1717//! Like many traits, these are often used as bounds for generic functions, to
1818//! support arguments of multiple types.
1919//!
20- //! - Impl the `As*` traits for reference-to-reference conversions
21- //! - Impl the [`Into`] trait when you want to consume the value in the conversion
20+ //! - Implement the `As*` traits for reference-to-reference conversions
21+ //! - Implement the [`Into`] trait when you want to consume the value in the conversion
2222//! - The [`From`] trait is the most flexible, useful for value _and_ reference conversions
2323//! - The [`TryFrom`] and [`TryInto`] traits behave like [`From`] and [`Into`], but allow for the
2424//! conversion to fail
2525//!
2626//! As a library author, you should prefer implementing [`From<T>`][`From`] or
2727//! [`TryFrom<T>`][`TryFrom`] rather than [`Into<U>`][`Into`] or [`TryInto<U>`][`TryInto`],
2828//! as [`From`] and [`TryFrom`] provide greater flexibility and offer
29- //! equivalent [`Into`] or [`TryInto`] implementations for free, thanks to a blanket implementation
30- //! in the standard library.
29+ //! equivalent [`Into`] or [`TryInto`] implementations for free, thanks to a
30+ //! blanket implementation in the standard library.
3131//!
32- //! # Generic impl
32+ //! # Generic Implementations
3333//!
3434//! - [`AsRef`] and [`AsMut`] auto-dereference if the inner type is a reference
3535//! - [`From`]`<U> for T` implies [`Into`]`<T> for U`
3636//! - [`TryFrom`]`<U> for T` implies [`TryInto`]`<T> for U`
37- //! - [`From`] and [`Into`] are reflexive, which means that all types can `into()`
38- //! themselves and `from() ` themselves
37+ //! - [`From`] and [`Into`] are reflexive, which means that all types can
38+ //! `into` themselves and `from` themselves
3939//!
4040//! See each trait for usage examples.
4141//!
5050
5151use str:: FromStr ;
5252
53- /// A cheap, reference-to-reference conversion.
53+ /// A cheap reference-to-reference conversion. Used to convert a value to a
54+ /// reference value within generic code.
5455///
55- /// `AsRef` is very similar to, but different than, [`Borrow`]. See
56- /// [the book][book] for more.
56+ /// `AsRef` is very similar to, but serves a slightly different purpose than,
57+ /// [`Borrow`].
58+ ///
59+ /// `AsRef` is to be used when wishing to convert to a reference of another
60+ /// type.
61+ /// `Borrow` is more related to the notion of taking the reference. It is
62+ /// useful when wishing to abstract over the type of reference
63+ /// (`&T`, `&mut T`) or allow both the referenced and owned type to be treated
64+ /// in the same manner.
65+ ///
66+ /// The key difference between the two traits is the intention:
67+ ///
68+ /// - Use `AsRef` when goal is to simply convert into a reference
69+ /// - Use `Borrow` when goal is related to writing code that is agnostic to the
70+ /// type of borrow and if is reference or value
71+ ///
72+ /// See [the book][book] for a more detailed comparison.
5773///
5874/// [book]: ../../book/borrow-and-asref.html
5975/// [`Borrow`]: ../../std/borrow/trait.Borrow.html
6076///
61- /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use a dedicated method which
62- /// returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
77+ /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use a
78+ /// dedicated method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
6379///
6480/// [`Option<T>`]: ../../std/option/enum.Option.html
6581/// [`Result<T, E>`]: ../../std/result/enum.Result.html
6682///
83+ /// # Generic Implementations
84+ ///
85+ /// - `AsRef` auto-dereferences if the inner type is a reference or a mutable
86+ /// reference (e.g.: `foo.as_ref()` will work the same if `foo` has type
87+ /// `&mut Foo` or `&&mut Foo`)
88+ ///
6789/// # Examples
6890///
6991/// Both [`String`] and `&str` implement `AsRef<str>`:
@@ -82,11 +104,6 @@ use str::FromStr;
82104/// is_hello(s);
83105/// ```
84106///
85- /// # Generic Impls
86- ///
87- /// - `AsRef` auto-dereferences if the inner type is a reference or a mutable
88- /// reference (e.g.: `foo.as_ref()` will work the same if `foo` has type `&mut Foo` or `&&mut Foo`)
89- ///
90107#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
91108pub trait AsRef < T : ?Sized > {
92109 /// Performs the conversion.
@@ -96,12 +113,21 @@ pub trait AsRef<T: ?Sized> {
96113
97114/// A cheap, mutable reference-to-mutable reference conversion.
98115///
99- /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use a dedicated method which
100- /// returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
116+ /// This trait is similar to `AsRef` but used for converting between mutable
117+ /// references.
