Rust for C-Programmers

2.10 The use Keyword: Bringing Paths into Scope

The use keyword shortens the paths needed to refer to items (functions, types, modules) defined elsewhere, making code less verbose.

2.10.1 Importing Items

Instead of writing the full path repeatedly, use brings the item into the current scope.

// Bring the `io` module from the standard library (`std`) into scope
use std::io;
// Bring a specific type `HashMap` into scope
use std::collections::HashMap;

fn main() {
    // Now we can use `io` directly instead of `std::io`
    let mut input = String::new(); // String::new() is an associated function
    println!("Enter your name:");
    // stdin(), read_line(), and expect() are methods
    io::stdin().read_line(&mut input).expect("Failed to read line");

    // Use HashMap directly
    let mut scores = HashMap::new(); // HashMap::new() is an associated function
    scores.insert(String::from("Alice"), 10); // insert() is a method

    // trim() is a method
    println!("Hello, {}", input.trim());
    // get() is a method, {:?} is debug formatting
    println!("Alice's score: {:?}", scores.get("Alice"));
}

• String::new() and HashMap::new() are associated functions acting like constructors.
• io::stdin() gets a handle to standard input. read_line(), expect(), insert(), trim(), and get() are methods called on instances or intermediate results.
• read_line(&mut input) reads a line into the mutable string input. The &mut indicates a mutable borrow, allowing read_line to modify input without taking ownership (more on borrowing later).
• .expect(...) handles potential errors, crashing the program if the preceding operation (like read_line or potentially get) returns an error or None. Result and Option (covered next) offer more robust error handling.

Note: Running this code in environments like the Rust Playground or mdbook might not capture interactive input correctly.

2.10.2 Comparison with C

C’s #include directive performs textual inclusion of header files before compilation. Rust’s use statement operates at a semantic level, importing specific namespaced items without code duplication, leading to faster compilation and clearer dependency tracking.