Merge pull request #342 from PoignardAzur/main

Add variadic generics micro-survey

Author: Kobzol

surveys/2025/variadic-generics-survey/2025-09-variadic-use-cases.md

@@ -0,0 +1,160 @@
+# Survey questions
+
+This survey is meant to both measure interest in variadic generics and gather data about how they might be used once implemented.
+
+You can think of variadic generics as “being able to implement a trait for tuples with an arbitrary number of fields”.
+
+Variadics in Rust might look like this (placeholder syntax):
+
+```rust
+impl<...Ts: SomeTrait> SomeTrait for (...Ts) {
+    fn do_stuff(&self) -> u32 {
+        let mut sum = 0;
+        for member in ...self {
+            // The trait bounds ensure each member has a do_stuff() method
+            sum += member.do_stuff();
+        }
+        sum
+    }
+}
+
+let value: u32 = (0, 0.5, "hello", Some("hello"), false).do_stuff();
+```
+
+See [Analysing variadics, and how to add them to Rust](https://poignardazur.github.io/2021/01/30/variadic-generics/) for a full overview of features associated with variadic generics, and possible use-cases.
+
+This survey is fully anonymous and should take you approximately 5 minutes to complete.
+
+
+### How long have you been using Rust?
+
+Type: select one (optional)
+
+- Never
+- Zero to two years
+- Two to four years
+- Four to six years
+- More than six years
+
+
+### Have you heard about variadic generics before?
+
+Type: select all that apply
+
+- Yes, through Pre-RFCs and discussions on [`internals.rust-lang.org`](https://internals.rust-lang.org).
+- Yes, through discussions on Reddit.
+- Yes, through blog posts on [`poignardazur.github.io`](https://poignardazur.github.io/2025/07/09/variadic-generics-dead-ends/).
+- Yes, through other programming languages.
+- Yes, through other means: (open response)
+- No.
+
+
+### Are there cases where variadic generics would have made your project easier?
+
+If you knew about variadics, are there cases where you've wanted them to be implemented in Rust?
+If you haven't heard about variadics before, are there cases where you've wanted to be able to iterate over lists of different types?
+
+Type: select one
+
+- Yes
+- No [`NEXT`](#variadic-type-mappings)
+
+### Can you give more details about the use-case?
+
+Please write a description of the project and what you would have needed variadics for.
+Be as detailed as you like, more detail is better.
+
+Type: free text
+
+
+## Variadic type mappings
+
+The following section refers to "mappings" of variadic generics.
+
+In this context, variadic mappings refer to code that takes N-tuples of types as generic parameters, and refers to N-tuples of types derived from those parameters, where each type in the tuple is transformed in the same way.
+
+For example:
+
+```rust
+impl<...Ts> UnwrapAll for (Option<...Ts>) {
+    type Unwrapped = (...Ts);
+    fn unwrap_all(self) -> Self::Unwrapped {
+        for option in ...self {
+            option.unwrap()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+let my_gift_boxes = (Some(1), Some(true), Some("hello"));
+let opened_gifts = my_gift_boxes.unwrap_all();
+assert_eq!(opened_gifts, (1, true, "hello"));
+```
+
+In the above example, the trait `UnwrapAll` maps `(Option<u32>, Option<bool>, Option<&str>)` to `(u32, bool, &str)`.
+
+### Are there cases where variadic mappings would have made your project easier?
+
+Type: select one
+
+- Yes (same project as above)
+- Yes (another project)
+- No [`NEXT`](#non-linear-variadic-generics)
+
+### Can you give more details about the project?
+
+Be as detailed as you like, more detail is better.
+
+If it is the same project as before, you can include more details about how you would have used variadic mappings specifically.
+
+If you do not have anything to add, leave the answer empty.
+
+Type: free text (optional)
+
+
+## Non-linear variadic generics
+
+The following section refers to "non-linear" variadic generics.
+
+"Linear" variadics generics, in this context, means generics that only map over types in a fixed order, and otherwise preserve a one-to-one correspondence between type parameters and derived types.
+
+All the examples so far have been linear variadics.
+
+"Non-linear" variadics generics mean things like filtering a tuple of types to only keep those that implement a trait, or reversing a tuple of types, or finding the first type in a tuple that implements a trait.
+
+```rust
+fn get_children<...Ts>(parents: (...Ts)) -> (for <T of ...Ts where T: Parent> T::Child) {
+    for parent in ...parents where parent: Parent {
+        parent.child()
+    }
+}
+```
+
+### Are there cases where non-linear variadic generics would have made your project easier?
+
+Type: select one
+
+- Yes (same project as above)
+- Yes (another project)
+- No [`NEXT`](#how-high-a-priority-would-you-say-variadics-are-for-you)
+
+### Can you give more details about the project?
+
+Be as detailed as you like, more detail is better.
+
+If it's the same project as before, you can include more details about how you would have used non-linear variadics specifically.
+
+If you do not have anything to add, leave the answer empty.
+
+Type: free text (optional)
+
+
+## How high a priority would you say variadics are for you?
+
+Type: select one
+
+- It should be the highest priority feature.
+- Very important.
+- Moderately important.
+- Nice to have.
+- I don't care.
+- I don't want Rust to have variadics.