RFC: Foo { .. } pattern matches non-struct types

text/3753-rest-pattern-matches-non-struct.md

@@ -0,0 +1,148 @@
+- Feature Name: `rest_pattern_matches_non_struct`
+- Start Date: 2024-12-31
+- RFC PR: [rust-lang/rfcs#3753](https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3753)
+- Rust Issue: [rust-lang/rust#0000](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/0000)
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Special case struct patterns containing only a rest pattern (e.g., `Foo { .. }`)
+so that they can match values of any type with the appropriate name, not just
+structs (e.g., it could match an `enum Foo` value). This is done so that structs
+containing only private fields can be changed to other types without breaking
+backwards compatibility.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+It is common for a library's API to have a public struct with all-private
+fields, with the intention of making the type opaque, hiding its contents as
+implementation details. For example:
+```rust
+// A library's initial API
+pub struct Foo {
+    inner: FooInner,
+}
+enum FooInner {
+    A,
+    B,
+}
+```
+
+In a later version, the library might want to expose the internals of the API.
+For example:
+```rust
+// The library's API is later changed to this.
+pub enum Foo {
+    A,
+    B,
+}
+```
+
+Intuitively, one might think that this change is backwards-compatible. However,
+this is technically not the case, since client code might match the `Foo` type
+with a rest pattern (`Foo { .. }`), which currently only matches structs, and
+not enums or other types.
+```rust
+// Client code that uses the library
+// Works with the initial API, but doesn't work with the later API.
+fn do_something(x: Foo) {
+    match x {
+        Foo { .. } => {}
+    }
+}
+```
+
+To eliminate this semver hazard, this RFC proposes that the pattern `Foo { .. }`
+should match values of any type named `Foo`, not just structs.
+
+# Guide-level explanation
+[guide-level-explanation]: #guide-level-explanation
+
+As a special case, a struct pattern which contain only a rest pattern, and no
+other fields, can match with any value of the appropriate type, even if it is
+not a struct.
+
+For example, the pattern `Foo { .. }` can match with any value that have type
+`Foo`, even if `Foo` is not a struct (e.g., it might be an enum).
+
+# Reference-level explanation
+[reference-level-explanation]: #reference-level-explanation
+
+(The following text is appended to the section on [struct
+patterns](https://doc.rust-lang.org/stable/reference/patterns.html#struct-patterns)
+in the reference.)
+
+As a special case, if a struct pattern contains only `..` as the fields, and the
+path refers to a type (as opposed to an enum variant), then the pattern is an
+irrefutable pattern that matches against any value of that type. This applies
+even if that type is not a struct type (e.g., it might be an enum type, or it
+might be a type alias, etc.)
+
+For example, the pattern `foo::Bar::<Baz> { .. }` can match any value of the
+type `foo::Bar<Baz>` (even if this type is not a struct type), or match a value
+of the type `foo<Baz>` that contains the enum variant `Bar`.
+
+Formally, this special case applies to the following syntax: *PathInExpression*
+`{` *StructPatternEtCetera* `}`
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+This adds a complication to Rust. 
+
+# Rationale and alternatives
+[rationale-and-alternatives]: #rationale-and-alternatives
+
+* This special case is only applied to `Foo { .. }`, and not `Foo(..)`.
+  * This is because, currently, the pattern `Foo(..)` can only match a tuple
+  struct whose fields are all public, so the `Foo(..)` pattern does not pose a
+  semver hazard.
+  * On the other hand, the pattern `Foo { .. }` currently matches any struct
+  named `Foo`, including tuple structs, and including type aliases that refer to
+  structs. This makes the meaning of the pattern `Foo { .. }` already similar to
+  "match any type named `Foo`".
+* As an alternative, we could deprecate the pattern `Foo { .. }` (either in all
+  cases, or only in cases where `Foo` has no public fields). We could then
+  potentially remove this pattern from the language in a future edition.
+  * This unfortunately doesn't fix the semver hazard, due to code in older
+    editions existing. Additionally, this might be an edge case that macros
+    would have to deal with.
+* As an alternative, we could have an attribute that marks a type as completely
+  opaque, and therefore making it not able to be matched with the pattern `Foo {
+  .. }`.
+  * Most users are likely to forget to apply this attribute. We could change the
+    default over an edition, making a struct with no public fields implicitly
+    opaque, but this special case seems rather weird and confusing.
+
+# Prior art
+[prior-art]: #prior-art
+
+* `cargo-semver-checks` has [a
+lint](https://github.com/obi1kenobi/cargo-semver-checks/issues/954) that checks
+specifically if a struct containing only private fields is changed to a
+different type.
+* [RFC 1506](https://rust-lang.github.io/rfcs/1506-adt-kinds.html) previously
+  made the braced-struct patterns match against any struct, including tuple-like
+  structs:
+  > Permit using tuple structs and tuple variants in braced struct patterns and
+  > expressions requiring naming their fields - `TS{0: expr}`/`TS{0: pat}`/etc.
+  > While this change is important for consistency, there's not much motivation
+  > for it in hand-written code besides shortening patterns like `ItemFn(_, _,
+  > unsafety, _, _, _)` into something like `ItemFn{2: unsafety, ..}` and
+  > ability to match/construct tuple structs using their type aliases.
+  > 
+  > However, automatic code generators (e.g. syntax extensions) can get more
+  > benefits from the ability to generate uniform code for all structure kinds.
+
+# Unresolved questions
+[unresolved-questions]: #unresolved-questions
+
+* How much code in the wild currently uses patterns like `Foo { .. }` ?
+* Are there any other ways in the language (other than the `Foo { .. }` pattern)
+  for client code to depend on a type being specifically a struct?
+
+# Future possibilities
+[future-possibilities]: #future-possibilities
+
+N/A