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<ol class="chapter"><li class="affix"><a href="introduction.html">Introduction</a></li><li><a href="notation.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">1.</strong> Notation</a></li><li><a href="lexical-structure.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.</strong> Lexical structure</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="input-format.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.1.</strong> Input format</a></li><li><a href="keywords.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.2.</strong> Keywords</a></li><li><a href="identifiers.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.3.</strong> Identifiers</a></li><li><a href="comments.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.4.</strong> Comments</a></li><li><a href="whitespace.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.5.</strong> Whitespace</a></li><li><a href="tokens.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.6.</strong> Tokens</a></li><li><a href="paths.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">2.7.</strong> Paths</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="macros.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">3.</strong> Macros</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="macros-by-example.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">3.1.</strong> Macros By Example</a></li><li><a href="procedural-macros.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">3.2.</strong> Procedural Macros</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="crates-and-source-files.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">4.</strong> Crates and source files</a></li><li><a href="conditional-compilation.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">5.</strong> Conditional compilation</a></li><li><a href="items.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.</strong> Items</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="items/modules.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.1.</strong> Modules</a></li><li><a href="items/extern-crates.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.2.</strong> Extern crates</a></li><li><a href="items/use-declarations.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.3.</strong> Use declarations</a></li><li><a href="items/functions.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.4.</strong> Functions</a></li><li><a href="items/type-aliases.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.5.</strong> Type aliases</a></li><li><a href="items/structs.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.6.</strong> Structs</a></li><li><a href="items/enumerations.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.7.</strong> Enumerations</a></li><li><a href="items/unions.html" class="active"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.8.</strong> Unions</a></li><li><a href="items/constant-items.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.9.</strong> Constant items</a></li><li><a href="items/static-items.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.10.</strong> Static items</a></li><li><a href="items/traits.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.11.</strong> Traits</a></li><li><a href="items/implementations.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.12.</strong> Implementations</a></li><li><a href="items/external-blocks.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.13.</strong> External blocks</a></li><li><a href="items/generics.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.14.</strong> Type and lifetime parameters</a></li><li><a href="items/associated-items.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.15.</strong> Associated Items</a></li><li><a href="visibility-and-privacy.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">6.16.</strong> Visibility and Privacy</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="attributes.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.</strong> Attributes</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="attributes/testing.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.1.</strong> Testing</a></li><li><a href="attributes/derive.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.2.</strong> Derive</a></li><li><a href="attributes/diagnostics.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.3.</strong> Diagnostics</a></li><li><a href="attributes/codegen.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.4.</strong> Code generation</a></li><li><a href="attributes/limits.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">7.5.</strong> Limits</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="statements-and-expressions.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.</strong> Statements and expressions</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="statements.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.1.</strong> Statements</a></li><li><a href="expressions.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.</strong> Expressions</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="expressions/literal-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.1.</strong> Literal expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/path-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.2.</strong> Path expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/block-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.3.</strong> Block expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/operator-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.4.</strong> Operator expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/grouped-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.5.</strong> Grouped expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/array-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.6.</strong> Array and index expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/tuple-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.7.</strong> Tuple and index expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/struct-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.8.</strong> Struct expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/enum-variant-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.9.</strong> Enum variant expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/call-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.10.</strong> Call expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/method-call-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.11.</strong> Method call expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/field-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.12.</strong> Field access expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/closure-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.13.</strong> Closure expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/loop-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.14.</strong> Loop expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/range-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.15.