#094 Apr 21, 2026
controlflow iterator rust-1.95

94. ControlFlow::is_break and is_continue — Ask the Flow Which Way It Went

Got a ControlFlow back from try_fold or a visitor and just want to know which variant you’re holding? Before 1.95 you either pattern-matched or reached for matches!. Rust 1.95 adds straightforward .is_break() and .is_continue() methods.

The old pain

ControlFlow<B, C> is the enum that powers short-circuiting iterator methods like try_for_each and try_fold. Once you had one, checking which arm it was took more ceremony than you’d expect:

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use std::ops::ControlFlow;

fn first_over(v: &[i32], n: i32) -> ControlFlow<i32> {
    v.iter().try_for_each(|&x| {
        if x > n { ControlFlow::Break(x) } else { ControlFlow::Continue(()) }
    })
}

fn main() {
    let flow = first_over(&[1, 2, 3, 10, 4], 5);
    // Want a bool? Reach for matches!
    let found = matches!(flow, ControlFlow::Break(_));
    assert!(found);
}

The name ControlFlow::Break also collides visually with loop break, so code like this reads a bit awkwardly.

The fix: inherent is_break / is_continue

Rust 1.95 stabilises two one-line accessors, mirroring Result::is_ok / is_err and Option::is_some / is_none:

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use std::ops::ControlFlow;

fn first_over(v: &[i32], n: i32) -> ControlFlow<i32> {
    v.iter().try_for_each(|&x| {
        if x > n { ControlFlow::Break(x) } else { ControlFlow::Continue(()) }
    })
}

fn main() {
    let hit = first_over(&[1, 2, 3, 10, 4], 5);
    let miss = first_over(&[1, 2, 3], 5);

    assert!(hit.is_break());
    assert!(!hit.is_continue());

    assert!(miss.is_continue());
    assert!(!miss.is_break());
}

No pattern, no import of a macro, no wildcards.

Handy in counting and filtering

Because the methods take &self, you can pipe results straight through iterator adapters:

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use std::ops::ControlFlow;

fn main() {
    let flows: Vec<ControlFlow<&'static str, i32>> = vec![
        ControlFlow::Continue(1),
        ControlFlow::Break("boom"),
        ControlFlow::Continue(2),
        ControlFlow::Break("fire"),
        ControlFlow::Continue(3),
    ];

    let breaks = flows.iter().filter(|f| f.is_break()).count();
    let continues = flows.iter().filter(|f| f.is_continue()).count();

    assert_eq!(breaks, 2);
    assert_eq!(continues, 3);
}

Previously you’d write |f| matches!(f, ControlFlow::Break(_)) — shorter, but noisier and requires you to name the variant (which means a use or a fully-qualified path).

It’s just a bool — but it’s the right bool

Nothing here is groundbreaking: you could always write a matches!. But when a method exists on Result and Option and Poll and hash iterators and even Peekable, not having one on ControlFlow meant reaching for a different idiom for no good reason. 1.95 closes that small gap.

Stabilised in Rust 1.95 (April 2026).

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

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