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Mutex

Struct Mutex 

1.0.0 ยท Source
pub struct Mutex<T>
where T: ?Sized,
{ /* private fields */ }
Available on crate features std only.
Expand description

๐Ÿงต std A mutual exclusion primitive useful for protecting shared data.


๐Ÿ“work/sync re-exported from std::sync



๐Ÿ“œ
A mutual exclusion primitive useful for protecting shared data

This mutex will block threads waiting for the lock to become available. The mutex can be created via a new constructor. Each mutex has a type parameter which represents the data that it is protecting. The data can only be accessed through the RAII guards returned from lock and try_lock, which guarantees that the data is only ever accessed when the mutex is locked.

ยงPoisoning

The mutexes in this module implement a strategy called โ€œpoisoningโ€ where a mutex becomes poisoned if it recognizes that the thread holding it has panicked.

Once a mutex is poisoned, all other threads are unable to access the data by default as it is likely tainted (some invariant is not being upheld). For a mutex, this means that the lock and try_lock methods return a Result which indicates whether a mutex has been poisoned or not. Most usage of a mutex will simply unwrap() these results, propagating panics among threads to ensure that a possibly invalid invariant is not witnessed.

Poisoning is only advisory: the PoisonError type has an into_inner method which will return the guard that would have otherwise been returned on a successful lock. This allows access to the data, despite the lock being poisoned.

In addition, the panic detection is not ideal, so even unpoisoned mutexes need to be handled with care, since certain panics may have been skipped. Here is a non-exhaustive list of situations where this might occur:

  • If a mutex is locked while a panic is underway, e.g. within a Drop implementation or a panic hook, panicking for the second time while the lock is held will leave the mutex unpoisoned. Note that while double panic usually aborts the program, catch_unwind can prevent this.

  • Locking and unlocking the mutex across different panic contexts, e.g. by storing the guard to a Cell within Drop::drop and accessing it outside, or vice versa, can affect poisoning status in an unexpected way.

  • Foreign exceptions do not currently trigger poisoning even in absence of other panics.

While this rarely happens in realistic code, unsafe code cannot rely on poisoning for soundness, since the behavior of poisoning can depend on outside context. Hereโ€™s an example of incorrect use of poisoning:

use std::sync::Mutex;

struct MutexBox<T> {
    data: Mutex<*mut T>,
}

impl<T> MutexBox<T> {
    pub fn new(value: T) -> Self {
        Self {
            data: Mutex::new(Box::into_raw(Box::new(value))),
        }
    }

    pub fn replace_with(&self, f: impl FnOnce(T) -> T) {
        let ptr = self.data.lock().expect("poisoned");
        // While `f` is running, the data is moved out of `*ptr`. If `f`
        // panics, `*ptr` keeps pointing at a dropped value. The intention
        // is that this will poison the mutex, so the following calls to
        // `replace_with` will panic without reading `*ptr`. But since
        // poisoning is not guaranteed to occur if this is run from a panic
        // hook, this can lead to use-after-free.
        unsafe {
            (*ptr).write(f((*ptr).read()));
        }
    }
}

ยงExamples

use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;
use std::sync::mpsc::channel;

const N: usize = 10;

// Spawn a few threads to increment a shared variable (non-atomically), and
// let the main thread know once all increments are done.
//
// Here we're using an Arc to share memory among threads, and the data inside
// the Arc is protected with a mutex.
let data = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));

let (tx, rx) = channel();
for _ in 0..N {
    let (data, tx) = (Arc::clone(&data), tx.clone());
    thread::spawn(move || {
        // The shared state can only be accessed once the lock is held.
        // Our non-atomic increment is safe because we're the only thread
        // which can access the shared state when the lock is held.
        //
        // We unwrap() the return value to assert that we are not expecting
        // threads to ever fail while holding the lock.
        let mut data = data.lock().unwrap();
        *data += 1;
        if *data == N {
            tx.send(()).unwrap();
        }
        // the lock is unlocked here when `data` goes out of scope.
    });
}

rx.recv().unwrap();

To recover from a poisoned mutex:

use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

let lock = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0_u32));
let lock2 = Arc::clone(&lock);

let _ = thread::spawn(move || -> () {
    // This thread will acquire the mutex first, unwrapping the result of
    // `lock` because the lock has not been poisoned.
    let _guard = lock2.lock().unwrap();

    // This panic while holding the lock (`_guard` is in scope) will poison
    // the mutex.
    panic!();
}).join();

