This code fails to compile
import std.conv;
import std.stdio;
void main()
{
dchar[7] numStr = "1234567";
writeln(to!long(numStr));
}
with this error
/home/jmdavis/Downloaded_Files/dmd/dmd2/linux/bin/../../src/phobos/std/conv.d(95): Error: template std.conv.toImpl(T,S) if (!implicitlyConverts!(S,T) && isSomeString!(T) && isInputRange!(Unqual!(S)) && isSomeChar!(ElementType!(S))) toImpl(T,S) if (!implicitlyConverts!(S,T) && isSomeString!(T) && isInputRange!(Unqual!(S)) && isSomeChar!(ElementType!(S))) matches more than one template declaration, /home/jmdavis/Downloaded_Files/dmd/dmd2/linux/bin/../../src/phobos/std/conv.d(217):toImpl(T,S) if (isStaticArray!(S)) and /home/jmdavis/Downloaded_Files/dmd/dmd2/linux/bin/../../src/phobos/std/conv.d(588):toImpl(T,S) if ((is(S : const(wchar)[]) || is(S : const(dchar)[])) && !isSomeString!(T))
If you use numStr[] instead of numStr, it works. But I see no reason why to!() can't be made to work with a static array. Ideally, it would either turn it into a const ref or a dynamic slice itself, thus avoiding creating a copy, but right now it just fails. Maybe that's just how things go with static arrays, but it seems overly restrictive in this case. to!() shouldn't _need_ a dynamically allocated array.