A Comprehensive Guide to String Conversion in Rust

This document provides an in-depth explanation of how to convert between various string types in Rust, with a particular focus on String and &str. Understanding these conversions is fundamental for effectively managing string data in Rust.

Key Concepts

• String vs &str:
  • String is an owned, growable string type.
  • &str is a string slice, a reference to a string that is not owned.
• Conversion Methods: There are several methods to convert between String and &str.

Conversion from String to &str

You can obtain a &str from a String by using the .as_str() method or by dereferencing the String.

Example

let my_string = String::from("Hello, world!");
let my_str: &str = my_string.as_str();
// or
let my_str: &str = &my_string;

Conversion from &str to String

To convert a &str to a String, you can use the .to_string() method or the String::from() function.

Example

let my_str: &str = "Hello, world!";
let my_string: String = my_str.to_string();
// or
let my_string: String = String::from(my_str);

Summary of Methods

• From String to &str:
  • my_string.as_str()
  • &my_string
• From &str to String:
  • my_str.to_string()
  • String::from(my_str)

Conclusion

Understanding how to convert between String and &str is essential for effective string manipulation in Rust. By mastering these conversions, you can manage ownership and borrowing of string data in your Rust applications.