Let’s continue our exploration of C++26 improvements. Today we focus on string_view. Some types got new constructors accepting string_views, and concatenation of strings and string_views just got easier. But let’s start with a brief reminder of what a string_view is.

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C++26 introduces three focused improvements to the string/string_view ecosystem. First, stringstream and bitset gain new constructors that accept string_view directly, eliminating the need for unnecessary temporary string conversions. Second, operator+ overloads are added so std::string and std::string_view can be concatenated directly — a long-standing ergonomic gap caused by a never-delivered string builder feature. These changes are purely additive and already available in Clang 18/19 and GCC 15.

C++26: string and string_view improvements

P2495R3: Interfacing stringstream s with string_view

P2697R1: Interfacing bitset with string_view

P2591R5: Concatenation of strings and string views