Merge pull request #2027 from withoutboats/object-safe-for-dispatch

Tweak object safety rules to allow static dispatch

Author: withoutboats

text/2027-object_safe_for_dispatch.md

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+- Feature Name: object_safe_for_dispatch
+- Start Date: 2017-06-10
+- RFC PR: [rust-lang/rfcs#2027](https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/2027)
+- Rust Issue: [rust-lang/rust#43561](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/43561)
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Tweak the object safety rules to allow using trait object types for static
+dispatch, even when the trait would not be safe to instantiate as an object.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+Because Rust features a very expressive type system, users often use the type
+system to express high level constraints which can be resolved at compile time,
+even when the types involved are never actually instantiated with values.
+
+One common example of this is the use of "zero-sized types," or types which
+contain no data. By statically dispatching over zero sized types, different
+kinds of conditional or polymorphic behavior can be implemented purely at
+compile time.
+
+Another interesting case is the use of implementations on the dynamically
+dispatched trait object types. Sometimes, it can be sensible to statically
+dispatch different behaviors based on the name of a trait; this can be done
+today by implementing traits (with only static methods) on the trait object
+type:
+
+```rust
+trait Foo {
+    fn foo() { }
+}
+
+trait Bar { }
+
+// Implemented for the trait object type
+impl Foo for Bar { }
+
+fn main() {
+    // Never actually instantiate a trait object:
+    Bar::foo()
+}
+```
+
+However, this can only be implemented if the trait being used as the receiver
+is object safe. Because this behavior is entirely dispatched statically, and a
+trait object is never instantiated, this restriction is not necessary. Object
+safety only matters when you actually create a dynamically dispatched trait
+object at runtime.
+
+This RFC proposes to lift that restriction, allowing trait object types to be
+used for static dispatch even when the trait is not object safe.
+
+# Detailed design
+[design]: #detailed-design
+
+Today, the rules for object safey work like this:
+
+* If the trait (e.g. `Foo`) **is** object safe:
+    - The object type for the trait is a valid type.
+    - The object type for the trait implements the trait; `Foo: Foo` holds.
+    - Implementations of the trait can be cast to the object type; `T as Foo`
+    is valid.
+* If the trait (e.g. `Foo`) **is not** object safe:
+    - Any attempt to use the object type for the trait is considered invalid
+
+After this RFC, we will change the non-object-safe case to directly mirror the
+object-safe case. The new rules will be:
+
+* If the trait (e.g. `Foo`) **is not** object safe:
+    - The object type for the trait **does not** implement the trait;
+    `Foo: Foo` does not hold.
+    - Implementations of the trait **cannot** be cast to the object type,
+    `T as Foo` is not valid
+    - **However**, the object type is still a valid type. It just does not meet
+    the self-trait bound, and it cannot be instantiated in safe Rust.
+
+This change to the rules will allow trait object types to be used for static
+dispatch.
+
+# How We Teach This
+[how-we-teach-this]: #how-we-teach-this
+
+This is just a slight tweak to how object safety is implemented. We will need
+to make sure the the official documentation is accurate to the rules,
+especially the reference.
+
+However, this does not need to be **highlighted** to users per se in the
+explanation of object safety. This tweak will only impact advanced uses of the
+trait system.
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+This is a change to an existing system, its always possible it could cause
+regressions, though the RFC authors are unaware of any.
+
+Arguably, the rules become more nuanced (though they also become a more direct
+mirror).
+
+This would allow instantiating object types for non-object safe traits in
+unsafe code, by transmuting from `std::raw::TraitObject`. This would be
+extremely unsafe and users almost certainly should not do this. In the status
+quo, they just can't.
+
+# Alternatives
+[alternatives]: #alternatives
+
+We could instead make it possible for every trait to be object safe, by
+allowing `where Self: Sized` bounds on every single item. For example:
+
+```rust
+// Object safe because all of these non-object safe items are constrained
+// `Self: Sized.`
+trait Foo {
+    const BAR: usize where Self: Sized;
+    type Baz where Self: Sized;
+    fn quux() where Self: Sized;
+    fn spam<T: Eggs>(&self) where Self: Sized;
+}
+```
+
+However, this puts the burden on users to add all of these additional bounds.
+
+Possibly we should add bounds like this in addition to this RFC, since they
+are already valid on functions, just not types and consts.
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved]: #unresolved-questions
+
+How does this impact the implementation in rustc?