Re: [PATCH v1] rust: add improved version of `ForeignOwnable::borrow_mut`

From: Martin Rodriguez Reboredo
Date: Wed Jul 12 2023 - 23:28:28 EST


On 7/10/23 04:46, Alice Ryhl wrote:
Previously, the `ForeignOwnable` trait had a method called `borrow_mut`
that was intended to provide mutable access to the inner value. However,
the method accidentally made it possible to change the address of the
object being modified, which usually isn't what we want. (And when we
want that, it can be done by calling `from_foreign` and `into_foreign`,
like how the old `borrow_mut` was implemented.)

In this patch, we introduce an alternate definition of `borrow_mut` that
solves the previous problem. Conceptually, given a pointer type `P` that
implements `ForeignOwnable`, the `borrow_mut` method gives you the same
kind of access as an `&mut P` would, except that it does not let you
change the pointer `P` itself.

This is analogous to how the existing `borrow` method provides the same
kind of access to the inner value as an `&P`.

Note that for types like `Arc`, having an `&mut Arc<T>` only gives you
immutable access to the inner `T`. This is because mutable references
assume exclusive access, but there might be other handles to the same
reference counted value, so the access isn't exclusive. The `Arc` type
implements this by making `borrow_mut` return the same type as `borrow`.

Signed-off-by: Alice Ryhl <aliceryhl@xxxxxxxxxx>
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Reviewed-by: Martin Rodriguez Reboredo <yakoyoku@xxxxxxxxx>