How do I print in Rust the type of a variable?

Question

I have the following:

let mut my_number = 32.90;

How do I print the type of my_number?

Using type and type_of did not work. Is there another way I can print the number's type?

Answer 1

You can use the std::any::type_name function. This doesn't need a nightly compiler or an external crate, and the results are quite correct:

fn print_type_of<T>(_: &T) {
    println!("{}", std::any::type_name::<T>())
}

fn main() {
    let s = "Hello";
    let i = 42;

    print_type_of(&s); // &str
    print_type_of(&i); // i32
    print_type_of(&main); // playground::main
    print_type_of(&print_type_of::<i32>); // playground::print_type_of<i32>
    print_type_of(&{ || "Hi!" }); // playground::main::{{closure}}
}

Be warned: as said in the documentation, this information must be used for a debug purpose only:

This is intended for diagnostic use. The exact contents and format of the string are not specified, other than being a best-effort description of the type.

If you want your type representation to stay the same between compiler versions, you should use a trait, like in the phicr's answer.

Answer 2

If you merely wish to find out the type of a variable and are willing to do it at compile time, you can cause an error and get the compiler to pick it up.

For example, set the variable to a type which doesn't work:

let mut my_number: () = 32.90;
// let () = x; would work too

error[E0308]: mismatched types
 --> src/main.rs:2:29
  |
2 |     let mut my_number: () = 32.90;
  |                             ^^^^^ expected (), found floating-point number
  |
  = note: expected type `()`
             found type `{float}`

Or call an invalid method:

let mut my_number = 32.90;
my_number.what_is_this();

error[E0599]: no method named `what_is_this` found for type `{float}` in the current scope
 --> src/main.rs:3:15
  |
3 |     my_number.what_is_this();
  |               ^^^^^^^^^^^^

Or access an invalid field:

let mut my_number = 32.90;
my_number.what_is_this

error[E0610]: `{float}` is a primitive type and therefore doesn't have fields
 --> src/main.rs:3:15
  |
3 |     my_number.what_is_this
  |               ^^^^^^^^^^^^

These reveal the type, which in this case is actually not fully resolved. It’s called “floating-point variable” in the first example, and “{float}” in all three examples; this is a partially resolved type which could end up f32 or f64, depending on how you use it. “{float}” is not a legal type name, it’s a placeholder meaning “I’m not completely sure what this is”, but it is a floating-point number. In the case of floating-point variables, if you don't constrain it, it will default to f64¹. (An unqualified integer literal will default to i32.)

See also:

• What is the {integer} or {float} in a compiler error message?

---

¹ There may still be ways of baffling the compiler so that it can’t decide between f32 and f64; I’m not sure. It used to be as simple as 32.90.eq(&32.90), but that treats both as f64 now and chugs along happily, so I don’t know.

Answer 3

There is an unstable function std::intrinsics::type_name that can get you the name of a type, though you have to use a nightly build of Rust (this is unlikely to ever work in stable Rust). Here’s an example:

#![feature(core_intrinsics)]

fn print_type_of<T>(_: &T) {
    println!("{}", unsafe { std::intrinsics::type_name::<T>() });
}

fn main() {
    print_type_of(&32.90);          // prints "f64"
    print_type_of(&vec![1, 2, 4]);  // prints "std::vec::Vec<i32>"
    print_type_of(&"foo");          // prints "&str"
}

Answer 4

If you know all the types beforehand, you can use traits to add a type_of method:

trait TypeInfo {
    fn type_of(&self) -> &'static str;
}

impl TypeInfo for i32 {
    fn type_of(&self) -> &'static str {
        "i32"
    }
}

impl TypeInfo for i64 {
    fn type_of(&self) -> &'static str {
        "i64"
    }
}

//...

