// Copyright 2013-2014 The Rust Project Developers. See the COPYRIGHT // file at the top-level directory of this distribution and at // http://rust-lang.org/COPYRIGHT. // // Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 or the MIT license // , at your // option. This file may not be copied, modified, or distributed // except according to those terms. //! Collection types. //! //! Rust's standard collection library provides efficient implementations of the //! most common general purpose programming data structures. By using the //! standard implementations, it should be possible for two libraries to //! communicate without significant data conversion. //! //! To get this out of the way: you should probably just use `Vec` or `HashMap`. //! These two collections cover most use cases for generic data storage and //! processing. They are exceptionally good at doing what they do. All the other //! collections in the standard library have specific use cases where they are //! the optimal choice, but these cases are borderline *niche* in comparison. //! Even when `Vec` and `HashMap` are technically suboptimal, they're probably a //! good enough choice to get started. //! //! Rust's collections can be grouped into four major categories: //! //! * Sequences: `Vec`, `VecDeque`, `LinkedList`, `BitVec` //! * Maps: `HashMap`, `BTreeMap`, `VecMap` //! * Sets: `HashSet`, `BTreeSet`, `BitSet` //! * Misc: `BinaryHeap` //! //! # When Should You Use Which Collection? //! //! These are fairly high-level and quick break-downs of when each collection //! should be considered. Detailed discussions of strengths and weaknesses of //! individual collections can be found on their own documentation pages. //! //! ### Use a `Vec` when: //! * You want to collect items up to be processed or sent elsewhere later, and //! don't care about any properties of the actual values being stored. //! * You want a sequence of elements in a particular order, and will only be //! appending to (or near) the end. //! * You want a stack. //! * You want a resizable array. //! * You want a heap-allocated array. //! //! ### Use a `VecDeque` when: //! * You want a `Vec` that supports efficient insertion at both ends of the //! sequence. //! * You want a queue. //! * You want a double-ended queue (deque). //! //! ### Use a `LinkedList` when: //! * You want a `Vec` or `VecDeque` of unknown size, and can't tolerate //! amortization. //! * You want to efficiently split and append lists. //! * You are *absolutely* certain you *really*, *truly*, want a doubly linked //! list. //! //! ### Use a `HashMap` when: //! * You want to associate arbitrary keys with an arbitrary value. //! * You want a cache. //! * You want a map, with no extra functionality. //! //! ### Use a `BTreeMap` when: //! * You're interested in what the smallest or largest key-value pair is. //! * You want to find the largest or smallest key that is smaller or larger //! than something //! * You want to be able to get all of the entries in order on-demand. //! * You want a sorted map. //! //! ### Use a `VecMap` when: //! * You want a `HashMap` but with known to be small `usize` keys. //! * You want a `BTreeMap`, but with known to be small `usize` keys. //! //! ### Use the `Set` variant of any of these `Map`s when: //! * You just want to remember which keys you've seen. //! * There is no meaningful value to associate with your keys. //! * You just want a set. //! //! ### Use a `BitVec` when: //! * You want to store an unbounded number of booleans in a small space. //! * You want a bit vector. //! //! ### Use a `BitSet` when: //! * You want a `BitVec`, but want `Set` properties //! //! ### Use a `BinaryHeap` when: //! //! * You want to store a bunch of elements, but only ever want to process the //! "biggest" or "most important" one at any given time. //! * You want a priority queue. //! //! # Performance //! //! Choosing the right collection for the job requires an understanding of what //! each collection is good at. Here we briefly summarize the performance of //! different collections for certain important operations. For further details, //! see each type's documentation, and note that the names of actual methods may //! differ from the tables below on certain collections. //! //! Throughout the documentation, we will follow a few conventions. For all //! operations, the collection's size is denoted by n. If another collection is //! involved in the operation, it contains m elements. Operations which have an //! *amortized* cost are suffixed with a `*`. Operations with an *expected* //! cost are suffixed with a `~`. //! //! All amortized costs are for the potential need to resize when capacity is //! exhausted. If a resize occurs it will take O(n) time. Our collections never //! automatically shrink, so removal operations aren't amortized. Over a //! sufficiently large series of operations, the average cost per operation will //! deterministically equal the given cost. //! //! Only HashMap has expected costs, due to the probabilistic nature of hashing. //! It is theoretically possible, though very unlikely, for HashMap to //! experience worse performance. //! //! ## Sequences //! //! | | get(i) | insert(i) | remove(i) | append | split_off(i) | //! |--------------|----------------|-----------------|----------------|--------|----------------| //! | Vec | O(1) | O(n-i)* | O(n-i) | O(m)* | O(n-i) | //! | VecDeque | O(1) | O(min(i, n-i))* | O(min(i, n-i)) | O(m)* | O(min(i, n-i)) | //! | LinkedList | O(min(i, n-i)) | O(min(i, n-i)) | O(min(i, n-i)) | O(1) | O(min(i, n-i)) | //! | BitVec | O(1) | O(n-i)* | O(n-i) | O(m)* | O(n-i) | //! //! Note that where ties occur, Vec is generally going to be faster than VecDeque, and VecDeque //! is generally going to be faster than LinkedList. BitVec is not a general purpose collection, and //! therefore cannot reasonably be compared. //! //! ## Maps //! //! For Sets, all operations have the cost of the equivalent Map operation. For //! BitSet, //! refer to VecMap. //! //! | | get | insert | remove | predecessor | //! |----------|-----------|----------|----------|-------------| //! | HashMap | O(1)~ | O(1)~* | O(1)~ | N/A | //! | BTreeMap | O(log n) | O(log n) | O(log n) | O(log n) | //! | VecMap | O(1) | O(1)? | O(1) | O(n) | //! //! Note that VecMap is *incredibly* inefficient in terms of space. The O(1) //! insertion time assumes space for the element is already allocated. //! Otherwise, a large key may require a massive reallocation, with no direct //! relation to the number of elements in the collection. VecMap should only be //! seriously considered for small keys. //! //! Note also that BTreeMap's precise preformance depends on the value of B. //! //! # Correct and Efficient Usage of Collections //! //! Of course, knowing which collection is the right one for the job doesn't //! instantly permit you to use it correctly. Here are some quick tips for //! efficient and correct usage of the standard collections in general. If //! you're interested in how to use a specific collection in particular, consult //! its documentation for detailed discussion and code examples. //! //! ## Capacity Management //! //! Many collections provide several constructors and methods that refer to //! "capacity". These collections are generally built on top of an array. //! Optimally, this array would be exactly the right size to fit only the //! elements stored in the collection, but for the collection to do this would //! be very inefficient. If the backing array was exactly the right size at all //! times, then every time an element is inserted, the collection would have to //! grow the array to fit it. Due to the way memory is allocated and managed on //! most computers, this would almost surely require allocating an entirely new //! array and copying every single element from the old one into the new one. //! Hopefully you can see that this wouldn't be very efficient to do on every //! operation. //! //! Most collections therefore use an *amortized* allocation strategy. They //! generally let themselves have a fair amount of unoccupied space so that they //! only have to grow on occasion. When they do grow, they allocate a //! substantially larger array to move the elements into so that it will take a //! while for another grow to be required. While this strategy is great in //! general, it would be even better if the collection *never* had to resize its //! backing array. Unfortunately, the collection itself doesn't have enough //! information to do this itself. Therefore, it is up to us programmers to give //! it hints. //! //! Any `with_capacity` constructor will instruct the collection to allocate //! enough space for the specified number of elements. Ideally this will be for //! exactly that many elements, but some implementation details may prevent //! this. `Vec` and `VecDeque` can be relied on to allocate exactly the //! requested amount, though. Use `with_capacity` when you know exactly how many //! elements will be inserted, or at least have a reasonable upper-bound on that //! number. //! //! When anticipating a large influx of elements, the `reserve` family of //! methods can be used to hint to the collection how much room it should make //! for the coming items. As with `with_capacity`, the precise behavior of //! these methods will be specific to the collection of interest. //! //! For optimal performance, collections will generally avoid shrinking //! themselves. If you believe that a collection will not soon contain any more //! elements, or just really need the memory, the `shrink_to_fit` method prompts //! the collection to shrink the backing array to the minimum size capable of //! holding its elements. //! //! Finally, if ever you're interested in what the actual capacity of the //! collection is, most collections provide a `capacity` method to query this //! information on demand. This can be useful for debugging purposes, or for //! use with the `reserve` methods. //! //! ## Iterators //! //! Iterators are a powerful and robust mechanism used throughout Rust's //! standard libraries. Iterators provide a sequence of values in a generic, //! safe, efficient and convenient way. The contents of an iterator are usually //! *lazily* evaluated, so that only the values that are actually needed are //! ever actually produced, and no allocation need be done to temporarily store //! them. Iterators are primarily consumed using a `for` loop, although many //! functions also take iterators where a collection or sequence of values is //! desired. //! //! All of the standard collections provide several iterators for performing //! bulk manipulation of their contents. The three primary iterators almost //! every collection should provide are `iter`, `iter_mut`, and `into_iter`. //! Some of these are not provided on collections where it would be unsound or //! unreasonable to provide them. //! //! `iter` provides an iterator of immutable references to all the contents of a //! collection in the most "natural" order. For sequence collections like `Vec`, //! this means the items will be yielded in increasing order of index starting //! at 0. For ordered collections like `BTreeMap`, this means that the items //! will be yielded in sorted order. For unordered collections like `HashMap`, //! the items will be yielded in whatever order the internal representation made //! most convenient. This is great for reading through all the contents of the //! collection. //! //! ``` //! let vec = vec![1, 2, 3, 4]; //! for x in vec.iter() { //! println!("vec contained {}", x); //! } //! ``` //! //! `iter_mut` provides an iterator of *mutable* references in the same order as //! `iter`. This is great for mutating all the contents of the collection. //! //! ``` //! let mut vec = vec![1, 2, 3, 4]; //! for x in vec.iter_mut() { //! *x += 1; //! } //! ``` //! //! `into_iter` transforms the actual collection into an iterator over its //! contents by-value. This is great when the collection itself is no longer //! needed, and the values are needed elsewhere. Using `extend` with `into_iter` //! is the main way that contents of one collection are moved into another. //! Calling `collect` on an iterator itself is also a great way to convert one //! collection into another. Both of these methods should internally use the //! capacity management tools discussed in the previous section to do this as //! efficiently as possible. //! //! ``` //! let mut vec1 = vec![1, 2, 3, 4]; //! let vec2 = vec![10, 20, 30, 40]; //! vec1.extend(vec2.into_iter()); //! ``` //! //! ``` //! use std::collections::VecDeque; //! //! let vec = vec![1, 2, 3, 4]; //! let buf: VecDeque<_> = vec.into_iter().collect(); //! ``` //! //! Iterators also provide a series of *adapter* methods for performing common //! tasks to sequences. Among the adapters are functional favorites like `map`, //! `fold`, `skip`, and `take`. Of particular interest to collections is the //! `rev` adapter, that reverses any iterator that supports this operation. Most //! collections provide reversible iterators as the way to iterate over them in //! reverse order. //! //! ``` //! let vec = vec![1, 2, 3, 4]; //! for x in vec.iter().rev() { //! println!