Dynamic dispatch
Dynamic dispatch is runtime selection of an operation implementation according to an object's dynamically determined type or runtime arguments.
Data-Oriented Programming: Reduce software complexity
Dynamic dispatch is runtime selection of an operation implementation based on runtime argument information rather than only static types.
- How it is used
- Uses runtime data to extend polymorphic behavior beyond single- and multiple-argument type selection.
- How deep it goes
- Explains dispatch functions, validation, emitted values, method wiring, defaults, and testing through a complete example.
- Examples
- Demonstrates dysGreet with dog, cat, and cow maps, combining animal type with whether a name exceeds five letters.
- What you can do after
- Build it from scratch with a dispatch function and methods keyed by runtime values.
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Idiomatic Rust
Dynamic dispatch is runtime selection of an implementation based on the concrete type behind an interface value.
- How it is used
- Stores different concrete types behind one trait interface and calls shared trait methods at runtime.
- How deep it goes
- Explains `dyn` trait objects, vtable-based lookup, and pointer requirements for unsized values.
- Examples
- Demonstrates two structs in a boxed trait-object vector and dispatches their shared method.
- What you can do after
- Build a heterogeneous `Vec<Box<dyn MyTrait>>` and invoke the shared trait method.
Related concepts
- trait objectused by · A Rust trait object is a value accessed through a trait interface with its concrete implementing type hidden and methods dispatched dynamically.
- Boxused by · Box is a Rust owning smart pointer that provides indirection by storing a uniquely owned value in heap-allocated memory.
- vtableimplemented by · A vtable is a compiler- or runtime-generated table of function or method entries used to dynamically dispatch operations for polymorphic objects or types.
- polymorphismkind of · Polymorphism is a programming-language capability that lets a common interface or operation work with values of different types while allowing behavior to vary by type or implementation.
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