Cannot move out of borrowed content in Rust
rust
Solution
The difference between `get_hp` and `get_name` is that `get_hp` returns a `i32`. `i32` is a `Copy` type. `Copy` types can be copied by simply copying bits and are never moved out. On the other hand `String` is not `Copy`, it manages some memory which must either be transferred (moved out) or `Clone`d.
For getters like this, it is more idiomatic to return references instead of cloning. And for `String`s, it should specifically be `&str`.
pub fn get_name(&self) -> &str {
&self.name
}
Problem
``` pub struct Character { name: String, hp: i32, level: i32, xp: i32, xp_needed: i32, gold: i32 } impl Character { pub fn new(name: String) -> Character { let mut rng = thread_rng(); let hp: i32 = rng.gen_range(12, 75); let gold: i32 = rng.gen_range(10, 50); Character { name: name, hp: hp, level: 1, xp: 0, gold: gold, xp_needed: 100 } } pub fn get_name(&self) -> String { self.name } // ... } ``` How exactly am I breaking the rules here? At a high-level, this is against-the-grain for Rust. You cannot transfer ownership of something borrowed because you don't own it. Um don't I? I have other functions like: ``` pub fn get_hp(&self) -> i32 { self.hp } ``` And that works just fine. ``` | 23 | self.name | ^^^^ cannot move out of borrowed content error: aborting due to previous error ``` What's going on? What is the appropriate approach to return the character name? Why does the `get_hp` method work but not `get_name`?