RFC: std::ascii reform

text/0000-std-ascii-reform.md

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+- Start Date: 2014-11-27
+- RFC PR:
+- Rust Issue:
+
+# Summary
+
+Move the `std::ascii::Ascii` type and related traits to a new Cargo package on crates.io,
+and instead expose its functionality for `u8`, `[u8]`, `char`, and `str` types.
+
+# Motivation
+
+The `std::ascii::Ascii` type is a `u8` wrapper that enforces
+(unless `unsafe` code is used)
+that the value is in the ASCII range,
+similar to `char` with `u32` in the range of Unicode scalar values,
+and `String` with `Vec<u8>` containing well-formed UTF-8 data.
+`[Ascii]` and `Vec<Ascii>` are naturally strings of text entirely in the ASCII range.
+
+Using the type system like this to enforce data invariants is interesting,
+but in practice `Ascii` is not that useful.
+Data (such as from the network) is rarely guaranteed to be ASCII only,
+nor is it desirable to remove or replace non-ASCII bytes,
+even if ASCII-range-only operations are used.
+(For example, *ASCII case-insensitive matching* is common in HTML and CSS.)
+
+Every single use of the `Ascii` type in the Rust distribution
+is only to use the `to_lowercase` or `to_uppercase` method,
+then immediately convert back to `u8` or `char`.
+
+# Detailed design
+
+The `Ascii` type
+as well as the `AsciiCast`, `OwnedAsciiCast`, `AsciiStr`, and `IntoBytes` traits
+should be copied into a new `ascii` Cargo package on crates.io.
+The `std::ascii` copy should be deprecated and removed at some point before Rust 1.0.
+
+Currently, the `AsciiExt` trait is:
+
+```rust
+pub trait AsciiExt<T> {
+    fn to_ascii_upper(&self) -> T;
+    fn to_ascii_lower(&self) -> T;
+    fn eq_ignore_ascii_case(&self, other: &Self) -> bool;
+}
+
+impl AsciiExt<String> for str { ... }
+impl AsciiExt<Vec<u8>> for [u8] { ... }
+```
+
+It should gain new methods for the functionality that is being removed with `Ascii`,
+be implemented for `u8` and `char`,
+and (if this is stable enough yet) use an associated type instead of the `T` parameter:
+
+```rust
+pub trait AsciiExt {
+    type Owned = Self;
+    fn to_ascii_upper(&self) -> Owned;
+    fn to_ascii_lower(&self) -> Owned;
+    fn eq_ignore_ascii_case(&self, other: &Self) -> bool;
+    fn is_ascii(&self) -> bool;
+
+    // Maybe? See unresolved questions
+    fn is_ascii_lowercase(&self) -> bool;
+    fn is_ascii_uppercase(&self) -> bool;
+    ...
+}
+
+impl AsciiExt for str { type Owned = String; ... }
+impl AsciiExt for [u8] { type Owned = Vec<u8>; ... }
+impl AsciiExt char { ... }
+impl AsciiExt u8 { ... }
+```
+
+The `OwnedAsciiExt` trait should stay as it is:
+
+```rust
+pub trait OwnedAsciiExt {
+    fn into_ascii_upper(self) -> Self;
+    fn into_ascii_lower(self) -> Self;
+}
+
+impl OwnedAsciiExt for String { ... }
+impl OwnedAsciiExt for Vec<u8> { ... }
+```
+
+The `std::ascii::escape_default` function has little to do with ASCII.
+I *think* it’s relevant to `b'x'` and `b"foo"` byte literals,
+which have types `u8` and `&'static [u8]`.
+I suggest moving it into `std::u8`.
+
+
+I (@SimonSapin) can help with the implementation work.
+
+
+# Drawbacks
+
+Code using `Ascii` (not only for e.g. `to_lowercase`)
+would need to install a Cargo package to get it.
+This is strictly more work than having it in `std`,
+but should still be easy.
+
+# Alternatives
+
+* The `Ascii` type could stay in `std::ascii`
+* Some variations per *Unresolved questions* below.
+
+# Unresolved questions
+
+* What to do with `std::ascii::escape_default`?
+* Rename the `AsciiExt` and `OwnedAsciiExt` traits?
+* Should they be in the prelude? The `Ascii` type and the related traits currently are.
+* Are associated type stable enough yet?
+  If not, `AsciiExt` should temporarily keep its type parameter.
+* Which of all the `Ascii::is_*` methods should `AsciiExt` include? Those included should have `ascii` added in their name.
+  * *Maybe* `is_lowercase`, `is_uppercase`, `is_alphabetic`, or `is_alphanumeric` could be useful,
+    but I’d be fine with dropping them and reconsider if someone asks for them.
+    The same result can be achieved
+    with `.is_ascii() &&` and the corresponding `UnicodeChar` method,
+    which in most cases has an ASCII fast path.
+    And in some cases it’s an easy range check like `'a' <= c && c <= 'z'`.
+  * `is_digit` and `is_hex` are identical to `Char::is_digit(10)` and `Char::is_digit(16)`.
+  * `is_blank`, `is_control`, `is_graph`, `is_print`, and `is_punctuation` are never used
+    in the Rust distribution or Servo.