#111 Apr 30, 2026

111. Vec::insert_mut — Splice In and Edit Without Reindexing

You insert a placeholder, then index back to fix it up. Two lookups, two bounds checks, one wobble. Vec::insert_mut — stable in 1.95 — hands you the &mut T directly.

The classic dance:

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let mut v = vec![1, 2, 4, 5];
v.insert(2, 0);
v[2] = 3; // recompute the index, second bounds check
assert_eq!(v, [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);

insert_mut returns the slot:

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let mut v = vec![1, 2, 4, 5];
let slot = v.insert_mut(2, 0);
*slot = 3;
assert_eq!(v, [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]);

This shines when the value is built in pieces — push a default, then fill it in based on where it landed:

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#[derive(Default, Debug, PartialEq)]
struct Job { id: u32, label: String }

let mut jobs: Vec<Job> = vec![Job { id: 1, label: "build".into() }];
let j = jobs.insert_mut(0, Job::default());
j.id = 0;
j.label = "setup".into();

assert_eq!(jobs[0], Job { id: 0, label: String::from("setup") });
assert_eq!(jobs[1].label, "build");

Rust 1.95 grew the whole _mut family alongside Vec::push_mut: Vec::insert_mut, VecDeque::push_front_mut, VecDeque::push_back_mut, VecDeque::insert_mut, LinkedList::push_front_mut, and LinkedList::push_back_mut. Same idea everywhere — the place-it method now returns a mutable reference to the slot it just placed.

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use std::collections::VecDeque;

let mut q: VecDeque<i32> = VecDeque::from([2, 3]);
let head = q.push_front_mut(0);
*head += 1; // now 1
assert_eq!(q, VecDeque::from([1, 2, 3]));

Quietly useful, no churn — just fewer indices floating around.

This post is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the author.