Trait method impl restrictions

text/3678-final.md

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+- Feature Name: `final`
+- Start Date: 2024-07-20
+- RFC PR: [rust-lang/rfcs#3678](https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/pull/3678)
+- Rust Issue: [rust-lang/rust#0000](https://github.com/rust-lang/rust/issues/0000)
+
+# Summary
+[summary]: #summary
+
+Support restricting implementation of individual methods within traits, using
+the already reserved `final` keyword.
+
+# Motivation
+[motivation]: #motivation
+
+When defining a trait, the trait can provide optional methods with default
+implementations, which become available on every implementation of the trait.
+However, the implementer of the trait can still provide their own
+implementation of such a method. In some cases, the trait does not want to
+allow implementations to vary, and instead wants to guarantee that all
+implementations of the trait use an identical method implementation. For
+instance, this may be an assumption required for correctness.
+
+This RFC allows restricting the implementation of trait methods.
+
+This mechanism also faciliates marker-like traits providing no implementable
+methods, such that implementers only choose whether to provide the trait and
+never how to implement it; the trait then provides all the method
+implementations.
+
+One example of a trait in the standard library benefiting from this:
+`Error::type_id`, which has thus far remained unstable because it's unsafe to
+override. This RFC would allow stabilizing that method so users can call it,
+without permitting reimplementation of it.
+
+# Explanation
+[explanation]: #explanation
+
+When defining a trait, the definition can annotate methods or associated
+functions to restrict whether implementations of the trait can define them. For
+instance:
+
+```rust
+trait MyTrait: Display {
+    final fn method(&self) {
+        println!("MyTrait::method: {self}");
+    }
+}
+```
+
+A method or associated function marked as `final` must have a default body.
+
+When implementing a trait, the compiler will emit an error if the
+implementation attempts to define any method or associated function marked as
+`final`, and will emit a suggestion to delete the implementation.
+
+In every other way, a `final` method or associated function acts identically to
+any other method or associated function, and can be invoked accordingly:
+
+```rust
+fn takes_mytrait(m: &impl MyTrait) {
+    m.method();
+}
+```
+
+Note that in some cases, the compiler might choose to avoid placing a `final`
+method in the trait's vtable, if the one-and-only implementation does not
+benefit from monomorphization.
+
+Note that removing a `final` restriction is always forwards-compatible.
+
+The keyword `final` has been reserved since Rust 1.0, so this feature can ship
+identically in all editions.
+
+# Drawbacks
+[drawbacks]: #drawbacks
+
+As with any language feature, this adds more surface area to the language.
+
+# Rationale and alternatives
+[rationale-and-alternatives]: #rationale-and-alternatives
+
+Rather than using `final`, we could use the `impl(visibility)` syntax from [RFC
+3323](https://rust-lang.github.io/rfcs/3323-restrictions.html). This would
+allow more flexibility (such as overriding a method within the crate but not
+outside the crate), and would be consistent with other uses of RFC 3323. On the
+other hand, such flexibility would come at the cost of additional complexity,
+and would be less familiar to people who have seen `final` in other languages.
+We can always add such syntax for the more general cases in the future if
+needed; see the future possibilities section.
+
+We could use `#[final]` rather than `final`. However, since we already have the
+`final` keyword reserved, using that keyword seems syntactically simpler than
+an attribute.
+
+It's possible to work around the lack of this functionality by placing the
+additional methods in an extension trait with a blanket implementation.
+However, this is a user-visible API difference: the user must import the
+extension trait, and use methods from the extension trait rather than from the
+base trait.
+
+# Prior art
+[prior-art]: #prior-art
+
+This feature is similar to `final` methods in Java or C++.
+
+# Future possibilities
+[future-possibilities]: #future-possibilities
+
+We could add additional flexibility using the restriction mechanism defined in
+[RFC 3323](https://rust-lang.github.io/rfcs/3323-restrictions.html), using
+syntax like `impl(crate)` to restrict implementation of a method or associated
+function outside a crate while allowing implementations within the crate.
+(Likewise with `impl(self)` or any other visibility.)
+
+We could theoretically allow `final` restrictions on associated consts and types, as well.
+This seems less useful, but if it's trivial to implement we might want to
+support it.
+
+We could support `impl(unsafe)`, to make a trait safe to implement if *not*
+overriding the method, and only unsafe to implement if overriding the method.
+
+We could integrate this with stability markers, to stabilize calling a method
+but keep it unstable to *implement*.