rust-lang / rust-lang/rust-clippy
FP: `unused_self` triggers if only the lifetime of `self` is used
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Description
Tested on clippy shipping with Rust 1.40.0:
C:\>cargo clippy -V
clippy 0.0.212 (c8e3cfbd 2019-10-28)
Here's a contrived example that triggers the unused_self lint and fails to build:
#![deny(clippy::unused_self)]
use std::marker::PhantomData;
pub struct A;
pub struct B<'a>(PhantomData<&'a A>);
impl A {
pub fn b(&self) -> B<'_> {
B(PhantomData)
}
}
This is actually a valid pattern. In FFI code for instance, A might be responsible for initialising and freeing some part of a library, and the function b is used to create objects that belong to the library, and therefore can't outlive it. So A can just be a ZST while B uses PhantomData<&'a A> to convey ownership semantics.
If we rewrite the example so it directly uses self it works:
#![deny(clippy::unused_self)]
pub struct A;
pub struct B<'a>(&'a A);
impl A {
pub fn b(&self) -> B<'_> {
B(self)
}
}
But we don't want to hold pointers to A, we just want to express that instances of B belong to an instance of A.
tl;dr unused_self doesn't catch edge cases where self is used without actually being used.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at the Clippy unused_self lint and reproduce both Rust examples from the issue. Check that lifetime-only use through PhantomData<&'a A> is accepted while genuinely unused self is still reported; done means the false positive no longer prevents the first example from building.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- rust
- Domain
- devtools
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Stale
- Clarity
- Mostly clear
- Newbie friendliness
- 45/100