No intrisics or nothin', so although more limited this is the only solution here that gets you a string and is stable. (see Boiethios's answer) However, it's very laborious and doesn't account for type parameters, so we could...

trait TypeInfo {
    fn type_name() -> String;
    fn type_of(&self) -> String;
}

macro_rules! impl_type_info {
    ($($name:ident$(<$($T:ident),+>)*),*) => {
        $(impl_type_info_single!($name$(<$($T),*>)*);)*
    };
}

macro_rules! mut_if {
    ($name:ident = $value:expr, $($any:expr)+) => (let mut $name = $value;);
    ($name:ident = $value:expr,) => (let $name = $value;);
}

macro_rules! impl_type_info_single {
    ($name:ident$(<$($T:ident),+>)*) => {
        impl$(<$($T: TypeInfo),*>)* TypeInfo for $name$(<$($T),*>)* {
            fn type_name() -> String {
                mut_if!(res = String::from(stringify!($name)), $($($T)*)*);
                $(
                    res.push('<');
                    $(
                        res.push_str(&$T::type_name());
                        res.push(',');
                    )*
                    res.pop();
                    res.push('>');
                )*
                res
            }
            fn type_of(&self) -> String {
                $name$(::<$($T),*>)*::type_name()
            }
        }
    }
}

impl<'a, T: TypeInfo + ?Sized> TypeInfo for &'a T {
    fn type_name() -> String {
        let mut res = String::from("&");
        res.push_str(&T::type_name());
        res
    }
    fn type_of(&self) -> String {
        <&T>::type_name()
    }
}

impl<'a, T: TypeInfo + ?Sized> TypeInfo for &'a mut T {
    fn type_name() -> String {
        let mut res = String::from("&mut ");
        res.push_str(&T::type_name());
        res
    }
    fn type_of(&self) -> String {
        <&mut T>::type_name()
    }
}

macro_rules! type_of {
    ($x:expr) => { (&$x).type_of() };
}

Let's use it:

impl_type_info!(i32, i64, f32, f64, str, String, Vec<T>, Result<T,S>)

fn main() {
    println!("{}", type_of!(1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&&1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&mut 1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&&mut 1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&mut &1));
    println!("{}", type_of!(1.0));
    println!("{}", type_of!("abc"));
    println!("{}", type_of!(&"abc"));
    println!("{}", type_of!(String::from("abc")));
    println!("{}", type_of!(vec![1,2,3]));

    println!("{}", <Result<String,i64>>::type_name());
    println!("{}", <&i32>::type_name());
    println!("{}", <&str>::type_name());
}

output:

i32
&i32
&&i32
&mut i32
&&mut i32
&mut &i32
f64
&str
&&str
String
Vec<i32>
Result<String,i64>
&i32
&str

---

Rust Playground

Answer 5

Update, original answer below

How about trait function type_name, which is useful to get type name quickly.

pub trait AnyExt {
    fn type_name(&self) -> &'static str;
}

impl<T> AnyExt for T {
    fn type_name(&self) -> &'static str {
        std::any::type_name::<T>()
    }
}

fn main(){
    let my_number = 32.90;
    println!("{}",my_number.type_name());
}

Output:

f64

Original answer

I write a macro type_of!() to debug, which is original from std dbg!().

pub fn type_of2<T>(v: T) -> (&'static str, T) {
    (std::any::type_name::<T>(), v)
}

#[macro_export]
macro_rules! type_of {
    // NOTE: We cannot use `concat!` to make a static string as a format argument
    // of `eprintln!` because `file!` could contain a `{` or
    // `$val` expression could be a block (`{ .. }`), in which case the `eprintln!`
    // will be malformed.
    () => {
        eprintln!("[{}:{}]", file!(), line!());
    };
    ($val:expr $(,)?) => {
        // Use of `match` here is intentional because it affects the lifetimes
        // of temporaries - https://stackoverflow.com/a/48732525/1063961
        match $val {
            tmp => {
                let (type_,tmp) = $crate::type_of2(tmp);
                eprintln!("[{}:{}] {}: {}",
                    file!(), line!(), stringify!($val), type_);
                tmp
            }
        }
    };
    ($($val:expr),+ $(,)?) => {
        ($($crate::type_of!($val)),+,)
    };
}

fn main(){
    let my_number = type_of!(32.90);
    type_of!(my_number);
}

Output:

[src/main.rs:32] 32.90: f64
[src/main.rs:33] my_number: f64

Answer 6

UPD The following does not work anymore. Check Shubham's answer for correction.

Check out std::intrinsics::get_tydesc<T>(). It is in "experimental" state right now, but it's OK if you are just hacking around the type system.

