Enum Infallible

pub enum Infallible {}

The error type for errors that can never happen.

Since this enum has no variant, a value of this type can never actually exist. This can be useful for generic APIs that use [Result] and parameterize the error type, to indicate that the result is always [Ok].

For example, the [TryFrom] trait (conversion that returns a [Result]) has a blanket implementation for all types where a reverse [Into] implementation exists.

impl<T, U> TryFrom<U> for T where U: Into<T> {
    type Error = Infallible;

    fn try_from(value: U) -> Result<Self, Infallible> {
        Ok(U::into(value))  // Never returns `Err`
    }
}

Future compatibility

This enum has the same role as [the ! “never” type][never], which is unstable in this version of Rust. When ! is stabilized, we plan to make Infallible a type alias to it:

pub type Infallible = !;

… and eventually deprecate Infallible.

However there is one case where ! syntax can be used before ! is stabilized as a full-fledged type: in the position of a function’s return type. Specifically, it is possible to have implementations for two different function pointer types:

trait MyTrait {}
impl MyTrait for fn() -> ! {}
impl MyTrait for fn() -> std::convert::Infallible {}

With Infallible being an enum, this code is valid. However when Infallible becomes an alias for the never type, the two impls will start to overlap and therefore will be disallowed by the language’s trait coherence rules.

Trait Implementations

impl Clone for Infallible

fn clone(&self) -> Infallible

Returns a copy of the value.

fn clone_from(&mut self, source: &Self)

Performs copy-assignment from source.

impl Debug for Infallible

fn fmt(&self, _: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), Error>

Formats the value using the given formatter.

impl Display for Infallible

fn fmt(&self, _: &mut Formatter<'_>) -> Result<(), Error>

Formats the value using the given formatter.

impl Error for Infallible

fn description(&self) -> &str

👎Deprecated since 1.42.0: use the Display impl or to_string()

fn source(&self) -> Option<&(dyn Error + 'static)>

Returns the lower-level source of this error, if any.

fn cause(&self) -> Option<&dyn Error>

👎Deprecated since 1.33.0: replaced by Error::source, which can support downcasting

fn provide<'a>(&'a self, request: &mut Request<'a>)

🔬This is a nightly-only experimental API. (error_generic_member_access)

Provides type-based access to context intended for error reports.

impl From<!> for Infallible

fn from(x: !) -> Infallible

Converts to this type from the input type.

impl Hash for Infallible

fn hash<H>(&self, _: &mut H)

where H: Hasher,

Feeds this value into the given [Hasher].

fn hash_slice<H>(data: &[Self], state: &mut H)

where H: Hasher, Self: Sized,

Feeds a slice of this type into the given [Hasher].

impl Ord for Infallible

fn cmp(&self, _other: &Infallible) -> Ordering

This method returns an [Ordering] between self and other.

fn max(self, other: Self) -> Self

where Self: Sized,

Compares and returns the maximum of two values.

fn min(self, other: Self) -> Self

where Self: Sized,

Compares and returns the minimum of two values.

fn clamp(self, min: Self, max: Self) -> Self

where Self: Sized,

Restrict a value to a certain interval.

impl PartialEq for Infallible

fn eq(&self, _: &Infallible) -> bool

Tests for self and other values to be equal, and is used by ==.

fn ne(&self, other: &Rhs) -> bool

Tests for !=. The default implementation is almost always sufficient, and should not be overridden without very good reason.

impl PartialOrd for Infallible

fn partial_cmp(&self, _other: &Infallible) -> Option<Ordering>

This method returns an ordering between self and other values if one exists.

fn lt(&self, other: &Rhs) -> bool

Tests less than (for self and other) and is used by the < operator.

fn le(&self, other: &Rhs) -> bool

Tests less than or equal to (for self and other) and is used by the <= operator.

fn gt(&self, other: &Rhs) -> bool

Tests greater than (for self and other) and is used by the > operator.

fn ge(&self, other: &Rhs) -> bool

Tests greater than or equal to (for self and other) and is used by the >= operator.

impl Copy for Infallible

impl Eq for Infallible