What is lifetime elision in Rust?

What is lifetime elision in Rust?

Lifetime elision is a feature in Rust that allows the compiler to infer lifetimes in certain situations, reducing boilerplate.

Can you give me an example of how it works?

Sure! For instance, if you have a function that takes a reference and returns a reference, Rust can often infer the lifetimes without explicit annotations.

What are the rules for lifetime elision?

There are three main rules: 1) If there is one input lifetime, it’s assigned to the output. 2) If there are multiple input lifetimes, the first one is assigned to the output. 3) If the function takes &self or &mut self, the lifetime of self is assigned to the output.

Are there any limitations to lifetime elision?

Yes, lifetime elision can only be applied in specific cases. If the lifetimes are too complex or ambiguous, you will need to specify them explicitly.