# derive-into-owned
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Rust procedural macros for deriving methods to help with working with types that contain [`Cow`](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/borrow/enum.Cow.html) fields.
Please note that this derive somewhat strangely works with duck-typing, at least for now.
It was originally created to help me reduce the boilerplate with `Cow` types.
`[derive(IntoOwned)]` generates a method similar to:
```rust
use std::borrow::Cow;
struct Foo<'a> {
field: Cow<'a, str>,
}
impl<'a> Foo<'a> {
/// This method would be derived using #[derive(IntoOwned)]
pub fn into_owned(self) -> Foo<'static> {
Foo {
field: Cow::Owned(self.field.into_owned()),
}
}
}
```
Originally based off of [deep-clone-derive](https://github.com/asajeffrey/deep-clone/blob/master/deep-clone-derive/lib.rs) example but supports:
* [tuple structs](./tests/tuple_struct.rs)
* normal [structs](./tests/struct.rs)
* enums with tuple variants [tuple enums](./tests/simple_enum.rs)
* `IntoOwned` alike fields (actually assumes all fields with types with lifetimes are `IntoOwned` alike)
* [options of Cow or Cow-like types](./tests/opt_field.rs) `Option<Cow<'a, str>>` and `Option<Foo<'a>>`
* [vectors of Cow or Cow-like types](./tests/vec.rs)
But wait there is even more! `[derive(Borrowed)]` generates a currently perhaps a bit limited version of a method like:
```rust
impl<'a> Foo<'a> {
pub fn borrowed<'b>(&'b self) -> Foo<'b> {
Foo {
field: Cow::Borrowed(self.field.as_ref()),
}
}
}
```
## Types with lifetimes
If your struct has a field with type `Bar<'a>` then `Bar` is assumed to have a method `fn into_owned(self) -> Bar<'static>`.
Note, there's no trait implementation expected because I didn't find one at the time and didn't think to create my own, assumed the `Cow::into_owned` might be getting an extension in standard library which never happened and so on.
## Limitations
Currently deriving will fail miserably for at least but not limited to:
* `IntoOwned`: borrowed fields like `&'a str`
* `Borrowed`: struct/enum has more than one lifetime
* both: arrays not supported
* both: into_owned/borrowed types inside tuples inside vectors
Using with incompatible types results in not so understandable error messages. For example, given a struct:
```rust
#[derive(IntoOwned)]
struct Foo<'a> {
field: &'a str,
}
```
The compiler error will be:
```
error[E0495]: cannot infer an appropriate lifetime for lifetime parameter `'a` due to conflicting requirements
--> tests/does_not_compile.rs:4:10
|
|
note: first, the lifetime cannot outlive the lifetime 'a as defined on the impl at 4:10...
--> tests/does_not_compile.rs:4:10
|
4 | #[derive(IntoOwned)]
| ^^^^^^^^^
note: ...so that reference does not outlive borrowed content
--> tests/does_not_compile.rs:4:10
|
4 | #[derive(IntoOwned)]
| ^^^^^^^^^
= note: but, the lifetime must be valid for the static lifetime...
note: ...so that expression is assignable (expected Foo<'static>, found Foo<'_>)
--> tests/does_not_compile.rs:4:10
|
4 | #[derive(IntoOwned)]
| ^^^^^^^^^
error: aborting due to previous error(s)
```