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30 changes: 17 additions & 13 deletions reference/src/layout/pointers.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -2,34 +2,33 @@

### Terminology

Reference types are types of the form `&T`, `&mut T` or `&dyn T`.
Reference types are types of the form `&T`, `&mut T`.

Raw pointer types are types of the form `*const T` or `*mut T`.
We write `*T` when the mutability attribute is unimportant.

### Representation

The alignment of `&T`, `&mut T`, `*const T` and `*mut T` are the same,
and are at least the word size.

* If `T` is a trait, then the alignment of `&dyn T` is the word size.
* If `T` is a sized type then the alignment of `&T` is the word size.
* The alignment of `&dyn Trait` is the word size.
* The alignment of `&[T]` is the word size.
* The alignment of `&str` is the word size.
* Alignment in other cases may be more than the word size (e.g., for other dynamically sized types).

The sizes of `&T`, `&mut T`, `*const T` and `*mut T` are the same,
and are at least one word.

* If `T` is a trait, then the size of `&dyn T` is two words.
* If `T` is a sized type then the size of `&T` is one word.
* The size of `&dyn Trait` is two words.
* The size of `&[T]` is two words.
* The size of `&str` is two words.
* Size in other cases may be more than one word (e.g., for other dynamically sized types).

### Notes

The layouts of `&T`, `&mut T` and `*T` are the same.
The layouts of `&T`, `&mut T`, `*const T` and `*mut T` are the same.

If `T` is sized, references and pointers to `T` have a size and alignment of one
word and have therefore the same layout as C pointers.
Expand All @@ -40,25 +39,30 @@ word and have therefore the same layout as C pointers.
> or, in the case of `&mut T`, aliasing.

We do not make any guarantees about the layout of
multi-trait objects `&(dyn T + U)` or references to other dynamically sized types,
multi-trait objects `&(dyn Trait1 + Trait2)` or references to other dynamically sized types,
other than that they are at least word-aligned, and have size at least one word.

The layout of `&dyn T` when `T` is a trait is the same as that of:
```rust,ignore
The layout of `&dyn Trait` when `Trait` is a trait is the same as that of:
```rust
#[repr(C)]
struct DynObject {
data: *u8,
vtable: *u8,
data: *const u8,
vtable: *const u8,
}
```

> **note**: In the layout equivalence of `&dyn mut Trait` the field `data` is of the type `*mut u8`.

The layout of `&[T]` is the same as that of:
```rust,ignore
```rust
#[repr(C)]
struct Slice<T> {
ptr: *T,
ptr: *const T,
len: usize,
}
```

The layout of `&str` is the same as that of `&[u8]`.
> **note**: In the layout equivalence of `&mut [T]` the field `ptr` is of the type `*mut T`.

The layout of `&str` is the same as that of `&[u8]`, and the layout of `&mut str` is
the same as that of `&mut [u8]`.