how to convert a c string to a d string?

Question

This is so simple I'm embarrassed to ask, but how do you convert a c string to a d string in D2?

I've got two use cases.

string convert( const(char)* c_str );
string convert( const(char)* c_str, size_t length );

Answer 1

1. Use std.string.toString(char*) (D1/Phobos) or std.conv.to!(string) (D2):

   // D1
   import std.string; 
   ... 
   string s = toString(c_str);
   
   
   // D2
   import std.conv;
   ...
   string s = to!(string)(c_str);
   

2. Slice the pointer:

   string s = c_str[0..len];
   

   (you can't use "length" because it has a special meaning with the slice syntax).

Both will return a slice over the C string (thus, a reference and not a copy). Use the .dup property to create a copy.

Note that D strings are considered to be in UTF-8 encoding. If your string is in another encoding, you'll need to convert it (e.g. using the functions from std.windows.charset).