Handling errors with match in Rust - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What does the match statement do when handling errors in Rust?

It checks the result of an operation and lets you handle different cases, like Ok for success and Err for errors, by matching on these variants.

beginner

How do you access the value inside an Ok variant using match?

You use a pattern like Ok(value) in the match arm to get the successful result stored in value.

beginner

What is the purpose of the Err(e) pattern in a match statement?

It catches the error case and lets you handle or report the error stored in e.

intermediate

Why is using match for error handling better than just unwrapping?

Because match lets you handle errors gracefully without crashing the program, unlike unwrap() which panics on errors.

beginner

Write a simple match statement to handle a Result<String, &str> that prints the string on success or prints the error message on failure.

let result: Result<String, &str> = Ok("Hello".to_string());

match result {
    Ok(text) => println!("Success: {}", text),
    Err(e) => println!("Error: {}", e),
}

What does match do when used with a Result type in Rust?

A It ignores errors silently.

B It automatically fixes errors.

C It converts errors into success values.

D It lets you handle both success and error cases separately.

The match statement lets you write code for both Ok and Err cases explicitly.

Which pattern matches the error variant in a Result?

A Ok(value)

B Some(value)

C Err(e)

D None

Err(e) matches the error variant and binds the error to e.

What happens if you use unwrap() on an Err value?

A Panics and crashes the program.

B Converts error to success automatically.

C Ignores the error and continues.

D Returns the error value.

unwrap() panics if the Result is an Err, causing the program to crash.

In a match statement, how do you bind the success value of a Result to a variable?

A Ok(value)

B Err(value)

C Some(value)

D None

The pattern Ok(value) binds the success value to value.

Why is handling errors with match considered good practice?

A Because it hides errors from users.

B Because it forces you to handle all possible cases explicitly.

C Because it makes the program run faster.

D Because it automatically fixes bugs.

match requires you to handle every case, making your program more reliable.

Explain how to use match to handle a Result in Rust.

Think about how you separate success and error cases.

Describe why using match for error handling is safer than using unwrap().

Consider what happens when an error occurs.

Practice

1. What does the match statement do when used with a Result type in Rust?

easy

A. It ignores errors and continues execution.

B. It automatically fixes errors in the code.

C. It converts the result into a string.

D. It checks if the result is Ok or Err and lets you handle each case.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the purpose of match with Result

   The match statement is used to check the two possible states of a Result: Ok for success and Err for failure.

2. Step 2: Recognize handling of both cases

   By matching on Ok and Err, you can write code to handle success and error separately, making the program safe and clear.

3. Final Answer:

   It checks if the result is Ok or Err and lets you handle each case. -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   match with Result = handle Ok or Err [OK]

Hint: Remember: match splits Result into Ok or Err cases [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking match fixes errors automatically
• Assuming match converts Result to string
• Ignoring error cases in match

2. Which of the following is the correct syntax to match a Result<T, E> named res and print "Success" if Ok?

easy

A. match res { Ok => println!("Success"), Err => println!("Error") }

B. match res { Ok(_) => println!("Success"), Err(_) => println!("Error") }

C. match res { Ok(x) println!("Success"), Err(e) println!("Error") }

D. match res { Ok(_) => println!("Error"), Err(_) => println!("Success") }

Solution

1. Step 1: Check pattern matching syntax

   The correct syntax uses Ok(_) and Err(_) with arrows => to separate patterns from actions.

2. Step 2: Verify the printed messages

   match res { Ok(_) => println!("Success"), Err(_) => println!("Error") } prints "Success" on Ok and "Error" on Err, which matches the question requirement.

3. Final Answer:

   match res { Ok(_) => println!("Success"), Err(_) => println!("Error") } -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Correct match syntax = match res { Ok(_) => println!("Success"), Err(_) => println!("Error") } [OK]

Hint: Use arrows => after patterns and parentheses for Ok/Err [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Omitting arrows => in match arms
• Not using parentheses for Ok(_) or Err(_)
• Swapping success and error messages

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

let res: Result<i32, &str> = Err("fail");
match res {
    Ok(val) => println!("Value: {}", val),
    Err(e) => println!("Error: {}", e),
}

medium

A. Error: fail

B. Value: 0

C. Value: fail

D. No output

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the Result variant

   The variable res is assigned Err("fail"), so it represents an error.

2. Step 2: Match arms execution

   The match will go to the Err(e) arm and print "Error: fail".

3. Final Answer:

   Error: fail -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Err variant prints error message [OK]

Hint: Check if Result is Ok or Err to predict output [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing Err with Ok variant
• Expecting value instead of error message
• Ignoring the match arms

4. Find the error in this Rust code snippet:

let res: Result<i32, &str> = Ok(10);
match res {
    Ok(val) => println!("Value: {}", val),
    Err => println!("Error occurred"),
}

medium

A. Missing parentheses after Err in match arm

B. Missing semicolon after println! macro

C. Ok variant should be Err

D. Result type is incorrect

Solution

1. Step 1: Check match arm patterns

   In Rust, match arms for Result must pattern match with parentheses, so Err should be Err(_) or Err(e).

2. Step 2: Identify the syntax error

   The code uses Err without parentheses, which is invalid syntax and causes a compile error.

3. Final Answer:

   Missing parentheses after Err in match arm -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Err pattern needs parentheses () [OK]

Hint: Always use parentheses for Err(_) or Ok(_) in match [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Writing Err without parentheses
• Confusing semicolon placement
• Changing Result type unnecessarily

5. You want to write a function that returns Result<i32, String>. Inside, you try to parse a string to an integer. Using match, how do you handle the parsing result to return Ok(number) if successful or Err with a custom message if it fails?

hard

A. match s.parse() { Ok(n) => Err(n), Err(e) => Ok(e.to_string()) }

B. if s.parse().is_ok() { Ok(s.parse().unwrap()) } else { Err("Parse failed") }

C. match s.parse() { Ok(n) => Ok(n), Err(_) => Err(String::from("Parse failed")) }

D. match s.parse() { Ok(n) => n, Err(_) => "Parse failed" }

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand parse returns Result

   The parse() method returns Result<T, E>, so matching on it lets us handle success and failure.

2. Step 2: Return matching Result from function

   On Ok(n), return Ok(n) to propagate success. On Err(_), return Err with a custom error message as a String.

3. Final Answer:

   match s.parse() { Ok(n) => Ok(n), Err(_) => Err(String::from("Parse failed")) } -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Match parse Result to return Ok or custom Err [OK]

Hint: Return Ok(n) on success, Err(custom message) on failure [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Swapping Ok and Err returns
• Returning raw values instead of Result
• Using string literals instead of String in Err