// The lock is poisoned by this point, but the returned result can be
// pattern matched on to return the underlying guard on both branches.
let mut guard = match lock.lock() {
    Ok(guard) => guard,
    Err(poisoned) => poisoned.into_inner(),
};

*guard += 1;

To unlock a mutex guard sooner than the end of the enclosing scope, either create an inner scope or drop the guard manually.

use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

const N: usize = 3;

let data_mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(vec![1, 2, 3, 4]));
let res_mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));

let mut threads = Vec::with_capacity(N);
(0..N).for_each(|_| {
    let data_mutex_clone = Arc::clone(&data_mutex);
    let res_mutex_clone = Arc::clone(&res_mutex);

    threads.push(thread::spawn(move || {
        // Here we use a block to limit the lifetime of the lock guard.
        let result = {
            let mut data = data_mutex_clone.lock().unwrap();
            // This is the result of some important and long-ish work.
            let result = data.iter().fold(0, |acc, x| acc + x * 2);
            data.push(result);
            result
            // The mutex guard gets dropped here, together with any other values
            // created in the critical section.
        };
        // The guard created here is a temporary dropped at the end of the statement, i.e.
        // the lock would not remain being held even if the thread did some additional work.
        *res_mutex_clone.lock().unwrap() += result;
    }));
});

let mut data = data_mutex.lock().unwrap();
// This is the result of some important and long-ish work.
let result = data.iter().fold(0, |acc, x| acc + x * 2);
data.push(result);
// We drop the `data` explicitly because it's not necessary anymore and the
// thread still has work to do. This allows other threads to start working on
// the data immediately, without waiting for the rest of the unrelated work
// to be done here.
//
// It's even more important here than in the threads because we `.join` the
// threads after that. If we had not dropped the mutex guard, a thread could
// be waiting forever for it, causing a deadlock.
// As in the threads, a block could have been used instead of calling the
// `drop` function.
drop(data);
// Here the mutex guard is not assigned to a variable and so, even if the
// scope does not end after this line, the mutex is still released: there is
// no deadlock.
*res_mutex.lock().unwrap() += result;

threads.into_iter().for_each(|thread| {
    thread
        .join()
        .expect("The thread creating or execution failed !")
});

assert_eq!(*res_mutex.lock().unwrap(), 800);

Implementationsยง

Sourceยง

impl<T> Mutex<T>

1.0.0 (const: 1.63.0) ยท Source

pub const fn new(t: T) -> Mutex<T>

Creates a new mutex in an unlocked state ready for use.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::Mutex;

let mutex = Mutex::new(0);
Source

pub fn get_cloned(&self) -> Result<T, PoisonError<()>> โ“˜
where T: Clone,

๐Ÿ”ฌThis is a nightly-only experimental API. (lock_value_accessors)

Returns the contained value by cloning it.

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error instead.

ยงExamples
#![feature(lock_value_accessors)]

use std::sync::Mutex;

let mut mutex = Mutex::new(7);

assert_eq!(mutex.get_cloned().unwrap(), 7);
Source

pub fn set(&self, value: T) -> Result<(), PoisonError<T>> โ“˜

๐Ÿ”ฌThis is a nightly-only experimental API. (lock_value_accessors)

Sets the contained value.

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error containing the provided value instead.

ยงExamples
#![feature(lock_value_accessors)]

use std::sync::Mutex;

let mut mutex = Mutex::new(7);

assert_eq!(mutex.get_cloned().unwrap(), 7);
mutex.set(11).unwrap();
assert_eq!(mutex.get_cloned().unwrap(), 11);
Source

pub fn replace(&self, value: T) -> Result<T, PoisonError<T>> โ“˜

๐Ÿ”ฌThis is a nightly-only experimental API. (lock_value_accessors)

Replaces the contained value with value, and returns the old contained value.

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error containing the provided value instead.

ยงExamples
#![feature(lock_value_accessors)]

use std::sync::Mutex;

let mut mutex = Mutex::new(7);

assert_eq!(mutex.replace(11).unwrap(), 7);
assert_eq!(mutex.get_cloned().unwrap(), 11);
Sourceยง

impl<T> Mutex<T>
where T: ?Sized,

1.0.0 ยท Source

pub fn lock(&self) -> Result<MutexGuard<'_, T>, PoisonError<MutexGuard<'_, T>>> โ“˜

Acquires a mutex, blocking the current thread until it is able to do so.

This function will block the local thread until it is available to acquire the mutex. Upon returning, the thread is the only thread with the lock held. An RAII guard is returned to allow scoped unlock of the lock. When the guard goes out of scope, the mutex will be unlocked.

