diff --git a/slsDetectorGui/src/qTabAdvanced.cpp b/slsDetectorGui/src/qTabAdvanced.cpp
index 086cc6877..6298966ed 100644
--- a/slsDetectorGui/src/qTabAdvanced.cpp
+++ b/slsDetectorGui/src/qTabAdvanced.cpp
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@ void qTabAdvanced::SetOutputFile(){
 		//gets the clean absolute path
 		dirPath = dir.absoluteFilePath(dirPath);
 		dirPath = dir.cleanPath(dirPath);
-		QString trimdir = QString(myDet->getSettingsFile()).section('/',0,-2,QString::SectionIncludeLeadingSep);
+		QString trimdir = QString::fromStdString(myDet->getSettingsFile()).section('/',0,-2,QString::SectionIncludeLeadingSep);
 		trimdir = dir.absoluteFilePath(trimdir);
 		trimdir = dir.cleanPath(trimdir);
 		if(!dirPath.compare(trimdir)){
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.cpp b/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.cpp
index c0ab275a4..0c5c3fbe1 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.cpp
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.cpp
@@ -4067,7 +4067,7 @@ slsDetectorDefs::externalSignalFlag multiSlsDetector::setExternalSignalFlags(ext
 
 
 
-const char * multiSlsDetector::getSettingsFile() {
+string multiSlsDetector::getSettingsFile() {
 
   string s0="", s1="",s ;
   
@@ -4088,9 +4088,9 @@ const char * multiSlsDetector::getSettingsFile() {
     }
   }
   if (s1=="bad")
-    return s0.c_str();
+    return s0;
   else
-    return s1.c_str();
+    return s1;
 
 }
 
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.h b/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.h
index 919d64185..b838e4308 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.h
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/multiSlsDetector/multiSlsDetector.h
@@ -505,7 +505,7 @@ class multiSlsDetector  : public slsDetectorUtils {
   int64_t getId(idMode mode, int imod=0);
   int digitalTest(digitalTestMode mode, int imod=0);
   int executeTrimming(trimMode mode, int par1, int par2, int imod=-1);
-  const char *getSettingsFile();
+  string getSettingsFile();
 
 
   int decodeNMod(int i, int &idet, int &imod);
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetector.h b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetector.h
index 3a7674522..d1581eeab 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetector.h
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetector.h
@@ -524,13 +524,13 @@ class slsDetector : public slsDetectorUtils, public energyConversion {
   /**
      returns currently the loaded trimfile/settingsfile name
   */
-  const char *getSettingsFile(){\
+  string getSettingsFile(){\
     string s(thisDetector->settingsFile); \
     if (s.length()>6) {\
       if (s.substr(s.length()-6,3)==string(".sn") && s.substr(s.length()-3)!=string("xxx") ) \
-	return s.substr(0,s.length()-6).c_str();			\
+	return s.substr(0,s.length()-6);			\
     }									\
-    return thisDetector->settingsFile;\
+    return string(thisDetector->settingsFile);\
   };
 
 
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorCommand.cpp b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorCommand.cpp
index 5ef346eb0..ef9ef7d92 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorCommand.cpp
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorCommand.cpp
@@ -4508,8 +4508,8 @@ string slsDetectorCommand::cmdSettings(int narg, char *args[], int action) {
 			} else if (action==PUT_ACTION) {
 				myDet->loadSettingsFile(sval,-1);
 			}
-		}//cout<<"settingsfile:"<<myDet->getSettingsFile()<<endl;
-		return string(myDet->getSettingsFile());
+		}
+		return myDet->getSettingsFile();
 	} else if (cmd=="trim") {
 		if (action==GET_ACTION)
 			return string("cannot get!");
diff --git a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorUtils.h b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorUtils.h
index 9d69afa55..4e44529ed 100644
--- a/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorUtils.h
+++ b/slsDetectorSoftware/slsDetector/slsDetectorUtils.h
@@ -255,7 +255,7 @@ class slsDetectorUtils :  public slsDetectorActions, public postProcessing {
   /**
      returns currently the loaded trimfile/settingsfile name
   */
-  virtual const char *getSettingsFile()=0;
+  virtual string getSettingsFile()=0;
 
   
   /**