Underscore prefixed variables

questions/000-underscore-prefix.md

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+Answer: 3121
+Difficulty: 1
+
+# Hint
+
+A value is dropped when it no longer has an owner.
+
+# Explanation
+
+The program prints `3121`. That is, the `Drop` impl for `let _guard = Guard`
+runs at the end of main but the `Drop` impl for `let _ = Guard` runs right away.
+
+In general, a value is dropped when it no longer has an owner. The variable
+`_guard` owns the first value of type `Guard` and remains in scope until the end
+of main. The `_` is not a variable but a wildcard pattern that binds nothing;
+since no variables are bound on this line, there is no variable to be the owner
+of the second value of type `Guard` and that value is dropped on the same line.
+
+This distinction between the underscore pattern vs variables with a leading
+underscore is incredibly important to remember when working with lock guards in
+unsafe code.
+
+    use lazy_static::lazy_static;
+    use std::sync::Mutex;
+
+    lazy_static! {
+        static ref MUTEX: Mutex<()> = Mutex::new(());
+    }
+
+    /// MUTEX must be held when accessing this value.
+    static mut VALUE: usize = 0;
+
+    fn main() {
+        let _guard = MUTEX.lock().unwrap();
+        unsafe {
+            VALUE += 1;
+        }
+    }
+
+If this code were to use `let _ = MUTEX.lock().unwrap()` then the mutex guard
+would be dropped immediately, releasing the mutex and failing to guard the
+access of `VALUE`.

questions/000-underscore-prefix.rs

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+struct Guard;
+
+impl Drop for Guard {
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        print!("1");
+    }
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let _guard = Guard;
+    print!("3");
+    let _ = Guard;
+    print!("2");
+}