Add downcasting to std::error::Error

This commit brings the `Error` trait in line with the [Error interoperation
RFC](rust-lang/rfcs#201) by adding downcasting,
which has long been intended. This change means that for any `Error`
trait objects that are `'static`, you can downcast to concrete error
types.

To make this work, it is necessary for `Error` to inherit from
`Reflect` (which is currently used to mark concrete types as "permitted
for reflection, aka downcasting"). This is a breaking change: it means
that impls like

```rust
impl<T> Error for MyErrorType<T> { ... }
```

must change to

```rust
impl<T: Reflect> Error for MyErrorType<T> { ... }
```

This commit furthermore marks `Reflect` as stable, since we are already
essentially committed to it via `Any`. Note that in the future, if we
determine that the parametricity aspects of `Reflect` are not needed, we
can deprecate the trait and provide a blanket implementation for it
for *all* types (rather than by using OIBIT), which would allow all
mentions of `Reflect` to be dropped over time. So there is not a strong
commitment here.

[breaking-change]

Author: aturon

src/libcore/any.rs

@@ -97,9 +97,7 @@ pub trait Any: Reflect + 'static {
     fn get_type_id(&self) -> TypeId;
 }
 
-impl<T> Any for T
-    where T: Reflect + 'static
-{
+impl<T: Reflect + 'static> Any for T {
     fn get_type_id(&self) -> TypeId { TypeId::of::<T>() }
 }
 

src/libcore/marker.rs

@@ -459,7 +459,7 @@ mod impls {
 ///
 /// [1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parametricity
 #[rustc_reflect_like]
-#[unstable(feature = "core", reason = "requires RFC and more experience")]
+#[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
 #[allow(deprecated)]
 #[cfg(not(stage0))]
 pub trait Reflect {}
@@ -471,4 +471,3 @@ pub trait Reflect {}
 pub trait Reflect: MarkerTrait {}
 
 impl Reflect for .. { }
-

src/libstd/error.rs

@@ -47,19 +47,21 @@
 // coherence challenge (e.g., specialization, neg impls, etc) we can
 // reconsider what crate these items belong in.
 
+use any::TypeId;
 use boxed::Box;
 use convert::From;
 use fmt::{self, Debug, Display};
-use marker::{Send, Sync};
+use marker::{Send, Sync, Reflect};
+use mem::transmute;
 use num;
-use option::Option;
-use option::Option::None;
+use option::Option::{self, Some, None};
+use raw::TraitObject;
 use str;
 use string::{self, String};
 
 /// Base functionality for all errors in Rust.
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
-pub trait Error: Debug + Display {
+pub trait Error: Debug + Display + Reflect {
     /// A short description of the error.
     ///
     /// The description should not contain newlines or sentence-ending
@@ -71,6 +73,14 @@ pub trait Error: Debug + Display {
     /// The lower-level cause of this error, if any.
     #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
     fn cause(&self) -> Option<&Error> { None }
+
+    /// Get the `TypeId` of `self`
+    #[doc(hidden)]
+    #[unstable(feature = "core",
+               reason = "unclear whether to commit to this public implementation detail")]
+    fn type_id(&self) -> TypeId where Self: 'static {
+        TypeId::of::<&'static Self>()
+    }
 }
 
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
@@ -154,3 +164,78 @@ impl Error for string::FromUtf16Error {
     }
 }
 
