Merge pull request #492 from ehuss/underscore-imports

Document underscore imports.

Author: Centril

src/items/extern-crates.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 > **<sup>Syntax:<sup>**\
 > _ExternCrate_ :\
-> &nbsp;&nbsp; `extern` `crate` [IDENTIFIER]&nbsp;(`as` [IDENTIFIER])<sup>?</sup> `;`
+> &nbsp;&nbsp; `extern` `crate` [IDENTIFIER]&nbsp;(`as` ( [IDENTIFIER] | `_` ) )<sup>?</sup> `;`
 
 An _`extern crate` declaration_ specifies a dependency on an external crate.
 The external crate is then bound into the declaring scope as the [identifier]
@@ -68,18 +68,27 @@ need for specifying `extern crate`.
 
 <!--
 Possible upcoming changes that will change this:
-
 The `extern_crate_item_prelude` unstable feature allows `extern crate` to
 update the extern prelude in certain situations, see
 https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/54658
-
 Unstable `--extern proc_macro` flag that would force the crate into the
 extern prelude.
     https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/pull/54116
 -->
 
+## Underscore Imports
+
+An external crate dependency can be declared without binding its name in scope
+by using an underscore with the form `extern crate foo as _`. This may be
+useful for crates that only need to be linked, but are never referenced, and
+will avoid being reported as unused.
+
+The [`#[macro_use]` attribute] will work as usual and import the macro names
+into the macro-use prelude.
+
 [IDENTIFIER]: identifiers.html
 [RFC 940]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/blob/master/text/0940-hyphens-considered-harmful.md
+[`#[macro_use]` attribute]: attributes.html#macro-related-attributes
 [`alloc`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/alloc/
 [`crate::`]: paths.html#crate
 [`proc_macro`]: https://doc.rust-lang.org/proc_macro/

src/items/use-declarations.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 > _UseTree_ :\
 > &nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp; ([_SimplePath_]<sup>?</sup> `::`)<sup>?</sup> `*`\
 > &nbsp;&nbsp; | ([_SimplePath_]<sup>?</sup> `::`)<sup>?</sup> `{` (_UseTree_ ( `,`  _UseTree_ )<sup>\*</sup> `,`<sup>?</sup>)<sup>?</sup> `}`\
-> &nbsp;&nbsp; | [_SimplePath_]&nbsp;( `as` [IDENTIFIER] )<sup>?</sup>
+> &nbsp;&nbsp; | [_SimplePath_]&nbsp;( `as` ( [IDENTIFIER] | `_` ) )<sup>?</sup>
 
 A _use declaration_ creates one or more local name bindings synonymous with
 some other [path]. Usually a `use` declaration is used to shorten the path
@@ -18,10 +18,6 @@ and [blocks], usually at the top.
 [modules]: items/modules.html
 [blocks]: expressions/block-expr.html
 
-> **Note**: Unlike in many languages, `use` declarations in Rust do *not*
-> declare linkage dependency with external crates. Rather, [`extern crate`
-> declarations](items/extern-crates.html) declare linkage dependencies.
-
 Use declarations support a number of convenient shortcuts:
 
 * Simultaneously binding a list of paths with a common prefix, using the
@@ -124,7 +120,7 @@ mod foo {
 fn main() {}
 ```
 
-> **Edition Differences**: In the 2015 Edition, `use` paths also allow
+> **Edition Differences**: In the 2015 edition, `use` paths also allow
 > accessing items in the crate root. Using the example above, the following
 > `use` paths work in 2015 but not 2018:
 >
@@ -133,7 +129,13 @@ fn main() {}
 > use ::foo::baz::foobaz;
 > ```
 >
-> In the 2018 Edition, if an in-scope item has the same name as an external
+> The 2015 edition does not allow use declarations to reference the [extern
+> prelude]. Thus [`extern crate`] declarations are still required in 2015 to
+> reference an external crate in a use declaration. Beginning with the 2018
+> edition, use declarations can specify an external crate dependency the same
+> way `extern crate` can.
+>
+> In the 2018 edition, if an in-scope item has the same name as an external
 > crate, then `use` of that crate name requires a leading `::` to
 > unambiguously select the crate name. This is to retain compatibility with
 > potential future changes. <!-- uniform_paths future-proofing -->
@@ -149,7 +151,52 @@ fn main() {}
 > # fn main() {}
 > ```
 
+## Underscore Imports
+
+Items can be imported without binding to a name by using an underscore with
+the form `use path as _`. This is particularly useful to import a trait so
+that its methods may be used without importing the trait's symbol, for example
+if the trait's symbol may conflict with another symbol. Another example is to
+link an external crate without importing its name.
+
+Asterisk glob imports will import items imported with `_` in their unnameable
+form.
+
+```rust
+mod foo {
+    pub trait Zoo {
+        fn zoo(&self) {}
+    }
+
+    impl<T> Zoo for T {}
+}
+
+use self::foo::Zoo as _;
+struct Zoo;  // Underscore import avoids name conflict with this item.
+
+fn main() {
+    let z = Zoo;
+    z.zoo();
+}
+```
+
+The unique, unnameable symbols are created after macro expansion so that
+macros may safely emit multiple references to `_` imports. For example, the
+following should not produce an error:
+
+```rust
+macro_rules! m {
+    ($item: item) => { $item $item }
+}
+
+m!(use std as _;);
+// This expands to:
+// use std as _;
+// use std as _;
+```
 
 [IDENTIFIER]: identifiers.html
 [_SimplePath_]: paths.html#simple-paths
+[`extern crate`]: items/extern-crates.html
+[extern prelude]: items/extern-crates.html#extern-prelude
 [path qualifiers]: paths.html#path-qualifiers