converting a byte array to a struct array?

[grauzone]

Trass3r wrote:
> I got some RGB palette in a byte array which I'd like to convert or 
> "map" to an RGB struct array, isn't this easily possible without using 
> dozens of struct constructors?
> 
> 
> RGB[256] PALETTE = cast(RGB[256]) [
>     0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xE3, 0x53, 0x00,
>     0xCF, 0x4B, 0x07, 0xBF, 0x43, 0x0F, ...
> 
> doesn't work cause of "non-constant expression"
> 
> RGB[256] PALETTE = (cast(RGB[]) [
>     0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0xE3, 0x53, 0x00,
>     0xCF, 0x4B, 0x07, 0xBF, 0x43, 0x0F, ...
> ]) (0 .. 256);
> 
> compiles, but yields empty structs (and doesn't seem right anyway).

You've hit both an anti-feature and a bug.

First the anti-feature: [0xAB, ...] will yield an int[], not a ubyte[] 
(I guess ubyte[] is what you're expecting). If you cast two arrays, the 
compiler will reinterpret cast all data. The result won't be what you 
intended.

Second, the bug: casting arrays at compiletime seems to behave 
differently from casting at runtime. Casting at compiletime doesn't 
reinterpret cast, it does conversion! Demonstration here: 
http://codepad.org/OGjXADdu

Feel free to file some bug reports.