118+ ///
119+ /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use a
120+ /// dedicated method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
101121///
102122/// [`Option<T>`]: ../../std/option/enum.Option.html
103123/// [`Result<T, E>`]: ../../std/result/enum.Result.html
104124///
125+ /// # Generic Implementations
126+ ///
127+ /// - `AsMut` auto-dereferences if the inner type is a reference or a mutable
128+ /// reference (e.g.: `foo.as_ref()` will work the same if `foo` has type
129+ /// `&mut Foo` or `&&mut Foo`)
130+ ///
105131/// # Examples
106132///
107133/// [`Box<T>`] implements `AsMut<T>`:
@@ -118,10 +144,6 @@ pub trait AsRef<T: ?Sized> {
118144/// assert_eq!(*boxed_num, 1);
119145/// ```
120146///
121- /// # Generic Impls
122- ///
123- /// - `AsMut` auto-dereferences if the inner type is a reference or a mutable
124- /// reference (e.g.: `foo.as_ref()` will work the same if `foo` has type `&mut Foo` or `&&mut Foo`)
125147///
126148#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
127149pub trait AsMut < T : ?Sized > {
@@ -130,14 +152,22 @@ pub trait AsMut<T: ?Sized> {
130152 fn as_mut ( & mut self ) -> & mut T ;
131153}
132154
133- /// A conversion that consumes `self`, which may or may not be expensive.
155+ /// A conversion that consumes `self`, which may or may not be expensive. The
156+ /// reciprocal of [`From`][From].
157+ ///
158+ /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use
159+ /// [`TryInto`] or a dedicated method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a
160+ /// [`Result<T, E>`].
134161///
135- /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use [`TryInto`] or a dedicated
136- /// method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
162+ /// Library authors should not directly implement this trait, but should prefer
163+ /// implementing the [`From`][From] trait, which offers greater flexibility and
164+ /// provides an equivalent `Into` implementation for free, thanks to a blanket
165+ /// implementation in the standard library.
137166///
138- /// Library authors should not directly implement this trait, but should prefer implementing
139- /// the [`From`][From] trait, which offers greater flexibility and provides an equivalent `Into`
140- /// implementation for free, thanks to a blanket implementation in the standard library.
167+ /// # Generic Implementations
168+ ///
169+ /// - [`From<T>`][From]` for U` implies `Into<U> for T`
170+ /// - [`into`] is reflexive, which means that `Into<T> for T` is implemented
141171///
142172/// # Examples
143173///
@@ -153,11 +183,6 @@ pub trait AsMut<T: ?Sized> {
153183/// is_hello(s);
154184/// ```
155185///
156- /// # Generic Impls
157- ///
158- /// - [`From<T>`][From]` for U` implies `Into<U> for T`
159- /// - [`into`] is reflexive, which means that `Into<T> for T` is implemented
160- ///
161186/// [`TryInto`]: trait.TryInto.html
162187/// [`Option<T>`]: ../../std/option/enum.Option.html
163188/// [`Result<T, E>`]: ../../std/result/enum.Result.html
@@ -171,10 +196,31 @@ pub trait Into<T>: Sized {
171196 fn into ( self ) -> T ;
172197}
173198
174- /// Construct `Self` via a conversion.
199+ /// Simple and safe type conversions in to `Self`. It is the reciprocal of
200+ /// `Into`.
201+ ///
202+ /// This trait is useful when performing error handling as described by
203+ /// [the book][book] and is closely related to the `?` operator.
204+ ///
205+ /// When constructing a function that is capable of failing the return type
206+ /// will generally be of the form `Result<T, E>`.
207+ ///
208+ /// The `From` trait allows for simplification of error handling by providing a
209+ /// means of returning a single error type that encapsulates numerous possible
210+ /// erroneous situations.
211+ ///
212+ /// This trait is not limited to error handling, rather the general case for
213+ /// this trait would be in any type conversions to have an explicit definition
214+ /// of how they are performed.
215+ ///
216+ /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use
217+ /// [`TryFrom`] or a dedicated method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a
218+ /// [`Result<T, E>`].
175219///
176- /// **Note: this trait must not fail**. If the conversion can fail, use [`TryFrom`] or a dedicated
177- /// method which returns an [`Option<T>`] or a [`Result<T, E>`].