("vec contained {}", x); //! } //! ``` //! //! Several other collection methods also return iterators to yield a sequence //! of results but avoid allocating an entire collection to store the result in. //! This provides maximum flexibility as `collect` or `extend` can be called to //! "pipe" the sequence into any collection if desired. Otherwise, the sequence //! can be looped over with a `for` loop. The iterator can also be discarded //! after partial use, preventing the computation of the unused items. //! //! ## Entries //! //! The `entry` API is intended to provide an efficient mechanism for //! manipulating the contents of a map conditionally on the presence of a key or //! not. The primary motivating use case for this is to provide efficient //! accumulator maps. For instance, if one wishes to maintain a count of the //! number of times each key has been seen, they will have to perform some //! conditional logic on whether this is the first time the key has been seen or //! not. Normally, this would require a `find` followed by an `insert`, //! effectively duplicating the search effort on each insertion. //! //! When a user calls `map.entry(&key)`, the map will search for the key and //! then yield a variant of the `Entry` enum. //! //! If a `Vacant(entry)` is yielded, then the key *was not* found. In this case //! the only valid operation is to `insert` a value into the entry. When this is //! done, the vacant entry is consumed and converted into a mutable reference to //! the the value that was inserted. This allows for further manipulation of the //! value beyond the lifetime of the search itself. This is useful if complex //! logic needs to be performed on the value regardless of whether the value was //! just inserted. //! //! If an `Occupied(entry)` is yielded, then the key *was* found. In this case, //! the user has several options: they can `get`, `insert`, or `remove` the //! value of the occupied entry. Additionally, they can convert the occupied //! entry into a mutable reference to its value, providing symmetry to the //! vacant `insert` case. //! //! ### Examples //! //! Here are the two primary ways in which `entry` is used. First, a simple //! example where the logic performed on the values is trivial. //! //! #### Counting the number of times each character in a string occurs //! //! ``` //! use std::collections::btree_map::BTreeMap; //! //! let mut count = BTreeMap::new(); //! let message = "she sells sea shells by the sea shore"; //! //! for c in message.chars() { //! *count.entry(c).or_insert(0) += 1; //! } //! //! assert_eq!(count.get(&'s'), Some(&8)); //! //! println!("Number of occurrences of each character"); //! for (char, count) in count.iter() { //! println!("{}: {}", char, count); //! } //! ``` //! //! When the logic to be performed on the value is more complex, we may simply //! use the `entry` API to ensure that the value is initialized, and perform the //! logic afterwards. //! //! #### Tracking the inebriation of customers at a bar //! //! ``` //! use std::collections::btree_map::BTreeMap; //! //! // A client of the bar. They have an id and a blood alcohol level. //! struct Person { id: u32, blood_alcohol: f32 } //! //! // All the orders made to the bar, by client id. //! let orders = vec![1,2,1,2,3,4,1,2,2,3,4,1,1,1]; //! //! // Our clients. //! let mut blood_alcohol = BTreeMap::new(); //! //! for id in orders.into_iter() { //! // If this is the first time we've seen this customer, initialize them //! // with no blood alcohol. Otherwise, just retrieve them. //! let person = blood_alcohol.entry(id).or_insert(Person{id: id, blood_alcohol: 0.0}); //! //! // Reduce their blood alcohol level. It takes time to order and drink a beer! //! person.blood_alcohol *= 0.9; //! //! // Check if they're sober enough to have another beer. //! if person.blood_alcohol > 0.3 { //! // Too drunk... for now. //! println!("Sorry {}, I have to cut you off", person.id); //! } else { //! // Have another! //! person.blood_alcohol += 0.1; //! } //! } //! ``` #![stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")] pub use core_collections::Bound; pub use core_collections::{BinaryHeap, BitVec, BitSet, BTreeMap, BTreeSet}; pub use core_collections::{LinkedList, VecDeque, VecMap}; pub use core_collections::{binary_heap, bit_vec, bit_set, btree_map, btree_set}; pub use core_collections::{linked_list, vec_deque, vec_map}; pub use self::hash_map::HashMap; pub use self::hash_set::HashSet; mod hash; #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")] pub mod hash_map { //! A hashmap pub use super::hash::map::*; } #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")] pub mod hash_set { //! A hashset pub use super::hash::set::*; } /// Experimental support for providing custom hash algorithms to a HashMap and /// HashSet. #[unstable(feature = "std_misc", reason = "module was recently added")] pub mod hash_state { pub use super::hash::state::*; }