AnyOf : a versatile type for Rust

This project implements a flexible Algebraic Data Type : AnyOf.

AnyOf is an optional sum of product of two types,
which enables clear and safe data representations in functional and type-driven programming.

Overview

At the core of the project is the AnyOf enum, a general-purpose algebraic type, alongside additional types as EitherOf and BothOf.

These abstractions allow to express dynamic states, optional values, and branching logic in a natural and explicit manner.

Key Types

1. AnyOf<L, R>

   • A flexible type that represents four possible states:
     • Neither: No value is present.
     • Either:
       • Left: Only the left value is present.
       • Right: Only the right value is present.
     • Both: Both values are present.
   • It combines variants in the following way:

     AnyOf<L, R> = Neither
                 | Either(EitherOf<L, R>)
                 | Both(BothOf<L, R>)
     

   • Its cases are:

     AnyOf(l: L, r: R) = Neither 
                       | Either(Left(l))
                       | Either(Right(r)) 
                       | Both(BothOf{left = l, right = r})
     

   • This type can also be viewed as a product of two optional types:

     AnyOf<L, R>::any() -> (Option<L>, Option<R>)
     

     Cases :
     • Neither.any() returns (None, None)
     • Left(L).any() returns (Some(L), None)
     • Right(R).any() returns (None, Some(R))
     • Both(L, R).any() returns (Some(L), Some(R))

2. EitherOf<L, R>

   • A simple sum type representing one of two values.
   • Variants:
     • Left(L)
     • Right(R)
   • Ideal for binary decision-making.
   • Implements any() too :
     • Left(L).any() returns (Some(L), None)
     • Right(R).any() returns (None, Some(R))
   • It is the type :

     EitherOf<L, R> = Left(L) | Right(R)
     

3. BothOf<L, R>

   • A product type that pairs two values, left and right, of potentially different types.
   • Implements any() too :
     • BothOf{ left: L, right: R }.any() returns (Some(L), Some(R))
   • It is the type:

     BothOf<L, R> = {left: L, right: R}
     

   • It can be transformed into a tuple with:
     into_couple(self) -> Couple<L, R>,
   • And can be transformed from a tuple with:
     from_couple(Couple<L, R>) -> Self,

4. Enhanced Type Composition

   • A Couple<T, U> is a (T, U),
   • A Pair<T> is a Couple<T, T>,
   • An Any<T, U> is a Couple<Option<T>, Option<U>>,
   • Complex types like AnyOf4, AnyOf8, and AnyOf16 are implemented for handling larger, structured combinations via nested AnyOf structures.
   • The LeftOrRight trait :
     • Provides the methods is_right(), is_left(), any(), left() and right().
     • Implemented by AnyOf, EitherOf and BothOf,
     • Can be implemented by a custom type.
   • Other useful traits : Unwrap<L, R>, Swap<L, R> and Map<L, R>.

Features and Utilities

• Methods inspired by Rust's Option and Result types:

  • Creation utilities: new, new_left, new_both, etc.
  • State checks: is_neither, is_left, is_both, etc.
  • Transformations: map_left, map_right, swap, etc.
  • Unwrapping: unwrap_left, unwrap_right, unwrap_both.

• Flexible combinations:

  • Operators :
    • + to combine AnyOf values, or,
    • - to filter AnyOf values, or,
    • ! to swap AnyOf, EitherOf and BothOf values,
    • >> to map AnyOf, EitherOf and BothOf values,
  • Default value handling and state manipulation methods.

Download the type diagram.

Use Cases

AnyOf and its related types simplify dynamic state management and are well-suited for:

• Branching logic in functional programming.
• Handling optional or partial data.
• Implementing explicit and exhaustive handling of all potential states.
• Minimizing boilerplate for complex decision-making.

Motivation

The project aims to enrich Rust's type system with expressive and flexible types for representing data combinations and states.
It is inspired by the Haskel's Either type.

• Unlike the Rust's Result type, the types AnyOf, EitherOf or LeftOrRight have not an "error" semantic, they are general purpose,
• LeftOrRight<L, R>::any() can be represented by a (Option<L>, Option<R>) which is a product of two optional types, but the two types has not the same composition conciseness :

  AnyOf<AnyOf<LL, LR>, AnyOf<RL, RR>>
  vs
  (Option<(Option<LL>, Option<LR>)>, Option<(Option<RL>, Option<RR>)>)
  
  AnyOf<AnyOf<AnyOf<LLL, LLR>, AnyOf<LRL, LRR>>, AnyOf<AnyOf<RLL, RLR>, AnyOf<RRL, RRR>>>
  vs
  (Option<(Option<(Option<LLL>, Option<LLR>)>, Option<(Option<LRL>, Option<LRR>)>)>, Option<(Option<(Option<RLL>, Option<RLR>)>, Option<(Option<RRL>, Option<RRR>)>)>)
  

Status

The library may evolve following semantic versioning, so the API will be stable in a given major version.

Feedback is welcome!

License

© 2025 Sébastien Geldreich
Distributed under the MIT License.