+// copied from any.rs
+impl Error + 'static {
+    /// Returns true if the boxed type is the same as `T`
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn is<T: Error + 'static>(&self) -> bool {
+        // Get TypeId of the type this function is instantiated with
+        let t = TypeId::of::<&'static T>();
+
+        // Get TypeId of the type in the trait object
+        let boxed = self.type_id();
+
+        // Compare both TypeIds on equality
+        t == boxed
+    }
+
+    /// Returns some reference to the boxed value if it is of type `T`, or
+    /// `None` if it isn't.
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn downcast_ref<T: Error + 'static>(&self) -> Option<&T> {
+        if self.is::<T>() {
+            unsafe {
+                // Get the raw representation of the trait object
+                let to: TraitObject = transmute(self);
+
+                // Extract the data pointer
+                Some(transmute(to.data))
+            }
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    /// Returns some mutable reference to the boxed value if it is of type `T`, or
+    /// `None` if it isn't.
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn downcast_mut<T: Error + 'static>(&mut self) -> Option<&mut T> {
+        if self.is::<T>() {
+            unsafe {
+                // Get the raw representation of the trait object
+                let to: TraitObject = transmute(self);
+
+                // Extract the data pointer
+                Some(transmute(to.data))
+            }
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Error + 'static + Send {
+    /// Forwards to the method defined on the type `Any`.
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn is<T: Error + 'static>(&self) -> bool {
+        <Error + 'static>::is::<T>(self)
+    }
+
+    /// Forwards to the method defined on the type `Any`.
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn downcast_ref<T: Error + 'static>(&self) -> Option<&T> {
+        <Error + 'static>::downcast_ref::<T>(self)
+    }
+
+    /// Forwards to the method defined on the type `Any`.
+    #[unstable(feature = "error_downcast", reason = "recently added")]
+    #[inline]
+    pub fn downcast_mut<T: Error + 'static>(&mut self) -> Option<&mut T> {
+        <Error + 'static>::downcast_mut::<T>(self)
+    }
+}

src/libstd/io/buffered.rs

@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 use prelude::v1::*;
 use io::prelude::*;
 
+use marker::Reflect;
 use cmp;
 use error;
 use fmt;
@@ -323,7 +324,7 @@ impl<W> From<IntoInnerError<W>> for Error {
 }
 
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
-impl<W: Send + fmt::Debug> error::Error for IntoInnerError<W> {
+impl<W: Reflect + Send + fmt::Debug> error::Error for IntoInnerError<W> {
     fn description(&self) -> &str {
         error::Error::description(self.error())
     }

src/libstd/sync/mpsc/mod.rs

@@ -272,6 +272,7 @@ use error;
 use fmt;
 use mem;
 use cell::UnsafeCell;
+use marker::Reflect;
 
 pub use self::select::{Select, Handle};
 use self::select::StartResult;
@@ -958,8 +959,7 @@ impl<T> fmt::Display for SendError<T> {
 }
 
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
-impl<T: Send> error::Error for SendError<T> {
-
+impl<T: Send + Reflect> error::Error for SendError<T> {
     fn description(&self) -> &str {
         "sending on a closed channel"
     }
@@ -994,7 +994,7 @@ impl<T> fmt::Display for TrySendError<T> {
 }
 
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
-impl<T: Send> error::Error for TrySendError<T> {
+impl<T: Send + Reflect> error::Error for TrySendError<T> {
 
     fn description(&self) -> &str {
         match *self {

src/libstd/sys/common/poison.rs

@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 
 use prelude::v1::*;
 
+use marker::Reflect;
 use cell::UnsafeCell;
 use error::{Error};
 use fmt;
@@ -109,7 +110,7 @@ impl<T> fmt::Display for PoisonError<T> {
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: Send> Error for PoisonError<T> {
+impl<T: Send + Reflect> Error for PoisonError<T> {
     fn description(&self) -> &str {
         "poisoned lock: another task failed inside"
     }
@@ -155,13 +156,13 @@ impl<T> fmt::Debug for TryLockError<T> {
 }
 
 #[stable(feature = "rust1", since = "1.0.0")]
-impl<T: Send> fmt::Display for TryLockError<T> {
+impl<T: Send + Reflect> fmt::Display for TryLockError<T> {
     fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter) -> fmt::Result {
         self.description().fmt(f)
     }
 }
 
-impl<T: Send> Error for TryLockError<T> {
+impl<T: Send + Reflect> Error for TryLockError<T> {
     fn description(&self) -> &str {
         match *self {
             TryLockError::Poisoned(ref p) => p.description(),