Check out the following example:

fn print_type_of<T>(_: &T) -> () {
    let type_name =
        unsafe {
            (*std::intrinsics::get_tydesc::<T>()).name
        };
    println!("{}", type_name);
}

fn main() -> () {
    let mut my_number = 32.90;
    print_type_of(&my_number);       // prints "f64"
    print_type_of(&(vec!(1, 2, 4))); // prints "collections::vec::Vec<int>"
}

This is what is used internally to implement the famous {:?} formatter.

Answer 7

** UPDATE ** This has not been verified to work any time recently.

I put together a little crate to do this based off vbo's answer. It gives you a macro to return or print out the type.

Put this in your Cargo.toml file:

[dependencies]
t_bang = "0.1.2"

Then you can use it like so:

#[macro_use] extern crate t_bang;
use t_bang::*;

fn main() {
  let x = 5;
  let x_type = t!(x);
  println!("{:?}", x_type);  // prints out: "i32"
  pt!(x);                    // prints out: "i32"
  pt!(5);                    // prints out: "i32"
}

Answer 8

You can also use the simple approach of using the variable in println!("{:?}", var). If Debug is not implemented for the type, you can see the type in the compiler's error message:

mod some {
    pub struct SomeType;
}

fn main() {
    let unknown_var = some::SomeType;
    println!("{:?}", unknown_var);
}

(playpen)

It's dirty but it works.

Answer 9

Newly added in version 1.38 std::any::type_name

use std::any::type_name;

fn type_of<T>(_: T) -> &'static str {
    type_name::<T>()
}
fn main() {
    let x = 21;
    let y = 2.5;
    println!("{}", type_of(&y));
    println!("{}", type_of(x));
}

Answer 10

There's a @ChrisMorgan answer to get approximate type ("float") in stable rust and there's a @ShubhamJain answer to get precise type ("f64") through unstable function in nightly rust.

Now here's a way one can get precise type (ie decide between f32 and f64) in stable rust:

fn main() {
    let a = 5.;
    let _: () = unsafe { std::mem::transmute(a) };
}

results in

error[E0512]: cannot transmute between types of different sizes, or dependently-sized types
 --> main.rs:3:27
  |
3 |     let _: () = unsafe { std::mem::transmute(a) };
  |                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
  |
  = note: source type: `f64` (64 bits)
  = note: target type: `()` (0 bits)

Update

The turbofish variation

fn main() {
    let a = 5.;
    unsafe { std::mem::transmute::<_, ()>(a) }
}

is slightly shorter but somewhat less readable.

Answer 11

If your just wanting to know the type of your variable during interactive development, I would highly recommend using rls (rust language server) inside of your editor or ide. You can then simply permanently enable or toggle the hover ability and just put your cursor over the variable. A little dialog should come up with information about the variable including the type.

Answer 12

Some other answers don't work, but I find that the typename crate works.

1. Create a new project:

   cargo new test_typename
   

2. Modify the Cargo.toml

   [dependencies]
   typename = "0.1.1"
   

3. Modify your source code

   use typename::TypeName;
   
   fn main() {
       assert_eq!(String::type_name(), "std::string::String");
       assert_eq!(Vec::<i32>::type_name(), "std::vec::Vec<i32>");
       assert_eq!([0, 1, 2].type_name_of(), "[i32; 3]");
   
       let a = 65u8;
       let b = b'A';
       let c = 65;
       let d = 65i8;
       let e = 65i32;
       let f = 65u32;
   
       let arr = [1,2,3,4,5];
       let first = arr[0];
   
       println!("type of a 65u8  {} is {}", a, a.type_name_of());
       println!("type of b b'A'  {} is {}", b, b.type_name_of());
       println!("type of c 65    {} is {}", c, c.type_name_of());
       println!("type of d 65i8  {} is {}", d, d.type_name_of());
       println!("type of e 65i32 {} is {}", e, e.type_name_of());
       println!("type of f 65u32 {} is {}", f, f.type_name_of());
   
       println!("type of arr {:?} is {}", arr, arr.type_name_of());
       println!("type of first {} is {}", first, first.type_name_of());
   }
   

The output is:

type of a 65u8  65 is u8
type of b b'A'  65 is u8
type of c 65    65 is i32
type of d 65i8  65 is i8
type of e 65i32 65 is i32
type of f 65u32 65 is u32
type of arr [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] is [i32; 5]
type of first 1 is i32

Answer 13

This is simplified version of @Boiethios answer. I have removed some '&' symbols from original solution.

