Idiomatic Rust: Don't port C patterns
This is a Rust port of C code, but do not write C in Rust. The goal is correct behavior, not line-by-line translation.
Put logic where the data lives
If a struct has all the information needed to compute something, make it a method:
rust
// BAD: C-style function with boolean flag soup
fn text_width(text: &str, charwid: f64, is_mono: bool, font_scale: f64, is_bold: bool) -> f64
// GOOD: The type already knows its properties
impl PositionedText {
fn width_inches(&self, charwid: f64) -> f64 {
// self.mono, self.bold, self.big are all right here
}
}
Rationale: Boolean flags are:
- •Easy to pass in wrong order (
width(s, w, true, 1.0, false)- which bool is which?) - •Require the caller to extract properties just to pass them back in
- •Duplicate knowledge that the type already has
Use newtypes for domain concepts
rust
// BAD: Bare f64 everywhere, easy to mix up inches and pixels fn convert(value: f64, scale: f64) -> f64 // GOOD: The type system catches mistakes struct Inches(f64); struct Pixels(f64); fn convert(value: Inches, scale: &Scaler) -> Pixels
Prefer methods over standalone functions
When you find yourself writing foo_bar(bar, ...), consider bar.foo(...) instead. This:
- •Groups related functionality
- •Enables IDE autocomplete on the type
- •Makes the relationship between data and operations explicit
Enums over boolean flags
rust
// BAD: What does `true` mean here?
render_text(text, true, false)
// GOOD: Self-documenting
enum TextAnchor { Start, Middle, End }
render_text(text, TextAnchor::Start)
The C code is a spec, not a template
When porting C:
- •Understand what the C code does (behavior)
- •Understand why it does it (intent)
- •Implement that behavior idiomatically in Rust
The // cref: comments link to C for reference, but the Rust should stand on its own.