Writing first Rust program - Mini Project: Build & Apply

Writing first Rust program

📖 Scenario: You want to create a simple Rust program that greets a user by name. This is like writing a friendly note to someone, but using code.

🎯 Goal: Build a Rust program that stores a name, creates a greeting message using that name, and then prints the greeting.

📋 What You'll Learn

Create a variable to hold a name

Create a greeting message using the name

Print the greeting message

💡 Why This Matters

🌍 Real World

Greeting messages are common in apps and websites to welcome users personally.

💼 Career

Understanding how to create variables and print output is the first step in writing any Rust program.

1

Create a variable with a name

Create a variable called name and set it to the string "Alice".

Rust

# Create a variable called name and set it to "Alice"
# Your code here

Hint

Use let to create a variable and assign the string "Alice" to it.

2

Create a greeting message

Create a variable called greeting that uses format! to combine the text "Hello, " with the variable name.

Rust

fn main() {
    let name = "Alice";
    // Create a greeting message using format! and name
    // Your code here
}

Hint

Use format!("Hello, {}!", name) to create the greeting string.

3

Print the greeting message

Use println! to print the variable greeting.

Rust

fn main() {
    let name = "Alice";
    let greeting = format!("Hello, {}!", name);
    // Print the greeting
    // Your code here
}

Hint

Use println!("{}", greeting); to show the greeting on the screen.

4

Run and see the greeting

Run the program and observe the output. It should print Hello, Alice!.

Rust

fn main() {
    let name = "Alice";
    let greeting = format!("Hello, {}!", name);
    println!("{}", greeting);
}

// Run the program to see the output

Hint

Use cargo run or rustc to compile and run your program.

Practice

1. What is the correct way to start a basic Rust program?

easy

A. By defining a fn main() function

B. By writing start() function

C. By using begin() function

D. By declaring a program() function

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Rust program entry point

   Rust programs always start execution from the main function.

2. Step 2: Identify the correct function name

   The correct function to start a Rust program is fn main().

3. Final Answer:

   By defining a fn main() function -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Rust program entry point = fn main() [OK]

Hint: Rust programs always start with fn main() [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using incorrect function names like start() or begin()
• Omitting the main function entirely
• Confusing Rust with other languages' entry points

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to print "Hello, world!" in Rust?

easy

A. print!("Hello, world!");

B. println!("Hello, world!");

C. echo("Hello, world!");

D. console.log("Hello, world!");

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify Rust's print macro

   Rust uses the macro println! to print text with a newline.

2. Step 2: Compare options

   Only println!("Hello, world!"); is valid Rust syntax for printing with a newline.

3. Final Answer:

   println!("Hello, world!"); -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Print with newline = println! macro [OK]

Hint: Use println! to print with a newline in Rust [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using print! without newline when newline is expected
• Using functions from other languages like echo or console.log
• Missing the exclamation mark after println

3. What will be the output of this Rust program?

fn main() {
    println!("{}", 5 + 3);
}

medium

A. 8

B. 5 + 3

C. {}

D. Compilation error

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the println! macro with placeholders

   The {} inside the string is a placeholder for the value following the string.

2. Step 2: Calculate the expression inside println!

   The expression 5 + 3 evaluates to 8, which replaces the {}.

3. Final Answer:

   8 -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   5 + 3 = 8 printed [OK]

Hint: {} prints evaluated expression inside println! [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Expecting the literal string '5 + 3' to print
• Confusing {} as a string literal
• Thinking it causes a compile error

4. Identify the error in this Rust program:

fn main() {
    println!("Hello, world!")
}

medium

A. Missing quotation marks around string

B. Incorrect function name main

C. Missing semicolon after println! macro

D. println! macro does not exist

Solution

1. Step 1: Check syntax of println! macro call

   In Rust, statements must end with a semicolon unless they are the last expression in a block.

2. Step 2: Identify missing semicolon

   The println!("Hello, world!") line is missing a semicolon at the end.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing semicolon after println! macro -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Statements need semicolon unless last expression [OK]

Hint: Add semicolon after println! unless last expression [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Forgetting semicolon after macro calls
• Thinking main function name is wrong
• Assuming println! is not a macro

5. You want to write a Rust program that prints "Hello, <name>!" where <name> is a variable. Which code correctly does this?

hard

A. fn main() {
let name = "Alice";
println!("Hello, {name}!");
}

B. fn main() {
let name = "Alice";
println!("Hello, name!");
}

C. fn main() {
let name = "Alice";
print!("Hello, {}!", name);
}

D. fn main() {
let name = "Alice";
println!("Hello, {}!", name);
}

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand variable interpolation in println!

   Rust uses {} as a placeholder and variables are passed after the string.

2. Step 2: Check each option for correct syntax and output

   fn main() { let name = "Alice"; println!("Hello, {}!", name); } correctly uses println!("Hello, {}!", name); to print the variable's value.

3. Final Answer:

   fn main() { let name = "Alice"; println!("Hello, {}!", name); } -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Use {} and pass variable to println! [OK]

Hint: Use {} and pass variable to println! for interpolation [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Putting variable name inside quotes without {}
• Using print! instead of println! (missing newline)
• Trying to use {name} without Rust 1.58+ raw identifiers