</strong> Range expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/if-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.16.</strong> If and if let expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/match-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.17.</strong> Match expressions</a></li><li><a href="expressions/return-expr.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">8.2.18.</strong> Return expressions</a></li></ol></li></ol></li><li><a href="patterns.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">9.</strong> Patterns</a></li><li><a href="type-system.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.</strong> Type system</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="types.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.</strong> Types</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="types/boolean.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.1.</strong> Boolean type</a></li><li><a href="types/numeric.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.2.</strong> Numeric types</a></li><li><a href="types/textual.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.3.</strong> Textual types</a></li><li><a href="types/never.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.4.</strong> Never type</a></li><li><a href="types/tuple.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.5.</strong> Tuple types</a></li><li><a href="types/array.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.6.</strong> Array types</a></li><li><a href="types/slice.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.7.</strong> Slice types</a></li><li><a href="types/struct.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.8.</strong> Struct types</a></li><li><a href="types/enum.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.9.</strong> Enumerated types</a></li><li><a href="types/union.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.10.</strong> Union types</a></li><li><a href="types/function-item.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.11.</strong> Function item types</a></li><li><a href="types/closure.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.12.</strong> Closure types</a></li><li><a href="types/pointer.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.13.</strong> Pointer types</a></li><li><a href="types/function-pointer.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.14.</strong> Function pointer types</a></li><li><a href="types/trait-object.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.15.</strong> Trait object types</a></li><li><a href="types/impl-trait.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.16.</strong> Impl trait type</a></li><li><a href="types/parameters.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.17.</strong> Type parameters</a></li><li><a href="types/inferred.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.1.18.</strong> Inferred type</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="dynamically-sized-types.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.2.</strong> Dynamically Sized Types</a></li><li><a href="type-layout.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.3.</strong> Type layout</a></li><li><a href="interior-mutability.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.4.</strong> Interior mutability</a></li><li><a href="subtyping.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.5.</strong> Subtyping and Variance</a></li><li><a href="trait-bounds.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.6.</strong> Trait and lifetime bounds</a></li><li><a href="type-coercions.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.7.</strong> Type coercions</a></li><li><a href="destructors.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.8.</strong> Destructors</a></li><li><a href="lifetime-elision.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">10.9.</strong> Lifetime elision</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="special-types-and-traits.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">11.</strong> Special types and traits</a></li><li><a href="memory-model.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">12.</strong> Memory model</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="memory-allocation-and-lifetime.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">12.1.</strong> Memory allocation and lifetime</a></li><li><a href="memory-ownership.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">12.2.</strong> Memory ownership</a></li><li><a href="variables.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">12.3.</strong> Variables</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="linkage.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">13.</strong> Linkage</a></li><li><a href="unsafety.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">14.</strong> Unsafety</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="unsafe-functions.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">14.1.</strong> Unsafe functions</a></li><li><a href="unsafe-blocks.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">14.2.</strong> Unsafe blocks</a></li><li><a href="behavior-considered-undefined.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">14.3.</strong> Behavior considered undefined</a></li><li><a href="behavior-not-considered-unsafe.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">14.4.</strong> Behavior not considered unsafe</a></li></ol></li><li><a href="const_eval.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">15.</strong> Constant Evaluation</a></li><li><a href="abi.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">16.</strong> Application Binary Interface</a></li><li><a href="runtime.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">17.</strong> The Rust runtime</a></li><li><a href="appendices.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">18.</strong> Appendices</a></li><li><ol class="section"><li><a href="macro-ambiguity.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">18.1.</strong> Macro Follow-Set Ambiguity Formal Specification</a></li><li><a href="influences.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">18.2.</strong> Influences</a></li><li><a href="glossary.html"><strong aria-hidden="true">18.3.</strong> Glossary</a></li></ol></li></ol>
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<a class="header" href="items/unions.html#unions" id="unions"><h1>Unions</h1></a>
<blockquote>
<p><strong><sup>Syntax</sup></strong><br />
<em>Union</em> :<br />
<code>union</code> <a href="identifiers.html">IDENTIFIER</a> <a href="items/generics.html"><em>Generics</em></a><sup>?</sup> <a href="items/generics.html#where-clauses"><em>WhereClause</em></a><sup>?</sup>
<code>{</code><a href="items/structs.html"><em>StructFields</em></a> <code>}</code></p>
</blockquote>
<p>A union declaration uses the same syntax as a struct declaration, except with
<code>union</code> in place of <code>struct</code>.</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
#[repr(C)]
union MyUnion {
f1: u32,
f2: f32,
}
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>The key property of unions is that all fields of a union share common storage.
