rust / beginner
Snippet
Generic Functions with Type Parameters
Generic functions work with multiple types using type parameters. The <T: PartialOrd> syntax means T must implement the PartialOrd trait, which allows comparison. This single function handles both integers and characters.
snippet.rs
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fn largest<T: PartialOrd>(list: &[T]) -> &T {let mut largest = &list[0];for item in list {if item > largest {largest = item;}}largest}fn main() {let numbers = vec![34, 50, 25, 100, 65];println!("Largest: {}", largest(&numbers));let chars = vec!['y', 'm', 'a', 'q'];println!("Largest char: {}", largest(&chars));}
Breakdown
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fn largest<T: PartialOrd>(list: &[T]) -> &T {
Function signature with generic type T constrained to implement PartialOrd
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let mut largest = &list[0];
Mutable reference to first element as initial largest value
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for item in list {
Iterates over each element in the slice
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if item > largest {
Compares current item with largest using derived PartialOrd
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largest = item;
Updates largest reference if current item is greater
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largest(&numbers)
Calls function with a reference to a vector of i32 values