not initialize the
4091 local variables. Local variables can be used only after they have been
4092 initialized; this is enforced by the compiler.
4096 A _box_ is a reference to a heap allocation holding another value, which is
4097 constructed by the prefix operator `box`. When the standard library is in use,
4098 the type of a box is `std::owned::Box<T>`.
4100 An example of a box type and value:
4103 let x: Box<int> = box 10;
4106 Box values exist in 1:1 correspondence with their heap allocation, copying a
4107 box value makes a shallow copy of the pointer. Rust will consider a shallow
4108 copy of a box to move ownership of the value. After a value has been moved,
4109 the source location cannot be used unless it is reinitialized.
4112 let x: Box<int> = box 10;
4114 // attempting to use `x` will result in an error here
4119 Rust's primary concurrency mechanism is called a **thread**.
4121 ### Communication between threads
4123 Rust threads are isolated and generally unable to interfere with one another's
4124 memory directly, except through [`unsafe` code](#unsafe-functions). All
4125 contact between threads is mediated by safe forms of ownership transfer, and data
4126 races on memory are prohibited by the type system.
4128 When you wish to send data between threads, the values are restricted to the
4129 [`Send` type-kind](#type-kinds). Restricting communication interfaces to this
4130 kind ensures that no references move between threads. Thus access to an entire
4131 data structure can be mediated through its owning "root" value; no further
4132 locking or copying is required to avoid data races within the substructure of
4137 The _lifecycle_ of a threads consists of a finite set of states and events that
4138 cause transitions between the states. The lifecycle states of a thread are:
4145 A thread begins its lifecycle — once it has been spawned — in the
4146 *running* state. In this state it executes the statements of its entry
4147 function, and any functions called by the entry function.
4149 A thread may transition from the *running* state to the *blocked* state any time
4150 it makes a blocking communication call. When the call can be completed —
4151 when a message arrives at a sender, or a buffer opens to receive a message
4152 — then the blocked thread will unblock and transition back to *running*.
4154 A thread may transition to the *panicked* state at any time, due being killed by
4155 some external event or internally, from the evaluation of a `panic!()` macro.
4156 Once *panicking*, a thread unwinds its stack and transitions to the *dead* state.
4157 Unwinding the stack of a thread is done by the thread itself, on its own control
4158 stack. If a value with a destructor is freed during unwinding, the code for the
4159 destructor is run, also on the thread's control stack. Running the destructor
4160 code causes a temporary transition to a *running* state, and allows the
4161 destructor code to cause any subsequent state transitions. The original thread
4162 of unwinding and panicking thereby may suspend temporarily, and may involve
4163 (recursive) unwinding of the stack of a failed destructor. Nonetheless, the
4164 outermost unwinding activity will continue until the stack is unwound and the
4165 thread transitions to the *dead* state. There is no way to "recover" from thread
4166 panics. Once a thread has temporarily suspended its unwinding in the *panicking*
4167 state, a panic occurring from within this destructor results in *hard* panic.
4168 A hard panic currently results in the process aborting.
4170 A thread in the *dead* state cannot transition to other states; it exists only to
4171 have its termination status inspected by other threads, and/or to await
4172 reclamation when the last reference to it drops.
4174 # Runtime services, linkage and debugging
4176 The Rust _runtime_ is a relatively compact collection of Rust code that
4177 provides fundamental services and datatypes to all Rust threads at run-time. It
4178 is smaller and simpler than many modern language runtimes. It is tightly
4179 integrated into the language's execution model of memory, threads, communication
4182 ### Memory allocation
4184 The runtime memory-management system is based on a _service-provider
4185 interface_, through which the runtime requests blocks of memory from its
4186 environment and releases them back to its environment when they are no longer
4187 needed. The default implementation of the service-provider interface consists
4188 of the C runtime functions `malloc` and `free`.
4190 The runtime memory-management system, in turn, supplies Rust threads with
4191 facilities for allocating releasing stacks, as well as allocating and freeing
4196 The runtime provides C and Rust code to assist with various built-in types,
4197 such as arrays, strings, and the low level communication system (ports,
4200 Support for other built-in types such as simple types, tuples and enums is
4201 open-coded by the Rust compiler.
4203 ### Thread scheduling and communication
4205 The runtime provides code to manage inter-thread communication. This includes
4206 the system of thread-lifecycle state transitions depending on the contents of
4207 queues, as well as code to copy values between queues and their recipients and
4208 to serialize values for transmission over operating-system inter-process
4209 communication facilities.
4213 The Rust compiler supports various methods to link crates together both
4214 statically and dynamically. This section will explore the various methods to
4215 link Rust crates together, and more information about native libraries can be
4216 found in the [ffi guide][ffi].
4218 In one session of compilation, the compiler can generate multiple artifacts
4219 through the usage of either command line flags or the `crate_type` attribute.
4220 If one or more command line flag is specified, all `crate_type` attributes will
4221 be ignored in favor of only building the artifacts specified by command line.
4223 * `--crate-type=bin`, `#[crate_type = "bin"]` - A runnable executable will be
4224 produced. This requires that there is a `main` function in the crate which
4225 will be run when the program begins executing. This will link in all Rust and
4226 native dependencies, producing a distributable binary.
4228 * `--crate-type=lib`, `#[crate_type = "lib"]` - A Rust library will be produced.
4229 This is an ambiguous concept as to what exactly is produced because a library
4230 can manifest itself in several forms. The purpose of this generic `lib` option
4231 is to generate the "compiler recommended" style of library. The output library
4232 will always be usable by rustc, but the actual type of library may change from
4233 time-to-time. The remaining output types are all different flavors of
4234 libraries, and the `lib` type can be seen as an alias for one of them (but the
4235 actual one is compiler-defined).