220+ /// # Generic Implementations
221+ ///
222+ /// - `From<T> for U` implies [`Into<U>`]` for T`
223+ /// - [`from`] is reflexive, which means that `From<T> for T` is implemented
178224///
179225/// # Examples
180226///
@@ -186,29 +232,60 @@ pub trait Into<T>: Sized {
186232///
187233/// assert_eq!(string, other_string);
188234/// ```
189- /// # Generic impls
190235///
191- /// - `From<T> for U` implies [`Into<U>`]` for T`
192- /// - [`from`] is reflexive, which means that `From<T> for T` is implemented
236+ /// An example usage for error handling:
237+ ///
238+ /// ```
239+ /// use std::io::{self, Read};
240+ /// use std::num;
241+ ///
242+ /// enum CliError {
243+ /// IoError(io::Error),
244+ /// ParseError(num::ParseIntError),
245+ /// }
246+ ///
247+ /// impl From<io::Error> for CliError {
248+ /// fn from(error: io::Error) -> Self {
249+ /// CliError::IoError(error)
250+ /// }
251+ /// }
252+ ///
253+ /// impl From<num::ParseIntError> for CliError {
254+ /// fn from(error: num::ParseIntError) -> Self {
255+ /// CliError::ParseError(error)
256+ /// }
257+ /// }
258+ ///
259+ /// fn open_and_parse_file(file_name: &str) -> Result<i32, CliError> {
260+ /// let mut file = std::fs::File::open("test")?;
261+ /// let mut contents = String::new();
262+ /// file.read_to_string(&mut contents)?;
263+ /// let num: i32 = contents.trim().parse()?;
264+ /// Ok(num)
265+ /// }
266+ /// ```
193267///
194268/// [`TryFrom`]: trait.TryFrom.html
195269/// [`Option<T>`]: ../../std/option/enum.Option.html
196270/// [`Result<T, E>`]: ../../std/result/enum.Result.html
197271/// [`String`]: ../../std/string/struct.String.html
198272/// [`Into<U>`]: trait.Into.html
199273/// [`from`]: trait.From.html#tymethod.from
274+ /// [book]: ../../book/error-handling.html
200275#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
201276pub trait From < T > : Sized {
202277 /// Performs the conversion.
203278 #[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
204279 fn from ( T ) -> Self ;
205280}
206281
207- /// An attempted conversion that consumes `self`, which may or may not be expensive.
282+ /// An attempted conversion that consumes `self`, which may or may not be
283+ /// expensive.
208284///
209- /// Library authors should not directly implement this trait, but should prefer implementing
210- /// the [`TryFrom`] trait, which offers greater flexibility and provides an equivalent `TryInto`
211- /// implementation for free, thanks to a blanket implementation in the standard library.
285+ /// Library authors should not directly implement this trait, but should prefer
286+ /// implementing the [`TryFrom`] trait, which offers greater flexibility and
287+ /// provides an equivalent `TryInto` implementation for free, thanks to a
288+ /// blanket implementation in the standard library.
212289///
213290/// [`TryFrom`]: trait.TryFrom.html
214291#[ unstable( feature = "try_from" , issue = "33417" ) ]
@@ -236,15 +313,17 @@ pub trait TryFrom<T>: Sized {
236313
237314// As lifts over &
238315#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
239- impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsRef < U > for & ' a T where T : AsRef < U > {
316+ impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsRef < U > for & ' a T where T : AsRef < U >
317+ {
240318 fn as_ref ( & self ) -> & U {
241319 <T as AsRef < U > >:: as_ref ( * self )
242320 }
243321}
244322
245323// As lifts over &mut
246324#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
247- impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsRef < U > for & ' a mut T where T : AsRef < U > {
325+ impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsRef < U > for & ' a mut T where T : AsRef < U >
326+ {
248327 fn as_ref ( & self ) -> & U {
249328 <T as AsRef < U > >:: as_ref ( * self )
250329 }
@@ -260,7 +339,8 @@ impl<'a, T: ?Sized, U: ?Sized> AsRef<U> for &'a mut T where T: AsRef<U> {
260339
261340// AsMut lifts over &mut
262341#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
263- impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsMut < U > for & ' a mut T where T : AsMut < U > {
342+ impl < ' a , T : ?Sized , U : ?Sized > AsMut < U > for & ' a mut T where T : AsMut < U >
343+ {
264344 fn as_mut ( & mut self ) -> & mut U {
265345 ( * self ) . as_mut ( )
266346 }
@@ -276,7 +356,8 @@ impl<'a, T: ?Sized, U: ?Sized> AsMut<U> for &'a mut T where T: AsMut<U> {
276356
277357// From implies Into
278358#[ stable( feature = "rust1" , since = "1.0.0" ) ]
279- impl < T , U > Into < U > for T where U : From < T > {
359+ impl < T , U > Into < U > for T where U : From < T >
360+ {
280361 fn into ( self ) -> U {
281362 U :: from ( self )
282363 }
@@ -291,7 +372,8 @@ impl<T> From<T> for T {
291372
292373// TryFrom implies TryInto
293374#[ unstable( feature = "try_from" , issue = "33417" ) ]
294- impl < T , U > TryInto < U > for T where U : TryFrom < T > {
375+ impl < T , U > TryInto < U > for T where U : TryFrom < T >
376+ {
295377 type Error = U :: Error ;
296378
297379 fn try_into ( self ) -> Result < U , U :: Error > {
@@ -327,7 +409,8 @@ impl AsRef<str> for str {
327409
328410// FromStr implies TryFrom<&str>
329411#[ unstable( feature = "try_from" , issue = "33417" ) ]
330- impl < ' a , T > TryFrom < & ' a str > for T where T : FromStr {
412+ impl < ' a , T > TryFrom < & ' a str > for T where T : FromStr
413+ {
331414 type Error = <T as FromStr >:: Err ;
332415
333416 fn try_from ( s : & ' a str ) -> Result < T , Self :: Error > {
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