size_hinter

Iterator adaptors for overriding or specifying exact size hints in Rust.

Overview

size_hinter provides an extension trait two iterator adaptors that allow you to control size_hint() and len() behavior of iterators, and a trait for fluently creating these adaptors.

• ExactLen: Wraps an iterator to provide an exact length via ExactSizeIterator::len() and a coresponding Iterator::size_hint(). This is useful when you know the exact length of an iterator that doesn't normally implement ExactSizeIterator (like Filter).
• HintSize: Wraps an Iterator in an adaptor that provides a custom Iterator::size_hint() implementation only. This is primarily useful for implementing a fixed universal size hint (0, None) for testing.
• SizeHinter: An extension trait for fluently creating these adaptors.

Usage

ExactLen - Adding Exact Length to Iterators

ExactLen provides an exact length via ExactSizeIterator::len() and a coresponding Iterator::size_hint(). This is useful when you know the exact length of an iterator that doesn't normally implement ExactSizeIterator (like Filter), and may allow for some performance optimizations.

use size_hinter::SizeHinter;

// Filter doesn't implement ExactSizeIterator, but we know there are 3 odd numbers
let mut nums = (1..=5).filter(|x| x % 2 == 1).exact_len(3);

assert_eq!(nums.len(), 3, "Length should be 3");
assert_eq!(nums.size_hint(), (3, Some(3)), "Size hint should match length");

assert_eq!(nums.next(), Some(1), "Underlying iterator should be unchanged");
assert_eq!(nums.len(), 2, "Length should change to match remaining elements");
assert_eq!(nums.size_hint(), (2, Some(2)), "Size hint should match length");

assert_eq!(nums.next_back(), Some(5), "DoubleEndedIterator::next_back should work as expected");
assert_eq!(nums.len(), 1, "Length should change to match remaining elements");
assert_eq!(nums.size_hint(), (1, Some(1)), "Size hint should match length");

HintSize - Overrides Size Hints

HintSize provides a custom Iterator::size_hint() implementation only. This is primarily useful for implementing a fixed universal size hint (0, None) for testing, but any valid size hint can be provided.

use size_hinter::SizeHinter;

// Hide the size hint completely (returns (0, None))
let mut hidden = vec![1, 2, 3].into_iter().hide_size();
assert_eq!(hidden.size_hint(), (0, None), "Size hint is hidden");
assert_eq!(hidden.next(), Some(1), "Underlying iterator is not changed");
assert_eq!(hidden.size_hint(), (0, None), "Size hint remains hidden");

// Provide a custom size hint
let mut custom = vec![1, 2, 3].into_iter().hint_size(1, 10);
assert_eq!(custom.size_hint(), (1, Some(10)), "Size hint is set to (1, Some(10))");
assert_eq!(custom.next(), Some(1), "Underlying iterator is not changed");
assert_eq!(custom.size_hint(), (0, Some(9)), "Size hint is updated to (0, Some(9))");

Performance Considerations

Wrapping an iterator that does not provide a detailed size hint or implement ExactSizeIterator may allow for some optimizations or performance improvements. However, it may lead to performance penalties if the wrapped iterator already implements TrustedLen, even if it does not implement ExactSizeIterator. For example, std::iter::Chain. Since this adaptor hides that implementation.

Safety

Neither ExactLen nor HintSize should be unsafe to use in any scenario, regardless of the values they return. However it is the caller's responsibility to ensure that the length provided are accurate. Providing an incorrect length may lead to incorrect behavior or panics in code that relies on these values.