The exact behavior on locking a mutex in the thread which already holds the lock is left unspecified. However, this function will not return on the second call (it might panic or deadlock, for example).

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error once the mutex is acquired. The acquired mutex guard will be contained in the returned error.

ยงPanics

This function might panic when called if the lock is already held by the current thread.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

let mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));
let c_mutex = Arc::clone(&mutex);

thread::spawn(move || {
    *c_mutex.lock().unwrap() = 10;
}).join().expect("thread::spawn failed");
assert_eq!(*mutex.lock().unwrap(), 10);
1.0.0 ยท Source

pub fn try_lock( &self, ) -> Result<MutexGuard<'_, T>, TryLockError<MutexGuard<'_, T>>> โ“˜

Attempts to acquire this lock.

If the lock could not be acquired at this time, then Err is returned. Otherwise, an RAII guard is returned. The lock will be unlocked when the guard is dropped.

This function does not block.

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return the Poisoned error if the mutex would otherwise be acquired. An acquired lock guard will be contained in the returned error.

If the mutex could not be acquired because it is already locked, then this call will return the WouldBlock error.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

let mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));
let c_mutex = Arc::clone(&mutex);

thread::spawn(move || {
    let mut lock = c_mutex.try_lock();
    if let Ok(ref mut mutex) = lock {
        **mutex = 10;
    } else {
        println!("try_lock failed");
    }
}).join().expect("thread::spawn failed");
assert_eq!(*mutex.lock().unwrap(), 10);
1.2.0 ยท Source

pub fn is_poisoned(&self) -> bool

Determines whether the mutex is poisoned.

If another thread is active, the mutex can still become poisoned at any time. You should not trust a false value for program correctness without additional synchronization.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

let mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));
let c_mutex = Arc::clone(&mutex);

let _ = thread::spawn(move || {
    let _lock = c_mutex.lock().unwrap();
    panic!(); // the mutex gets poisoned
}).join();
assert_eq!(mutex.is_poisoned(), true);
1.77.0 ยท Source

pub fn clear_poison(&self)

Clear the poisoned state from a mutex.

If the mutex is poisoned, it will remain poisoned until this function is called. This allows recovering from a poisoned state and marking that it has recovered. For example, if the value is overwritten by a known-good value, then the mutex can be marked as un-poisoned. Or possibly, the value could be inspected to determine if it is in a consistent state, and if so the poison is removed.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::{Arc, Mutex};
use std::thread;

let mutex = Arc::new(Mutex::new(0));
let c_mutex = Arc::clone(&mutex);

let _ = thread::spawn(move || {
    let _lock = c_mutex.lock().unwrap();
    panic!(); // the mutex gets poisoned
}).join();

assert_eq!(mutex.is_poisoned(), true);
let x = mutex.lock().unwrap_or_else(|mut e| {
    **e.get_mut() = 1;
    mutex.clear_poison();
    e.into_inner()
});
assert_eq!(mutex.is_poisoned(), false);
assert_eq!(*x, 1);
1.6.0 ยท Source

pub fn into_inner(self) -> Result<T, PoisonError<T>> โ“˜
where T: Sized,

Consumes this mutex, returning the underlying data.

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error containing the underlying data instead.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::Mutex;

let mutex = Mutex::new(0);
assert_eq!(mutex.into_inner().unwrap(), 0);
1.6.0 ยท Source

pub fn get_mut(&mut self) -> Result<&mut T, PoisonError<&mut T>> โ“˜

Returns a mutable reference to the underlying data.

Since this call borrows the Mutex mutably, no actual locking needs to take place โ€“ the mutable borrow statically guarantees no new locks can be acquired while this reference exists. Note that this method does not clear any previous abandoned locks (e.g., via forget() on a MutexGuard).

ยงErrors

If another user of this mutex panicked while holding the mutex, then this call will return an error containing a mutable reference to the underlying data instead.

ยงExamples
use std::sync::Mutex;

let mut mutex = Mutex::new(0);
*mutex.get_mut().unwrap() = 10;
assert_eq!(*mutex.lock().unwrap(), 10);
Source

pub const fn data_ptr(&self) -> *mut T

๐Ÿ”ฌThis is a nightly-only experimental API. (mutex_data_ptr)

Returns a raw pointer to the underlying data.

The returned pointer is always non-null and properly aligned, but it is the userโ€™s responsibility to ensure that any reads and writes through it are properly synchronized to avoid data races, and that it is not read or written through after the mutex is dropped.

