Overview of Stringlike Types

A STRINGLIKE structure can produce a STRING_CONSTANT during compile-time evaluation. This lets a user-defined value serve as compile-time text without creating a runtime string object.

Stringlike value definitions

The serializer writes a UINTANY byte length followed by exactly that many bytes:

::fixed_text STRUCT STRINGLIKE
{
  .SERIALIZE FUNCTION(@OUTPUT_ITERATOR:output MUT& AUTO(it))
  {
    VAR length U64 := 3;
    output := SERIALIZE_UINTANY(@VALUE length, @OUTPUT_ITERATOR output);
    (output++)-> := 'f';
    (output++)-> := 'o';
    (output++)-> := 'o';
  }
}

STRINGLIKE marks the contract; the structure still supplies its own .SERIALIZE member.

Compile-time string formation

::text STATIC STRING_CONSTANT := fixed_text();

::text_properties STATIC_TEST
{
  ASSERT(text.BEGIN()-> == 'f');
  ASSERT((text.END() - text.BEGIN()) == 3);
}

The length is a byte length. Empty strings are valid: encode a zero length and write no content bytes.

Encoding validity

The conversion requires exactly the promised number of bytes. Too few bytes, trailing bytes, a malformed length, or a missing serializer makes the compile-time conversion fail. A runtime local stringlike object is not a runtime allocation or an implicit runtime conversion to STRING_CONSTANT.

See Serialization for the underlying member protocol and Integer Serialization for UINTANY.

Reference

See the Stringlike Types Reference for the exact serialized form and conversion validity rules.