The Rust arrays `[T; N]` are problematic in that they can't be used generically with respect to `N`, so for example this won't work:
```rust
struct Foo<N> {
data: [i32; N]
}
```
**generic-array** defines a new trait `ArrayLength<T>` and a struct `GenericArray<T, N: ArrayLength<T>>`, which let the above be implemented as:
```rust
struct Foo<N:ArrayLength<i32>> {
data: GenericArray<i32,N>
}
```
The `ArrayLength<T>` trait is implemented by default for [unsigned integer types](http://fizyk20.github.io/generic-array/typenum/uint/index.html) from [typenum](http://fizyk20.github.io/generic-array/typenum/index.html) crate:
```rust
use generic_array::typenum::U5;
struct Foo<N:ArrayLength<i32>> {
data: GenericArray<i32,N>
}
fn main() {
let foo = Foo::<U5>{data: GenericArray::default()};
}
```
For example, `GenericArray<T, U5>` would work almost like `[T; 5]`:
```rust
use generic_array::typenum::U5;
struct Foo<T,N:ArrayLength<T>> {
data: GenericArray<T,N>
}
fn main() {
let foo = Foo::<i32,U5>{data: GenericArray::default()};
}
```
In version 0.1.1 an `arr!` macro was introduced, allowing for creation of arrays as shown below: