# String conversions **Contents**
[operator << overload for std::ostream](#operator--overload-for-stdostream)
[Catch::StringMaker specialisation](#catchstringmaker-specialisation)
[Catch::is_range specialisation](#catchis_range-specialisation)
[Exceptions](#exceptions)
Catch needs to be able to convert types you use in assertions and logging expressions into strings (for logging and reporting purposes). Most built-in or std types are supported out of the box but there are two ways that you can tell Catch how to convert your own types (or other, third-party types) into strings. ## operator << overload for std::ostream This is the standard way of providing string conversions in C++ - and the chances are you may already provide this for your own purposes. If you're not familiar with this idiom it involves writing a free function of the form: ``` std::ostream& operator << ( std::ostream& os, T const& value ) { os << convertMyTypeToString( value ); return os; } ``` (where ```T``` is your type and ```convertMyTypeToString``` is where you'll write whatever code is necessary to make your type printable - it doesn't have to be in another function). You should put this function in the same namespace as your type and have it declared before including Catch's header. ## Catch::StringMaker specialisation If you don't want to provide an ```operator <<``` overload, or you want to convert your type differently for testing purposes, you can provide a specialization for `Catch::StringMaker`: ``` namespace Catch { template<> struct StringMaker { static std::string convert( T const& value ) { return convertMyTypeToString( value ); } }; } ``` ## Catch::is_range specialisation As a fallback, Catch attempts to detect if the type can be iterated (`begin(T)` and `end(T)` are valid) and if it can be, it is stringified as a range. For certain types this can lead to infinite recursion, so it can be disabled by specializing `Catch::is_range` like so: ```cpp namespace Catch { template<> struct is_range { static const bool value = false; }; } ``` ## Exceptions By default all exceptions deriving from `std::exception` will be translated to strings by calling the `what()` method. For exception types that do not derive from `std::exception` - or if `what()` does not return a suitable string - use `CATCH_TRANSLATE_EXCEPTION`. This defines a function that takes your exception type, by reference, and returns a string. It can appear anywhere in the code - it doesn't have to be in the same translation unit. For example: ``` CATCH_TRANSLATE_EXCEPTION( MyType& ex ) { return ex.message(); } ``` --- [Home](Readme.md#top)