chore: week 2 assignment

[Birdmannn]

Week 2 Learning Summary: Rust Fundamentals

Overview

This week focused on building strong Rust fundamentals through three hands-on exercises. These exercises prepare for Bitcoin-focused development by covering essential Rust concepts.

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Task 1: Functions and Expressions

What I Learned

• Function Return Types: Rust functions explicitly declare return types using -> Type syntax
• Expression Blocks: In Rust, the last expression in a function (without a semicolon) is automatically returned
• Type Safety: Rust's type system ensures functions work with specific data types

Key Concepts

• Functions are defined with fn keyword
• Return type comes after the parameter list: fn name(param: Type) -> ReturnType
• Expressions (without semicolons) return values; statements (with semicolons) don't
• Floating-point arithmetic for financial calculations

Practical Application

Created btc_value_in_usd() function that converts Bitcoin amounts to USD using exchange rates. This demonstrates:

• Simple mathematical operations
• Function composition
• Real-world Bitcoin use case

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Task 2: Control Flow & Loops

What I Learned

• For Loops: Iterate over ranges using for x in 1..=limit syntax
• While Loops: Conditional iteration with mutable state management
• If-Else Blocks: Pattern matching for conditional logic
• Loop Control: Using modulo operator (%) for periodic actions

Key Concepts

• for loops are ideal for known iteration counts
• while loops handle conditional iterations
• Range syntax: 1..limit (exclusive) vs 1..=limit (inclusive)
• Mutable variables with mut keyword for state tracking
• Checkpoint logic using modulo arithmetic

Practical Application

Simulated Bitcoin block mining with:

• Basic mining loop showing block heights
• Checkpoints every 5 blocks
• Difficulty adjustment every 10 blocks
• Real-world blockchain simulation

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Task 3: Enums & Pattern Matching

What I Learned

• Enums: Define types with multiple variants (Mainnet, Testnet, Regtest)
• Pattern Matching: Use match expressions to handle all enum variants
• Exhaustiveness: Rust requires handling all possible enum values
• String References: Return &str for efficient string handling

Key Concepts

• Enum definition with enum Name { Variant1, Variant2, ... }
• #[derive(Debug, Clone, Copy)] attributes for enum functionality
• match expressions for comprehensive pattern matching
• Functions that accept enum references: fn func(network: &Network)
• Returning string slices for different network configurations

Practical Application

Created Bitcoin network configuration system:

• Three network types: Mainnet, Testnet, Regtest
• RPC URL mapping for each network
• Network details (ports, descriptions, chain IDs)
• Demonstrates real Bitcoin development patterns

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Key Takeaways

Rust Fundamentals Mastered

1. Functions: Clear return types and expression-based returns
2. Control Flow: Flexible looping with for/while and conditional logic
3. Type System: Enums provide type-safe alternatives to magic strings
4. Pattern Matching: Exhaustive matching prevents runtime errors

Bitcoin Development Readiness

• Understanding network configurations (Mainnet/Testnet/Regtest)
• Block mining simulation concepts
• Value conversion and financial calculations
• RPC endpoint management

Best Practices Applied

• Clear function documentation with doc comments (///)
• Meaningful variable names
• Proper use of Rust's type system
• Efficient string handling with references

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Files Created

• task_1.rs - Functions and Expressions (BTC to USD conversion)
• task_2.rs - Control Flow & Loops (Block mining simulation)
• task_3.rs - Enums & Pattern Matching (Network configuration)

All tasks compile successfully and demonstrate proper Rust patterns for Bitcoin development.

[Birdmannn]

Folder naming convention Birdmannn_week_2 to avoid other week_2 conflicts

[devfoma]

Dope pr @Birdmannn

[Birdmannn]

Dope pr @Birdmannn

Aww, thanks 🫠 @devfoma