Fixes#18583.
## Problem
Several stdlib collection types compute the separator for `$` using
`result.len > 1`, where `result` starts as the opening bracket (`"["` or
`"{"`). This breaks when a collection element type has a `$` that
returns an empty string: `result.len` stays at 1 after the first item
contributes nothing, so the separator is never inserted for subsequent
items.
```nim
import std/deques
type Test = object
proc `$`(x: Test): string = ""
echo [Test(), Test()].toDeque # prints [] — expected [, ]
```
## Fix
Replace the length check with an explicit `first` flag in all affected
modules: `deques`, `heapqueue`, `lists`, `critbits`, and `strtabs`.
## Tests
Regression tests added to `tdeques`, `theapqueue`, and `tlists` using a
local type whose `$` returns `""`. All three test files pass with `nim c
-r`.
## Notes
I work with Claude as a co-processor. I'm 56, came to programming late,
and this is genuinely how I learn and contribute. I understand what I'm
submitting, but I didn't write it alone. If your project prefers
human-only contributions, just say so and I'll close without friction.
---------
Co-authored-by: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
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