STRING and XSTRING

What I ended up with this (unsatisfactory) solution, and I'm still thinking "surely it has to be easier than this?".

...
data:
  i_pdf        type table of tline,
  w_pdf        type tline,
  w_stringdata type string,
  w_bindata type xstring,
...
  loop at i_pdf into w_pdf.
    concatenate w_stringdata w_pdf into w_stringdata.
  endloop.

  perform convertString2XString using w_stringdata changing w_bindata.
...

data: lr_conv_ce type ref to CL_ABAP_CONV_OUT_CE.

form convertString2XString using s type string changing xs type xstring.
  data: size type i.
  if lr_conv_ce is initial.
    lr_conv_ce = CL_ABAP_CONV_OUT_CE=>CREATE( ).
  else.
    call method lr_conv_ce->RESET( ).
  endif.
  call method lr_conv_ce->WRITE
    exporting data = s
    importing len  = size.
  xs = lr_conv_ce->Get_Buffer( ).
endform.

Now given all that - I sincerely hope that I have missed something somewhere, but I suspect that I haven't.

Now that ABAP has entered the 20th century, with moving away for a strictly fixed length storage basis (don't you love the fresh smell of COBOL in the morning ...:-), with the advent of character string, and binary data support - it has to go one major step forward, with better DWIM (Do What I Mean) conversion between native data types using the standard enables of MOVE, =, CONCATENATE, ASSIGN etc. We shouldn't have to jump through hoops, such as above to do the ordinary dross of programming that other (arguably more modern) languages do such as Perl ($bindata = join("",@tab_of_charstrings); ).