How do I construct string from byte array in D

Question

I have array of bytes which is defined as pointer + size:

  size_t size;   // size in bytes
  void   *data;  // NOT zero-terminated string

How do I construct, preferably zero-copy, 'string' from it?

score 7 · Accepted Answer · answered Feb 17 '15 at 00:57

7

This assumes that data points to immutable memory:

string s = (cast(immutable(char)*)data)[0..size];

If it doesn't, a char[] would be more appropriate instead of a string, or you can make an immutable copy with .idup.

answered Feb 17 '15 at 00:57

The opposite would be: size=s.length; data=cast(void*)s.ptr; ? – Brazhnyk Yuriy Feb 17 '15 at 14:15
Yep! If `data` is actually `const(void)*` (as it should be, since string contents are immutable), then the cast will be unnecessary. – Vladimir Panteleev Feb 17 '15 at 14:32

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