Variables

Using the let keyword we can define two different types of variables: local variables and constants.

Local variables

Local variables are defined as follows:

let number = 42

By default, a variable can't be assigned a new value after its definition:

let number = 42

number = 50 # This produces a compile-time error

To allow this, use let mut like so:

let mut number = 42

number = 50 # This is now OK

The type of a variable is inferred according to the value assigned to it. A custom type can be specified as follows:

let number: Int = 42

Swapping values

Assigning a variable a new value using = drops the existing value first, then assigns the new value to the variable. Using the := we can assign a value and return the previous value:

let mut a = 10

a := 20 # This returns `10`

This is known as a "swap assignment".

Drop order

Local variables are dropped in reverse-lexical order:

let a = foo
let b = bar

Here b is dropped first, followed by a.

Constants

Constants are defined similar to local variables, except their names start with a capital letter:

let NUMBER = 42

Unlike local variables, constants can never be assigned a new value. This means the following is a compile-time error:

let mut NUMBER = 42

Constants can only be defined outside of methods and classes, i.e. like so:

let NUMBER = 42

class Cat {}

Constants are permanent values and as such are never dropped.