Trait Implementationsยง

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impl<T> BitSized<{$PTR_BITS * 3}> for Mutex<T>

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const BIT_SIZE: usize = _

The bit size of this type (only the relevant data part, without padding). Read more
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const MIN_BYTE_SIZE: usize = _

The rounded up byte size for this type. Read more
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fn bit_size(&self) -> usize

Returns the bit size of this type (only the relevant data part, without padding). Read more
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fn min_byte_size(&self) -> usize

Returns the rounded up byte size for this type. Read more
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impl<T: ConstInit> ConstInit for Mutex<T>

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const INIT: Self

Returns the compile-time โ€œinitial valueโ€ for a type.
1.0.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> Debug for Mutex<T>
where T: Debug + ?Sized,

Sourceยง

fn fmt(&self, f: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), Error> โ“˜

Formats the value using the given formatter. Read more
1.10.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> Default for Mutex<T>
where T: Default,

Sourceยง

fn default() -> Mutex<T>

Creates a Mutex<T>, with the Default value for T.

1.24.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> From<T> for Mutex<T>

Sourceยง

fn from(t: T) -> Mutex<T>

Creates a new mutex in an unlocked state ready for use. This is equivalent to Mutex::new.

1.12.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> RefUnwindSafe for Mutex<T>
where T: ?Sized,

1.0.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> Send for Mutex<T>
where T: Send + ?Sized,

T must be Send for a Mutex to be Send because it is possible to acquire the owned T from the Mutex via into_inner.

1.0.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> Sync for Mutex<T>
where T: Send + ?Sized,

T must be Send for Mutex to be Sync. This ensures that the protected data can be accessed safely from multiple threads without causing data races or other unsafe behavior.

Mutex<T> provides mutable access to T to one thread at a time. However, itโ€™s essential for T to be Send because itโ€™s not safe for non-Send structures to be accessed in this manner. For instance, consider Rc, a non-atomic reference counted smart pointer, which is not Send. With Rc, we can have multiple copies pointing to the same heap allocation with a non-atomic reference count. If we were to use Mutex<Rc<_>>, it would only protect one instance of Rc from shared access, leaving other copies vulnerable to potential data races.

Also note that it is not necessary for T to be Sync as &T is only made available to one thread at a time if T is not Sync.

1.9.0 ยท Sourceยง

impl<T> UnwindSafe for Mutex<T>
where T: ?Sized,

Auto Trait Implementationsยง

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impl<T> !Freeze for Mutex<T>

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impl<T> Unpin for Mutex<T>
where T: Unpin + ?Sized,

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impl<T> UnsafeUnpin for Mutex<T>
where T: UnsafeUnpin + ?Sized,

Blanket Implementationsยง

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impl<T> Any for T
where T: 'static + ?Sized,

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fn type_id(&self) -> TypeId

Gets the TypeId of self. Read more
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impl<T> AnyExt for T
where T: Any + ?Sized,

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fn type_id() -> TypeId

Returns the TypeId of Self. Read more
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fn type_of(&self) -> TypeId

Returns the TypeId of self. Read more
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fn type_name(&self) -> &'static str โ“˜

Returns the type name of self. Read more
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fn type_is<T: 'static>(&self) -> bool

Returns true if Self is of type T. Read more
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fn type_hash(&self) -> u64

Returns a deterministic hash of the TypeId of Self.
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fn type_hash_with<H: Hasher>(&self, hasher: H) -> u64

Returns a deterministic hash of the TypeId of Self using a custom hasher.
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fn as_any_ref(&self) -> &dyn Any
where Self: Sized,

Upcasts &self as &dyn Any. Read more
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fn as_any_mut(&mut self) -> &mut dyn Any
where Self: Sized,

Upcasts &mut self as &mut dyn Any. Read more
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fn as_any_box(self: Box<Self>) -> Box<dyn Any>
where Self: Sized,

Available on crate feature alloc only.
Upcasts Box<self> as Box<dyn Any>. Read more
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fn downcast_ref<T: 'static>(&self) -> Option<&T> โ“˜

Available on crate feature unsafe_layout and non-crate feature safe_code only.
Returns some shared reference to the inner value if it is of type T. Read more
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fn downcast_mut<T: 'static>(&mut self) -> Option<&mut T> โ“˜

Available on crate feature unsafe_layout and non-crate feature safe_code only.
Returns some exclusive reference to the inner value if it is of type T. Read more
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impl<T> Borrow<T> for T
where T: ?Sized,

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fn borrow(&self) -> &T

Immutably borrows from an owned value. Read more
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impl<T> BorrowMut<T> for T
where T: ?Sized,

