# Indices
[](https://github.com/mcmah309/indices)
[](https://crates.io/crates/indices)
[](https://docs.rs/indices)
[](https://github.com/mcmah309/indices/actions?query=branch%3Amaster)
Indices provides macros and methods for **safely** retrieving **multiple mutable elements** from **a mutable slice**,
addressing scenarios where slice elements would typically require `RefCell` or `Cell` (interior mutability approach).
e.g.
```rust
let (four, one, two) = indices!(slice, 4, 1, 2);
```
Which expands to
```rust
#[inline(always)]
fn func(slice: &mut [T], one: usize, two: usize, three: usize,) -> (&mut T, &mut T, &mut T) {
if one == two || one == three || two == three {
panic!("Duplicate indices are not allowed.");
}
let slice_len = slice.len();
if one >= slice_len || two >= slice_len || three >= slice_len {
panic!("Index out of bounds.");
}
let ptr = slice.as_mut_ptr();
unsafe { (&mut *ptr.add(one), &mut *ptr.add(two), &mut *ptr.add(three)) }
}
let (four, one, two) = func(slice, 4, 1, 2);
```
Which will be optimized by the rust compiler to essentially the following pseudo code
```rust
if 4 >= slice.len() {
panic!("Index out of bounds.");
}
let (four, one, two) = (&mut slice[4], &mut slice[1], &mut slice[2])
```
The above code is safe, correct, and more performant than using `RefCell` or `Cell`. `indices!` follows the above expansion pattern for up to 4 requested indices.
At which point, the macro will switch to a more optimized approach for many requested indices.
There is also `try_indices!`, `indices_ordered!`, and `try_indices_ordered!`.
### Examples
Macro Example
All macros are zero allocation and allow retrieving a variable number of indices at runtime. Prefer macros when the number
of indices are known at compile time. e.g.
```rust
fn main() {
struct Person {
first: String,
last: String,
}
let mut data = [
Person { first: "John".to_string(), last: "Doe".to_string() },
Person { first: "Jane".to_string(), last: "Smith".to_string() },
Person { first: "Alice".to_string(), last: "Johnson".to_string() },
Person { first: "Bob".to_string(), last: "Brown".to_string() },
Person { first: "Charlie".to_string(), last: "White".to_string() },
];
fn modify(data_slice: &mut [Person], index: usize){
let (four, func_provided, three) = indices!(data_slice, 4, index, 3);
four.last = "Black".to_string();
func_provided.first = "Jack".to_string();
three.last = "Jones".to_string();
}
let slice = data.as_mut_slice();
modify(slice, 1);
assert_eq!(data[4].last, "Black");
assert_eq!(data[1].first, "Jack");
assert_eq!(data[3].last, "Jones");
}
```
Method Example
Methods allow for more dynamic runtime retrieval when the number of indices is unknown at compile time. e.g.
```rust
fn main() {
struct Node {
index: usize,
visited: usize,
edges: Vec,
message: String,
}
let mut graph = vec![
Node {
index: 0,
visited: usize::MAX,
edges: vec![1, 2],
message: String::new(),
},
Node {
index: 1,
visited: usize::MAX,
edges: vec![0, 2],
message: String::new(),
},
Node {
index: 2,
visited: usize::MAX,
edges: vec![3],
message: String::new(),
},
Node {
index: 4,
visited: usize::MAX,
edges: vec![1],
message: String::new(),
},
];
fn traverse_graph(graph: &mut [Node], current: usize, start: usize) -> bool {
if current == start {
return true;
}
let edges = graph[current].edges.clone();
let [mut current_node, mut edge_nodes] = indices_slices(graph, [&[current], &edges]);
for edge_node in edge_nodes.iter_mut() {
current_node[0].visited = current;
edge_node.message.push_str(&format!(
"This is Node `{}` Came from Node `{}`.",
edge_node.index, current_node[0].visited
));
}
for edge in edges {
if traverse_graph(graph, edge, start) {
return true;
}
}
return false;
}
traverse_graph(&mut *graph, 2, 0);
let answers = [
"This is Node `0` Came from Node `1`.",
"This is Node `1` Came from Node `3`.",
"This is Node `2` Came from Node `1`.",
"This is Node `4` Came from Node `2`.",
];
for (index, node) in graph.iter().enumerate() {
assert_eq!(&node.message, answers[index]);
}
}
```