# Module ethcore_util::standard::option 1.0.0 [−] [src]

Optional values.

Type `Option` represents an optional value: every `Option` is either `Some` and contains a value, or `None`, and does not. `Option` types are very common in Rust code, as they have a number of uses:

- Initial values
- Return values for functions that are not defined over their entire input range (partial functions)
- Return value for otherwise reporting simple errors, where `None` is returned on error
- Optional struct fields
- Struct fields that can be loaned or "taken"
- Optional function arguments
- Nullable pointers
- Swapping things out of difficult situations

`Option`s are commonly paired with pattern matching to query the presence of a value and take action, always accounting for the `None` case.

    fn divide(numerator: f64, denominator: f64) -> Option<f64> {
        if denominator == 0.0 {
            None
        } else {
            Some(numerator / denominator)
        }
    }

    // The return value of the function is an option
    let result = divide(2.0, 3.0);

    // Pattern match to retrieve the value
    match result {
        // The division was valid
        Some(x) => println!("Result: {}", x),
        // The division was invalid
        None    => println!("Cannot divide by 0"),
    }

# Options and pointers ("nullable" pointers)

Rust's pointer types must always point to a valid location; there are no "null" pointers. Instead, Rust has optional pointers, like the optional owned box, `Option` `<` `Box<T>` `>`.

The following example uses `Option` to create an optional box of `i32`. Notice that in order to use the inner `i32` value first the `check_optional` function needs to use pattern matching to determine whether the box has a value (i.e. it is `Some(...)`) or not (`None`).

    let optional: Option<Box<i32>> = None;
    check_optional(&optional);

    let optional: Option<Box<i32>> = Some(Box::new(9000));
    check_optional(&optional);

    fn check_optional(optional: &Option<Box<i32>>) {
        match *optional {
            Some(ref p) => println!("have value {}", p),
            None => println!("have no value"),
        }
    }

This usage of `Option` to create safe nullable pointers is so common that Rust does special optimizations to make the representation of `Option` `<` `Box<T>` `>` a single pointer. Optional pointers in Rust are stored as efficiently as any other pointer type.

# Examples

Basic pattern matching on `Option`:

    let msg = Some("howdy");

    // Take a reference to the contained string
    if let Some(ref m) = msg {
        println!("{}", *m);
    }

    // Remove the contained string, destroying the Option
    let unwrapped_msg = msg.unwrap_or("default message");

Initialize a result to `None` before a loop:

    enum Kingdom { Plant(u32, &'static str), Animal(u32, &'static str) }

    // A list of data to search through.
    let all_the_big_things = [
        Kingdom::Plant(250, "redwood"),
        Kingdom::Plant(230, "noble fir"),
        Kingdom::Plant(229, "sugar pine"),
        Kingdom::Animal(25, "blue whale"),
        Kingdom::Animal(19, "fin whale"),
        Kingdom::Animal(15, "north pacific right whale"),
    ];

    // We're going to search for the name of the biggest animal,
    // but to start with we've just got `None`.
    let mut name_of_biggest_animal = None;
    let mut size_of_biggest_animal = 0;
    for big_thing in &all_the_big_things {
        match *big_thing {
            Kingdom::Animal(size, name) if size > size_of_biggest_animal => {
                // Now we've found the name of some big animal
                size_of_biggest_animal = size;
                name_of_biggest_animal = Some(name);
            }
            Kingdom::Animal(..) | Kingdom::Plant(..) => ()
        }
    }

    match name_of_biggest_animal {
        Some(name) => println!("the biggest animal is {}", name),
        None => println!("there are no animals :("),
    }

## Structs

IntoIter | An iterator over the item contained inside an `Option`.
Iter | An iterator over a reference of the contained item in an `Option`.
IterMut | An iterator over a mutable reference of the contained item in an `Option`.

## Enums

Option | The `Option` type. See the module level documentation for more.

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