Any type parameter or lifetime parameter of an `impl` must meet at least one of
the following criteria:

 - it appears in the _implementing type_ of the impl, e.g. `impl<T> Foo<T>`
 - for a trait impl, it appears in the _implemented trait_, e.g.
   `impl<T> SomeTrait<T> for Foo`
 - it is bound as an associated type, e.g. `impl<T, U> SomeTrait for T
   where T: AnotherTrait<AssocType=U>`

### Error example 1

Suppose we have a struct `Foo` and we would like to define some methods for it.
The following definition leads to a compiler error:

```compile_fail,E0207
struct Foo;

impl<T: Default> Foo {
// error: the type parameter `T` is not constrained by the impl trait, self
// type, or predicates [E0207]
    fn get(&self) -> T {
        <T as Default>::default()
    }
}
```

The problem is that the parameter `T` does not appear in the implementing type
(`Foo`) of the impl. In this case, we can fix the error by moving the type
parameter from the `impl` to the method `get`:


```
struct Foo;

// Move the type parameter from the impl to the method
impl Foo {
    fn get<T: Default>(&self) -> T {
        <T as Default>::default()
    }
}
```

### Error example 2

As another example, suppose we have a `Maker` trait and want to establish a
type `FooMaker` that makes `Foo`s:

```compile_fail,E0207
trait Maker {
    type Item;
    fn make(&mut self) -> Self::Item;
}

struct Foo<T> {
    foo: T
}

struct FooMaker;

impl<T: Default> Maker for FooMaker {
// error: the type parameter `T` is not constrained by the impl trait, self
// type, or predicates [E0207]
    type Item = Foo<T>;

    fn make(&mut self) -> Foo<T> {
        Foo { foo: <T as Default>::default() }
    }
}
```

This fails to compile because `T` does not appear in the trait or in the
implementing type.

One way to work around this is to introduce a phantom type parameter into
`FooMaker`, like so:

```
use std::marker::PhantomData;

trait Maker {
    type Item;
    fn make(&mut self) -> Self::Item;
}

struct Foo<T> {
    foo: T
}

// Add a type parameter to `FooMaker`
struct FooMaker<T> {
    phantom: PhantomData<T>,
}

impl<T: Default> Maker for FooMaker<T> {
    type Item = Foo<T>;

    fn make(&mut self) -> Foo<T> {
        Foo {
            foo: <T as Default>::default(),
        }
    }
}
```

Another way is to do away with the associated type in `Maker` and use an input
type parameter instead:

```
// Use a type parameter instead of an associated type here
trait Maker<Item> {
    fn make(&mut self) -> Item;
}

struct Foo<T> {
    foo: T
}

struct FooMaker;

impl<T: Default> Maker<Foo<T>> for FooMaker {
    fn make(&mut self) -> Foo<T> {
        Foo { foo: <T as Default>::default() }
    }
}
```

### Additional information

For more information, please see [RFC 447].

[RFC 447]: https://github.com/rust-lang/rfcs/blob/master/text/0447-no-unused-impl-parameters.md
