Allow passing array_view as span

[jaigak]

I want to be able to use std::span for portablity and implicitly pass an array_view from WinRT to it.

[jaigak]

@kennykerr Sorry for leaving the issue blank before, please reopen the issue now.

[kennykerr]

The reason the issues page only lets you create a bug report is because cppwinrt is in maintenance mode and no longer receiving new feature work. cppwinrt serves an important and specific role, but further feature development risks destabilizing the project. Additional helpers are regularly contributed to complimentary projects such as https://github.com/microsoft/wil/.

[jaigak]

This is not an external helper, it must be added to the array_view type itself.

[kennykerr]

How std::span is supported is debatable and would ideally just take the place of array_view but that's a non-trivial change.

[jaigak]

You can provide conversion operators although std::span using size_t for size could be an issue as array_view uses uin32_t.

[sylveon]

The reason the issues page only lets you create a bug report is because cppwinrt is in maintenance mode and no longer receiving new feature work.

This is a sad state of affairs considering WinRT is supposed to be the future of Windows development (WASDK & WinUI)

[kennykerr]

This isn't meant as a negative statement. cppwinrt has reached all of its goals and is generally considered complete and largely bug-free (1). Whether WinRT/WinUI/WinAppSDK is the future is debatable. My experience has shown me that the Windows operating system is at its best when you embrace the Windows API as a whole, including Win32/COM/WinRT, and not just the latest shiny wave. You can see this in action with the popularity of projects like win32metadata and windows-rs that support both WinRT and non-WinRT APIs seamlessly.

[jaigak]

We need C++/WinRT to be updated for the win32metadata project to shine for C++, now that C++/Win32 is archived. We need a cleaner way of consuming COM and Win32 APIs without much of the manual HResult handling, and smart pointer noise.

[kennykerr]

I don't think that #1331 is the best approach, as I indicated in #1289 (comment) - array_view was always meant as a bandaid while we waited for span to standardize - but I will reopen the issue for discussion.

I've tagged a few project maintainers. If one of them is available to offer guidance and mentorship for this issue, they will reach out according to the contributing guide to discuss and agree on an approach.

https://github.com/orgs/microsoft/teams/cppwinrt-maintainers

[sylveon]

I'm on the side of just removing array_view, and using std::span - but that would mean bumping the minimum to C++20.