Rephrase and expand empty_enum documentation.

* Remove incorrect claim that “wrappers around it are the conventional
  way to define an uninhabited type”.
* Discuss why one would use `!`, a newtype struct, or keep the enum.
* Add links to relevant documentation.
This commit is contained in:
Kevin Reid 2024-05-22 18:03:18 -07:00
parent 05c4053628
commit cfa150b0dd

View File

@ -7,32 +7,53 @@
declare_clippy_lint! {
/// ### What it does
/// Checks for `enum`s with no variants.
/// Checks for `enum`s with no variants, which therefore are uninhabited types
/// (cannot be instantiated).
///
/// As of this writing, the `never_type` is still a
/// nightly-only experimental API. Therefore, this lint is only triggered
/// if the `never_type` is enabled.
/// As of this writing, the `never_type` is still a nightly-only experimental API.
/// Therefore, this lint is only triggered if `#![feature(never_type)]` is enabled.
///
/// ### Why is this bad?
/// If you want to introduce a type which
/// can't be instantiated, you should use `!` (the primitive type "never"),
/// or a wrapper around it, because `!` has more extensive
/// compiler support (type inference, etc...) and wrappers
/// around it are the conventional way to define an uninhabited type.
/// For further information visit [never type documentation](https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/primitive.never.html)
/// * If you only want a type which cant be instantiated, you should use [`!`]
/// (the primitive type "never"), because [`!`] has more extensive compiler support
/// (type inference, etc.) and implementations of common traits.
///
/// * If you need to introduce a distinct type, consider using a [newtype] `struct`
/// containing [`!`] instead (`struct MyType(pub !)`), because it is more idiomatic
/// to use a `struct` rather than an `enum` when an `enum` is unnecessary.
///
/// If you do this, note that the [visibility] of the [`!`] field determines whether
/// the uninhabitedness is visible in documentation, and whether it can be pattern
/// matched to mark code unreachable. If the field is not visible, then the struct
/// acts like any other struct with private fields.
///
/// * If the enum has no variants only because all variants happen to be
/// [disabled by conditional compilation][cfg], then it would be appropriate
/// to allow the lint, with `#[allow(empty_enum)]`.
///
/// For further information, visit
/// [the never types documentation][`!`].
///
/// ### Example
/// ```no_run
/// enum Test {}
/// enum CannotExist {}
/// ```
///
/// Use instead:
/// ```no_run
/// #![feature(never_type)]
///
/// struct Test(!);
/// /// Use the `!` type directly...
/// type CannotExist = !;
///
/// /// ...or define a newtype which is distinct.
/// struct CannotExist2(pub !);
/// ```
///
/// [`!`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/std/primitive.never.html
/// [cfg]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/conditional-compilation.html
/// [newtype]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/ch19-04-advanced-types.html#using-the-newtype-pattern-for-type-safety-and-abstraction
/// [visibility]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/reference/visibility-and-privacy.html
#[clippy::version = "pre 1.29.0"]
pub EMPTY_ENUM,
pedantic,