What is the Option type in Rust?

What is the Option type in Rust?

The Option type in Rust is an enum that represents an optional value: it can be either Some(value) or None.

How do I use the Option type in my code?

You can use Option to handle cases where a value might be absent. For example, you can define a variable as Option<i32> to indicate it may hold an integer or be None.

Can you give me an example of using Option in a function?

Sure! Here's a simple function:

fn find_item(id: i32) -> Option<Item> {
    // logic to find item
    if item_found {
        Some(item)
    } else {
        None
    }
}

What are the benefits of using Option instead of null?

Using Option helps prevent null pointer exceptions and makes it explicit in your code that a value may be absent, improving safety.