Bug 7809 – __traits(getMember can be used with a type although the spec says it cannot

struct S { int i; } is( typeof(__traits(getMember, S, "i")) == int ) // works The spec, on the other hand, says it cannot be used on non-static fields. That's my interpretation. http://dlang.org/traits.html#getMember

No, the error is in the assignment: struct S { int i; } void main() { __traits(getMember, S, "i") = 1; } Error: need 'this' to access member i The trait docs specifically state that all the trait does is forms an expression. But I don't think we even need it anymore since we can use string mixins, although it has to be around for backwards-compatibility.