As a result writes to one field of a union can overwrite its other fields, and
size of a union is determined by the size of its largest field.</p>
<p>A value of a union type can be created using the same syntax that is used for
struct types, except that it must specify exactly one field:</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
# union MyUnion { f1: u32, f2: f32 }
#
let u = MyUnion { f1: 1 };
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>The expression above creates a value of type <code>MyUnion</code> and initializes the
storage using field <code>f1</code>. The union can be accessed using the same syntax as
struct fields:</p>
<pre><code class="language-rust ignore">let f = u.f1;
</code></pre>
<p>Unions have no notion of an "active field". Instead, every union access just
interprets the storage at the type of the field used for the access. Reading a
union field reads the bits of the union at the field's type. It is the
programmer's responsibility to make sure that the data is valid at that
type. Failing to do so results in undefined behavior. For example, reading the
value <code>3</code> at type <code>bool</code> is undefined behavior. Effectively, writing to and then
reading from a union is analogous to a <a href="../std/mem/fn.transmute.html"><code>transmute</code></a> from the type used for
writing to the type used for reading.</p>
<p>Consequently, all reads of union fields have to be placed in <code>unsafe</code> blocks:</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
# union MyUnion { f1: u32, f2: f32 }
# let u = MyUnion { f1: 1 };
#
unsafe {
let f = u.f1;
}
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>Writes to <code>Copy</code> union fields do not require reads for running destructors, so
these writes don't have to be placed in <code>unsafe</code> blocks</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
# union MyUnion { f1: u32, f2: f32 }
# let mut u = MyUnion { f1: 1 };
#
u.f1 = 2;
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>Commonly, code using unions will provide safe wrappers around unsafe union
field accesses.</p>
<p>Another way to access union fields is to use pattern matching. Pattern matching
on union fields uses the same syntax as struct patterns, except that the pattern
must specify exactly one field. Since pattern matching is like reading the union
with a particular field, it has to be placed in <code>unsafe</code> blocks as well.</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
# union MyUnion { f1: u32, f2: f32 }
#
fn f(u: MyUnion) {
unsafe {
match u {
MyUnion { f1: 10 } => { println!("ten"); }
MyUnion { f2 } => { println!("{}", f2); }
}
}
}
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>Pattern matching may match a union as a field of a larger structure. In
particular, when using a Rust union to implement a C tagged union via FFI, this
allows matching on the tag and the corresponding field simultaneously:</p>
<pre><pre class="playpen"><code class="language-rust">
# #![allow(unused_variables)]
#fn main() {
#[repr(u32)]
enum Tag { I, F }
#[repr(C)]
union U {
i: i32,
f: f32,
}
#[repr(C)]
struct Value {
tag: Tag,
u: U,
}
fn is_zero(v: Value) -> bool {
unsafe {
match v {
Value { tag: I, u: U { i: 0 } } => true,
Value { tag: F, u: U { f: 0.0 } } => true,
_ => false,
}
}
}
#}</code></pre></pre>
<p>Since union fields share common storage, gaining write access to one field of a
union can give write access to all its remaining fields. Borrow checking rules
have to be adjusted to account for this fact. As a result, if one field of a
union is borrowed, all its remaining fields are borrowed as well for the same
lifetime.</p>
<pre><code class="language-rust ignore">// ERROR: cannot borrow `u` (via `u.f2`) as mutable more than once at a time
fn test() {
let mut u = MyUnion { f1: 1 };
unsafe {
let b1 = &mut u.f1;
---- first mutable borrow occurs here (via `u.f1`)
let b2 = &mut u.f2;
^^^^ second mutable borrow occurs here (via `u.f2`)
*b1 = 5;
}
- first borrow ends here
assert_eq!(unsafe { u.f1 }, 5);
}
</code></pre>
<p>As you could see, in many aspects (except for layouts, safety and ownership)
unions behave exactly like structs, largely as a consequence of inheriting
their syntactic shape from structs. This is also true for many unmentioned
aspects of Rust language (such as privacy, name resolution, type inference,
generics, trait implementations, inherent implementations, coherence, pattern
checking, etc etc etc).</p>
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