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fn borrow_mut(&mut self) -> &mut T

Mutably borrows from an owned value. Read more
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impl<T> ByteSized for T

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const BYTE_ALIGN: usize = _

The alignment of this type in bytes.
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const BYTE_SIZE: usize = _

The size of this type in bytes.
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fn byte_align(&self) -> usize

Returns the alignment of this type in bytes.
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fn byte_size(&self) -> usize

Returns the size of this type in bytes. Read more
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fn ptr_size_ratio(&self) -> [usize; 2]

Returns the size ratio between Ptr::BYTES and BYTE_SIZE. Read more
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impl<T> From<!> for T

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fn from(t: !) -> T

Converts to this type from the input type.
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impl<T> From<T> for T

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fn from(t: T) -> T

Returns the argument unchanged.

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impl<T> Hook for T

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fn hook<F>(self, f: F) -> Self
where F: FnOnce(&mut Self),

Hooks a mutation step into the value and returns it. Read more
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fn tap<F>(self, f: F) -> Self
where F: FnOnce(&Self),

Taps into the value for observation and returns it unchanged. Read more
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impl<T, U> Into<U> for T
where U: From<T>,

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fn into(self) -> U

Calls U::from(self).

That is, this conversion is whatever the implementation of From<T> for U chooses to do.

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impl<T> MemExt for T
where T: ?Sized,

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const NEEDS_DROP: bool = _

Know whether dropping values of this type matters, in compile-time.
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fn mem_align_of<T>() -> usize

Returns the minimum alignment of the type in bytes. Read more
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fn mem_align_of_val(&self) -> usize

Returns the alignment of the pointed-to value in bytes. Read more
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fn mem_size_of<T>() -> usize

Returns the size of a type in bytes. Read more
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fn mem_size_of_val(&self) -> usize

Returns the size of the pointed-to value in bytes. Read more
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fn mem_copy(&self) -> Self
where Self: Copy,

Bitwise-copies a value. Read more
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fn mem_needs_drop(&self) -> bool

Returns true if dropping values of this type matters. Read more
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fn mem_drop(self)
where Self: Sized,

Drops self by running its destructor. Read more
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fn mem_forget(self)
where Self: Sized,

Forgets about self without running its destructor. Read more
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fn mem_replace(&mut self, other: Self) -> Self
where Self: Sized,

Replaces self with other, returning the previous value of self. Read more
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fn mem_take(&mut self) -> Self
where Self: Default,

Replaces self with its default value, returning the previous value of self. Read more
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fn mem_swap(&mut self, other: &mut Self)
where Self: Sized,

Swaps the value of self and other without deinitializing either one. Read more
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unsafe fn mem_zeroed<T>() -> T

Available on crate feature unsafe_layout only.
Returns the value of type T represented by the all-zero byte-pattern. Read more
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unsafe fn mem_transmute_copy<Src, Dst>(src: &Src) -> Dst

Available on crate feature unsafe_layout only.
Returns the value of type T represented by the all-zero byte-pattern. Read more
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fn mem_as_bytes(&self) -> &[u8] โ“˜
where Self: Sync + Unpin,

Available on crate feature unsafe_slice only.
View a Sync + Unpin self as &[u8]. Read more
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fn mem_as_bytes_mut(&mut self) -> &mut [u8] โ“˜
where Self: Sync + Unpin,

Available on crate feature unsafe_slice only.
View a Sync + Unpin self as &mut [u8]. Read more
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impl<T, R> Morph<R> for T
where T: ?Sized,

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fn morph<F>(self, f: F) -> R
where F: FnOnce(Self) -> R, Self: Sized,

Morphs the value into a new one and returns it. Read more
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fn morph_ref<F>(&self, f: F) -> R
where F: FnOnce(&Self) -> R,

Morphs the value by shared reference and returns the result. Read more
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fn morph_mut<F>(&mut self, f: F) -> R
where F: FnOnce(&mut Self) -> R,

Morphs the value by exclusive reference and returns the result. Read more
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impl<T, U> TryFrom<U> for T
where U: Into<T>,

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type Error = Infallible

The type returned in the event of a conversion error.
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fn try_from(value: U) -> Result<T, <T as TryFrom<U>>::Error> โ“˜

Performs the conversion.
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impl<T, U> TryInto<U> for T
where U: TryFrom<T>,

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type Error = <U as TryFrom<T>>::Error

The type returned in the event of a conversion error.
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fn try_into(self) -> Result<U, <U as TryFrom<T>>::Error> โ“˜

Performs the conversion.