CString in alloc::ffi - Rust

Creates a new C-compatible string from a container of bytes.

This function will consume the provided data and use the underlying bytes to construct a new string, ensuring that there is a trailing 0 byte. This trailing 0 byte will be appended by this function; the provided data should not contain any 0 bytes in it.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;
use std::os::raw::c_char;

extern "C" { fn puts(s: *const c_char); }

let to_print = CString::new("Hello!").expect("CString::new failed");
unsafe {
    puts(to_print.as_ptr());
}

Errors

This function will return an error if the supplied bytes contain an internal 0 byte. The NulError returned will contain the bytes as well as the position of the nul byte.

Creates a C-compatible string by consuming a byte vector, without checking for interior 0 bytes.

Trailing 0 byte will be appended by this function.

This method is equivalent to CString::new except that no runtime assertion is made that v contains no 0 bytes, and it requires an actual byte vector, not anything that can be converted to one with Into.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let raw = b"foo".to_vec();
unsafe {
    let c_string = CString::from_vec_unchecked(raw);
}

Retakes ownership of a CString that was transferred to C via CString::into_raw.

Additionally, the length of the string will be recalculated from the pointer.

Safety

This should only ever be called with a pointer that was earlier obtained by calling CString::into_raw. Other usage (e.g., trying to take ownership of a string that was allocated by foreign code) is likely to lead to undefined behavior or allocator corruption.

It should be noted that the length isn’t just “recomputed,” but that the recomputed length must match the original length from the CString::into_raw call. This means the CString::into_raw/from_raw methods should not be used when passing the string to C functions that can modify the string’s length.

Note: If you need to borrow a string that was allocated by foreign code, use CStr. If you need to take ownership of a string that was allocated by foreign code, you will need to make your own provisions for freeing it appropriately, likely with the foreign code’s API to do that.

Examples

Creates a CString, pass ownership to an extern function (via raw pointer), then retake ownership with from_raw:

use std::ffi::CString;
use std::os::raw::c_char;

extern "C" {
    fn some_extern_function(s: *mut c_char);
}

let c_string = CString::new("Hello!").expect("CString::new failed");
let raw = c_string.into_raw();
unsafe {
    some_extern_function(raw);
    let c_string = CString::from_raw(raw);
}

Consumes the CString and transfers ownership of the string to a C caller.

The pointer which this function returns must be returned to Rust and reconstituted using CString::from_raw to be properly deallocated. Specifically, one should not use the standard C free() function to deallocate this string.

Failure to call CString::from_raw will lead to a memory leak.

The C side must not modify the length of the string (by writing a null somewhere inside the string or removing the final one) before it makes it back into Rust using CString::from_raw. See the safety section in CString::from_raw.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let c_string = CString::new("foo").expect("CString::new failed");

let ptr = c_string.into_raw();

unsafe {
    assert_eq!(b'f', *ptr as u8);
    assert_eq!(b'o', *ptr.offset(1) as u8);
    assert_eq!(b'o', *ptr.offset(2) as u8);
    assert_eq!(b'\0', *ptr.offset(3) as u8);

    // retake pointer to free memory
    let _ = CString::from_raw(ptr);
}

Converts the CString into a String if it contains valid UTF-8 data.

On failure, ownership of the original CString is returned.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let valid_utf8 = vec![b'f', b'o', b'o'];
let cstring = CString::new(valid_utf8).expect("CString::new failed");
assert_eq!(cstring.into_string().expect("into_string() call failed"), "foo");

let invalid_utf8 = vec![b'f', 0xff, b'o', b'o'];
let cstring = CString::new(invalid_utf8).expect("CString::new failed");
let err = cstring.into_string().err().expect("into_string().err() failed");
assert_eq!(err.utf8_error().valid_up_to(), 1);

Consumes the CString and returns the underlying byte buffer.

The returned buffer does not contain the trailing nul terminator, and it is guaranteed to not have any interior nul bytes.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let c_string = CString::new("foo").expect("CString::new failed");
let bytes = c_string.into_bytes();
assert_eq!(bytes, vec![b'f', b'o', b'o']);

Equivalent to CString::into_bytes() except that the returned vector includes the trailing nul terminator.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let c_string = CString::new("foo").expect("CString::new failed");
let bytes = c_string.into_bytes_with_nul();
assert_eq!(bytes, vec![b'f', b'o', b'o', b'\0']);

Returns the contents of this CString as a slice of bytes.

The returned slice does not contain the trailing nul terminator, and it is guaranteed to not have any interior nul bytes. If you need the nul terminator, use CString::as_bytes_with_nul instead.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let c_string = CString::new("foo").expect("CString::new failed");
let bytes = c_string.as_bytes();
assert_eq!(bytes, &[b'f', b'o', b'o']);

Equivalent to CString::as_bytes() except that the returned slice includes the trailing nul terminator.

Examples

use std::ffi::CString;

let c_string = CString::new("foo").expect("CString::new failed");
let bytes = c_string.as_bytes_with_nul();
assert_eq!(bytes, &[b'f', b'o', b'o', b'\0']);

Extracts a CStr slice containing the entire string.

Examples

use std::ffi::{CString, CStr};

let c_string = CString::new(b"foo".to_vec()).expect("CString::new failed");
let cstr = c_string.as_c_str();
assert_eq!(cstr,
           CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"foo\0").expect("CStr::from_bytes_with_nul failed"));

Converts this CString into a boxed CStr.

Examples

use std::ffi::{CString, CStr};

let c_string = CString::new(b"foo".to_vec()).expect("CString::new failed");
let boxed = c_string.into_boxed_c_str();
assert_eq!(&*boxed,
           CStr::from_bytes_with_nul(b"foo\0").expect("CStr::from_bytes_with_nul failed"));

Converts a Vec<u8> to a CString without checking the invariants on the given Vec.

Safety

The given Vec must have one nul byte as its last element. This means it cannot be empty nor have any other nul byte anywhere else.

Example

use std::ffi::CString;
assert_eq!(
    unsafe { CString::from_vec_with_nul_unchecked(b"abc\0".to_vec()) },
    unsafe { CString::from_vec_unchecked(b"abc".to_vec()) }
);

Attempts to converts a Vec<u8> to a CString.

Runtime checks are present to ensure there is only one nul byte in the Vec, its last element.

Errors

If a nul byte is present and not the last element or no nul bytes is present, an error will be returned.

Examples

A successful conversion will produce the same result as CString::new when called without the ending nul byte.

use std::ffi::CString;
assert_eq!(
    CString::from_vec_with_nul(b"abc\0".to_vec())
        .expect("CString::from_vec_with_nul failed"),
    CString::new(b"abc".to_vec()).expect("CString::new failed")
);

An incorrectly formatted Vec will produce an error.

use std::ffi::{CString, FromVecWithNulError};
// Interior nul byte
let _: FromVecWithNulError = CString::from_vec_with_nul(b"a\0bc".to_vec()).unwrap_err();
// No nul byte
let _: FromVecWithNulError = CString::from_vec_with_nul(b"abc".to_vec()).unwrap_err();