Struct std::ptr::Unique

source ·
#[repr(transparent)]
pub struct Unique<T>where T: ?Sized,{ pointer: NonNull<T>, _marker: PhantomData<T>, }
🔬This is a nightly-only experimental API. (ptr_internals)
Expand description

A wrapper around a raw non-null *mut T that indicates that the possessor of this wrapper owns the referent. Useful for building abstractions like Box<T>, Vec<T>, String, and HashMap<K, V>.

Unlike *mut T, Unique<T> behaves “as if” it were an instance of T. It implements Send/Sync if T is Send/Sync. It also implies the kind of strong aliasing guarantees an instance of T can expect: the referent of the pointer should not be modified without a unique path to its owning Unique.

If you’re uncertain of whether it’s correct to use Unique for your purposes, consider using NonNull, which has weaker semantics.

Unlike *mut T, the pointer must always be non-null, even if the pointer is never dereferenced. This is so that enums may use this forbidden value as a discriminant – Option<Unique<T>> has the same size as Unique<T>. However the pointer may still dangle if it isn’t dereferenced.

Unlike *mut T, Unique<T> is covariant over T. This should always be correct for any type which upholds Unique’s aliasing requirements.

Fields§

§pointer: NonNull<T>
🔬This is a nightly-only experimental API. (ptr_internals)
§_marker: PhantomData<T>
🔬This is a nightly-only experimental API. (ptr_internals)