Boost has 'string_ref'[0] for this. Something similar is currently a standard proposal under the name 'string_view'[1] [0] http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_55_0

Boost has 'string_ref'[0] for this. Something similar is currently a standard proposal under the name 'string_view'[1] [0] http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_55_0/libs/utility/doc/html/string_ref.html http://www.boost.org/doc/libs/1_55_0/libs/utility/doc/html/s... [1] https://isocpp.org/files/papers/N3921.html https://isocpp.org/files/papers/N3921.html