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Creates a Symbol from a string literal at compile time. The string must be 32 characters or less and contain only valid symbol characters: a-zA-Z0-9_.

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Syntax

symbol_short!("string_literal")

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Parameters

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string
&str
required
A string literal containing 1-32 characters. Valid characters are:
  • Lowercase letters: a-z
  • Uppercase letters: A-Z
  • Digits: 0-9
  • Underscore: _

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Constraints

  • Maximum length: 32 characters
  • Valid characters: a-zA-Z0-9_
  • The string must be a literal (not a variable or expression)

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Return Value

Returns a Symbol value that can be used at compile time or runtime.

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Example

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Basic Usage

use soroban_sdk::{symbol_short, Symbol};

let symbol = symbol_short!("a_str");
assert_eq!(symbol, symbol_short!("a_str"));

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Using in Contract Storage

use soroban_sdk::{contract, contractimpl, symbol_short, Env};

#[contract]
pub struct Contract;

#[contractimpl]
impl Contract {
    pub fn set_value(env: Env, value: u32) {
        env.storage().persistent().set(&symbol_short!("VALUE"), &value);
    }

    pub fn get_value(env: Env) -> Option<u32> {
        env.storage().persistent().get(&symbol_short!("VALUE"))
    }
}

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Using in Events

use soroban_sdk::{contract, contractimpl, symbol_short, Env};

#[contractimpl]
impl Contract {
    pub fn emit_event(env: Env, data: u32) {
        env.events().publish(
            (symbol_short!("EVENT"),),
            data
        );
    }
}

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Maximum Length Example

use soroban_sdk::symbol_short;

// Valid: exactly 32 characters
let max_symbol = symbol_short!("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz123456");

// Invalid: 33 characters - will not compile
// let too_long = symbol_short!("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz1234567");

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Performance

Symbols created with symbol_short! are:
  • Created at compile time (zero runtime overhead)
  • Stored efficiently as small integers internally
  • Faster to compare than strings
  • Ideal for storage keys and event topics

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Comparison with Symbol::new

There are two ways to create symbols: 
use soroban_sdk::{symbol_short, Symbol, Env};

// Compile-time creation (preferred)
let sym1 = symbol_short!("key");

// Runtime creation (more flexible, but slower)
let env = Env::default();
let sym2 = Symbol::new(&env, "key");
Use symbol_short! when:
  • The symbol value is known at compile time
  • You want maximum performance
  • The string is 32 characters or less
Use Symbol::new() when:
  • The symbol value is computed at runtime
  • You need symbols longer than 32 characters
  • You need dynamic symbol creation

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See Also

  • Symbol - The Symbol type and runtime creation