Call expressions
Syntax
CallExpression :
Expression(
CallParams?)
CallParams :
Expression (,
Expression )\*,
?
A call expression consists of an expression followed by a parenthesized
expression-list. It invokes a function, providing zero or more input variables.
If the function eventually returns, then the expression completes. For
non-function types, the expression f(...) uses
the method on one of the std::ops::Fn
, std::ops::FnMut
or
std::ops::FnOnce
traits, which differ in whether they take the type by
reference, mutable reference, or take ownership respectively. An automatic
borrow will be taken if needed. Rust will also automatically dereference f
as
required. Some examples of call expressions:
# #![allow(unused_variables)] #fn main() { # fn add(x: i32, y: i32) -> i32 { 0 } let three: i32 = add(1i32, 2i32); let name: &'static str = (|| "Rust")(); #}
Disambiguating Function Calls
Rust treats all function calls as sugar for a more explicit, fully-qualified syntax. Upon compilation, Rust will desugar all function calls into the explicit form. Rust may sometimes require you to qualify function calls with trait, depending on the ambiguity of a call in light of in-scope items.
Note: In the past, the Rust community used the terms "Unambiguous Function Call Syntax", "Universal Function Call Syntax", or "UFCS", in documentation, issues, RFCs, and other community writings. However, the term lacks descriptive power and potentially confuses the issue at hand. We mention it here for searchability's sake.
Several situations often occur which result in ambiguities about the receiver or referent of method or associated function calls. These situations may include:
- Multiple in-scope traits define methods with the same name for the same types
- Auto-
deref
is undesirable; for example, distinguishing between methods on a smart pointer itself and the pointer's referent - Methods which take no arguments, like
default()
, and return properties of a type, likesize_of()
To resolve the ambiguity, the programmer may refer to their desired method or function using more specific paths, types, or traits.
For example,
trait Pretty { fn print(&self); } trait Ugly { fn print(&self); } struct Foo; impl Pretty for Foo { fn print(&self) {} } struct Bar; impl Pretty for Bar { fn print(&self) {} } impl Ugly for Bar{ fn print(&self) {} } fn main() { let f = Foo; let b = Bar; // we can do this because we only have one item called `print` for `Foo`s f.print(); // more explicit, and, in the case of `Foo`, not necessary Foo::print(&f); // if you're not into the whole brevity thing <Foo as Pretty>::print(&f); // b.print(); // Error: multiple 'print' found // Bar::print(&b); // Still an error: multiple `print` found // necessary because of in-scope items defining `print` <Bar as Pretty>::print(&b); }
Refer to RFC 132 for further details and motivations.