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Merge pull request #1582 from chorman0773/spec-add-identifiers-dynami…
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Add spec identifiers to dynamically-sized-types.md
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ehuss authored Jan 7, 2025
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# Dynamically Sized Types

r[dynamic-sized]

r[dynamic-sized.intro]
Most types have a fixed size that is known at compile time and implement the
trait [`Sized`][sized]. A type with a size that is known only at run-time is
called a _dynamically sized type_ (_DST_) or, informally, an unsized type.
[Slices] and [trait objects] are two examples of <abbr title="dynamically sized
types">DSTs</abbr>. Such types can only be used in certain cases:
types">DSTs</abbr>.

r[dynamic-sized.restriction]
Such types can only be used in certain cases:

r[dynamic-sized.pointer-types]
* [Pointer types] to <abbr title="dynamically sized types">DSTs</abbr> are
sized but have twice the size of pointers to sized types
* Pointers to slices also store the number of elements of the slice.
* Pointers to trait objects also store a pointer to a vtable.

r[dynamic-sized.question-sized]
* <abbr title="dynamically sized types">DSTs</abbr> can be provided as
type arguments to generic type parameters having the special `?Sized` bound.
They can also be used for associated type definitions when the corresponding associated type declaration has a `?Sized` bound.
By default, any type parameter or associated type has a `Sized` bound, unless it is relaxed using `?Sized`.

r[dynamic-sized.trait-impl]
* Traits may be implemented for <abbr title="dynamically sized
types">DSTs</abbr>.
Unlike with generic type parameters, `Self: ?Sized` is the default in trait definitions.

r[dynamic-sized.struct-field]
* Structs may contain a <abbr title="dynamically sized type">DST</abbr> as the
last field; this makes the struct itself a
<abbr title="dynamically sized type">DST</abbr>.
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