# Allow convert(String, :test)

**URL:** <https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786>\
**Category:** Internals & Design\
**Created:** [April 21, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786 "2022-04-21T14:01:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![TheLateKronos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/thelatekronos/32/12824_2.png) [@TheLateKronos](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheLateKronos)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 2:01pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786/1 "2022-04-21T14:01:16Z")

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I came to miss this during plotting. Is there a reason why Base does not define conversion from Symbol to String with a simple call of `string`?

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**Author:** ![nilshg](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/nilshg/32/2283_2.png) [@nilshg](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/nilshg)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 2:11pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786/2 "2022-04-21T14:11:55Z")

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Could you clarify what you mean by “simple call of `string`”?

```julia
julia> string(:a)
"a"

```

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**Author:** ![kristoffer.carlsson](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/kristoffer.carlsson/32/22_2.png) [@kristoffer.carlsson](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/kristoffer.carlsson)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 3:17pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786/3 "2022-04-21T15:17:26Z")

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There is an issue about it here [https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/35102](https://github.com/JuliaLang/julia/issues/35102)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheLateKronos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/thelatekronos/32/12824_2.png) [@TheLateKronos](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheLateKronos)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 4:20pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786/4 "2022-04-21T16:20:16Z")

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Percicely what you example shows

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![TheLateKronos](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/julialang/user_avatar/discourse.julialang.org/thelatekronos/32/12824_2.png) [@TheLateKronos](https://discourse.julialang.org/u/TheLateKronos)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2022, 4:24pm UTC](https://discourse.julialang.org/t/allow-convert-string-test/79786/5 "2022-04-21T16:24:08Z")

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That is a higher level discussion that I would be able to partake in. Those are indeed good points.

So in generalz this should not be defined. My use case is concerning plotting, where i think an exception would make sense (allowing automatic conversion). But that is a seperate issue.