4237 * `--crate-type=dylib`, `#[crate_type = "dylib"]` - A dynamic Rust library will
4238 be produced. This is different from the `lib` output type in that this forces
4239 dynamic library generation. The resulting dynamic library can be used as a
4240 dependency for other libraries and/or executables. This output type will
4241 create `*.so` files on linux, `*.dylib` files on osx, and `*.dll` files on
4244 * `--crate-type=staticlib`, `#[crate_type = "staticlib"]` - A static system
4245 library will be produced. This is different from other library outputs in that
4246 the Rust compiler will never attempt to link to `staticlib` outputs. The
4247 purpose of this output type is to create a static library containing all of
4248 the local crate's code along with all upstream dependencies. The static
4249 library is actually a `*.a` archive on linux and osx and a `*.lib` file on
4250 windows. This format is recommended for use in situations such as linking
4251 Rust code into an existing non-Rust application because it will not have
4252 dynamic dependencies on other Rust code.
4254 * `--crate-type=rlib`, `#[crate_type = "rlib"]` - A "Rust library" file will be
4255 produced. This is used as an intermediate artifact and can be thought of as a
4256 "static Rust library". These `rlib` files, unlike `staticlib` files, are
4257 interpreted by the Rust compiler in future linkage. This essentially means
4258 that `rustc` will look for metadata in `rlib` files like it looks for metadata
4259 in dynamic libraries. This form of output is used to produce statically linked
4260 executables as well as `staticlib` outputs.
4262 Note that these outputs are stackable in the sense that if multiple are
4263 specified, then the compiler will produce each form of output at once without
4264 having to recompile. However, this only applies for outputs specified by the
4265 same method. If only `crate_type` attributes are specified, then they will all
4266 be built, but if one or more `--crate-type` command line flag is specified,
4267 then only those outputs will be built.
4269 With all these different kinds of outputs, if crate A depends on crate B, then
4270 the compiler could find B in various different forms throughout the system. The
4271 only forms looked for by the compiler, however, are the `rlib` format and the
4272 dynamic library format. With these two options for a dependent library, the
4273 compiler must at some point make a choice between these two formats. With this
4274 in mind, the compiler follows these rules when determining what format of
4275 dependencies will be used:
4277 1. If a static library is being produced, all upstream dependencies are
4278 required to be available in `rlib` formats. This requirement stems from the
4279 reason that a dynamic library cannot be converted into a static format.
4281 Note that it is impossible to link in native dynamic dependencies to a static
4282 library, and in this case warnings will be printed about all unlinked native
4283 dynamic dependencies.
4285 2. If an `rlib` file is being produced, then there are no restrictions on what
4286 format the upstream dependencies are available in. It is simply required that
4287 all upstream dependencies be available for reading metadata from.
4289 The reason for this is that `rlib` files do not contain any of their upstream
4290 dependencies. It wouldn't be very efficient for all `rlib` files to contain a
4291 copy of `libstd.rlib`!
4293 3. If an executable is being produced and the `-C prefer-dynamic` flag is not
4294 specified, then dependencies are first attempted to be found in the `rlib`
4295 format. If some dependencies are not available in an rlib format, then
4296 dynamic linking is attempted (see below).
4298 4. If a dynamic library or an executable that is being dynamically linked is
4299 being produced, then the compiler will attempt to reconcile the available
4300 dependencies in either the rlib or dylib format to create a final product.
4302 A major goal of the compiler is to ensure that a library never appears more
4303 than once in any artifact. For example, if dynamic libraries B and C were
4304 each statically linked to library A, then a crate could not link to B and C
4305 together because there would be two copies of A. The compiler allows mixing
4306 the rlib and dylib formats, but this restriction must be satisfied.
4308 The compiler currently implements no method of hinting what format a library
4309 should be linked with. When dynamically linking, the compiler will attempt to
4310 maximize dynamic dependencies while still allowing some dependencies to be
4311 linked in via an rlib.
4313 For most situations, having all libraries available as a dylib is recommended
4314 if dynamically linking. For other situations, the compiler will emit a
4315 warning if it is unable to determine which formats to link each library with.
4317 In general, `--crate-type=bin` or `--crate-type=lib` should be sufficient for
4318 all compilation needs, and the other options are just available if more
4319 fine-grained control is desired over the output format of a Rust crate.
4321 # Appendix: Rationales and design tradeoffs
4325 # Appendix: Influences
4327 Rust is not a particularly original language, with design elements coming from
4328 a wide range of sources. Some of these are listed below (including elements
4329 that have since been removed):
4331 * SML, OCaml: algebraic datatypes, pattern matching, type inference,
4332 semicolon statement separation
4333 * C++: references, RAII, smart pointers, move semantics, monomorphisation,
4335 * ML Kit, Cyclone: region based memory management
4336 * Haskell (GHC): typeclasses, type families
4337 * Newsqueak, Alef, Limbo: channels, concurrency
4338 * Erlang: message passing, task failure, ~~linked task failure~~,
4339 ~~lightweight concurrency~~
4340 * Swift: optional bindings
4341 * Scheme: hygienic macros
4343 * Ruby: ~~block syntax~~
4344 * NIL, Hermes: ~~typestate~~
4345 * [Unicode Annex #31](http://www.unicode.org/reports/tr31/): identifier and
4348 [ffi]: guide-ffi.html
4349 [plugin]: guide-plugin.html