fn print_type_of<T>(_: T) {
    println!("{}", std::any::type_name::<T>())
}

fn main() {
    let s = "Hello";
    let i = 42;

    print_type_of(s); // &str
    print_type_of(i); // i32
    print_type_of(main); // playground::main
    print_type_of(print_type_of::<i32>); // playground::print_type_of<i32>
    print_type_of(|| "Hi!" ); // playground::main::{{closure}}
}

View in Rust Playground

Answer 14

Better to use this:

fn print_type_of<T>(_: &T) -> String {
    format!("{}", std::any::type_name::<T>())
}

fn main() {
    let s = &"hello world".to_string();
    let cloned_s = s.clone();
    println!("{:?}", print_type_of(&s));
    println!("{:?}", print_type_of(&cloned_s));
}

Taken inference from https://stackoverflow.com/a/29168659/6774636

Answer 15

short story;

fn tyof<T>(_: &T) -> String {
    std::any::type_name::<T>().into()
}

long story;

trait Type {
    fn type_of(&self) -> String;
}

macro_rules! Type {
    ($($ty:ty),*) => {
        $(
            impl Type for $ty {
                fn type_of(&self) -> String {
                    stringify!($ty).into()
                }
            }
        )*
    }
}

#[rustfmt::skip]
Type!(
    u8, i8, u16, i16, u32, i32, i64, u64, i128, String, [()], (), Vec<()>, &u8, &i8, &u16, &i16, &u32, &i32, &i64, &u64, &i128, &str, &[()], &Vec<()>, &() 
    // add any struct, enum or type you want
);

macro_rules! tyof {
    ($var: expr) => {{
        $var.type_of()
    }};
}

fn main() {
    let x = "Hello world!";
    println!("{}", tyof!(x));
    // or
    println!("{}", x.type_of());

    let x = 5;
    println!("{}", tyof!(x));
    // or
    println!("{}", x.type_of());
}

Answer 16

Macro form permits an usage "everywhere" while the function need an object to be parse.

Macro form (one liner):

macro_rules! ty {($type:ty) => {std::any::type_name::<$type>()}}

Macro form formated:

macro_rules! ty {
    ($type:ty) => {
        std::any::type_name::<$type>()
    };
}

Function form (borrowing is to not destroy the parsed var):

fn type_of<T>(_: &T) -> &'static str {std::any::type_name::<T>()}

fn type_of<T>(_: &T) -> &'static str {
    std::any::type_name::<T>()
}

Example:

macro_rules! ty {($type:ty) => {std::any::type_name::<$type>()}}
fn type_of<T>(_: &T) -> &'static str {std::any::type_name::<T>()}

struct DontMater<T>(T);

impl<T: std::fmt::Debug> std::fmt::Debug for DontMater<T> {
    fn fmt(&self, fmt: &mut std::fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> std::fmt::Result {
        fmt.write_fmt(format_args!("DontMater<{}>({:?})", ty!(T), self.0))
    }
}

fn main() {
    type µ = [Vec<String>; 7];
    println!("{:?}", DontMater(5_usize));
    println!("{:?}", DontMater("¤"));
    println!("{}", ty!(char));
    println!("{:?}", ty!(µ));
    println!("{}", type_of(&DontMater(72_i8)));
    println!("{:?}", type_of(&15_f64));
}

Returns:

DontMater<usize>(5)
DontMater<&str>("¤")
char
"[alloc::vec::Vec<alloc::string::String>; 7]"
env_vars::DontMater<i8>
"f64"

Answer 17

I like previous answer by @Coautose very much, but in case anyone wants just the type name without the namespace, for example C instead of a::b::C, here is a modified version of the macro that appears to work as intended:

macro_rules! ty {
    ($type:ty) => {{
        let result = std::any::type_name::<$type>();
        match result.rsplit_once(':') {
            Some((_, s)) => s,
            None => result,
        }
    }};
}

Usage:

debug!("Testing type name: {}", ty!(A));

However, this doesn't work well with parameterized namespaced types like Pizza<topping::Pepperoni> prints Pepperoni>.

Answer 18

#![feature(type_name_of_val)]
use std::any::type_name_of_val;
fn main() {
    let mut my_number = 32.90;
    println!("{}", type_name_of_val(&my_number));
}