Consider adding a clippy lint or language-level option that requires all return values to be explicitly used

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I've used F# before, which requires all return values to be explicitly used. If a return value is not needed, you need to drop it explicitly (using let _ = val which is the same as in Rust, or using F#-style |> ignore, the function ignore is equivalent to std::mem::drop). In Rust, this seems to be equivalent to making all functions that don't return unit must_use.

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This already exists, as the lint unused_results.

#![deny(unused_results)]

Ignoring the return value of a function may indicate a mistake. In cases were it is almost certain that the result should be used, it is recommended to annotate the function with the must_use attribute. Failure to use such a return value will trigger the unused_must_use lint which is warn-by-default. The unused_results lint is essentially the same, but triggers for all return values.

3 Likes
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Well... almost.

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