Add a `std::io::read_to_string` function

The equivalent of `std::fs::read_to_string`, but generalized to all
`Read` impls.

As the documentation on `std::io::read_to_string` says, the advantage of
this function is that it means you don't have to create a variable first
and it provides more type safety since you can only get the buffer out
if there were no errors. If you use `Read::read_to_string`, you have to
remember to check whether the read succeeded because otherwise your
buffer will be empty.

It's friendlier to newcomers and better in most cases to use an explicit
return value instead of an out parameter.

1 files changed, 27 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/library/std/src/io/mod.rs b/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
index dfbf6c3f244..7a1896e4e59 100644
--- a/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
+++ b/library/std/src/io/mod.rs
@@ -945,6 +945,33 @@ pub trait Read {
     }
 }
 
+/// Convenience function for [`Read::read_to_string`].
+///
+/// This avoids having to create a variable first and it provides more type safety
+/// since you can only get the buffer out if there were no errors. (If you use
+/// [`Read::read_to_string`] you have to remember to check whether the read succeeded
+/// because otherwise your buffer will be empty.)
+///
+/// # Examples
+///
+/// ```no_run
+/// #![feature(io_read_to_string)]
+///
+/// # use std::io;
+/// fn main() -> io::Result<()> {
+///     let stdin = io::read_to_string(&mut io::stdin())?;
+///     println!("Stdin was:");
+///     println!("{}", stdin);
+///     Ok(())
+/// }
+/// ```
+#[unstable(feature = "io_read_to_string", issue = "80218")]
+pub fn read_to_string<R: Read>(reader: &mut R) -> Result<String> {
+    let mut buf = String::new();
+    reader.read_to_string(&mut buf)?;
+    Ok(buf)
+}
+
 /// A buffer type used with `Read::read_vectored`.
 ///
 /// It is semantically a wrapper around an `&mut [u8]`, but is guaranteed to be