> But you never inserted anything in aa["test"]. > > You must do: > > S s; > aa["test"] = s; > aa["test"].i = 10; > > or: > > S s; > s.i = 10; > aa["test"] = s; erm, ok Thanks So no creation on use :) Personally I find the declation step clutter in the first case. Maybe promote the bug to a request?