diff --git a/src/gdd/aitHelpers.cc b/src/gdd/aitHelpers.cc
index 21acc58c7..ab60930a3 100644
--- a/src/gdd/aitHelpers.cc
+++ b/src/gdd/aitHelpers.cc
@@ -5,6 +5,9 @@
 // $Id$
 //
 // $Log$
+// Revision 1.4  1996/08/22 21:05:38  jbk
+// More fixes to make strings and fixed string work better.
+//
 // Revision 1.3  1996/08/09 02:28:08  jbk
 // rewrite of aitString class - more intuitive now, I think
 //
@@ -55,15 +58,17 @@ aitIndex aitString::compact(aitString* array, aitIndex arraySize,
 	// copy the array first
 	pos=sizeof(aitString)*arraySize;
 	if(bufSize<pos) return 0;
-	memcpy(ptr,(char*)array,pos);
+
+	for(i=0;i<arraySize;i++) str[i].init();
 
 	for(i=0;i<arraySize;i++)
 	{
-		if(str[i].string())
+		if((pos+str[i].length())>bufSize) break; // quick exit from loop
+		if(array[i].string())
 		{
-			memcpy(&ptr[pos],str[i].string(),str[i].length()+1); // include NULL
-			str[i].init();
-			str[i]=&ptr[pos];
+			memcpy(&ptr[pos],array[i].string(),array[i].length()+1);
+			str[i].force(&ptr[pos]);
+			str[i].len=array[i].length();
 			pos+=str[i].length()+1;
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/src/gdd/dbMapper.cc b/src/gdd/dbMapper.cc
index ffa826ce8..6d54719b4 100644
--- a/src/gdd/dbMapper.cc
+++ b/src/gdd/dbMapper.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 // $Id$
 // 
 // $Log$
+// Revision 1.12  1996/08/22 21:05:43  jbk
+// More fixes to make strings and fixed string work better.
+//
 // Revision 1.11  1996/08/14 12:30:12  jbk
 // fixes for converting aitString to aitInt8* and back
 // fixes for managing the units field for the dbr types
@@ -900,18 +903,33 @@ static gdd* mapGraphicEnumToGdd(void* v, aitIndex /*count*/)
 	gdd& menu = dd[gddAppTypeIndex_dbr_gr_enum_enums];
 	aitFixedString* str = menu;
 	aitFixedString* f = (aitFixedString*)db->strs;
+	aitIndex sz,i;
 
 	// int i;
 	// old way using aitString menu
 	// for(i=0;i<db->no_str;i++) str[i]=((const char*)&(db->strs[i][0]));
 
-	menu.putRef(f);
-	menu.setBound(0,0,db->no_str);
-	vdd.setStatSevr(db->status,db->severity);
+	if(menu.dataPointer()==NULL || !menu.isAtomic())
+	{
+		// need to copy the menu chunk from dbr to aitFixedString chunk
+		menu.setDimension(1);
+		sz=db->no_str;
+		str=new aitFixedString[db->no_str];
+		menu.putRef(str,new gddDestructor);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		if((sz=menu.getDataSizeElements())>db->no_str)
+			sz=db->no_str;
+	}
+
+	for(i=0;i<sz;i++) strcpy(str[i].fixed_string,&(db->strs[i][0]));
+	menu.setBound(0,0,sz);
 
 	// should always be a scaler
 	if(vdd.dimension()) vdd.clear();
 	vdd=db->value;
+	vdd.setStatSevr(db->status,db->severity);
 	return dd;
 }
 
@@ -923,18 +941,33 @@ static gdd* mapControlEnumToGdd(void* v, aitIndex /*count*/)
 	gdd& vdd = dd[gddAppTypeIndex_dbr_ctrl_enum_value];
 	aitFixedString* str = menu;
 	aitFixedString* f = (aitFixedString*)db->strs;
+	aitIndex sz,i;
 
 	// int i;
 	// old way using aitString menu
 	// for(i=0;i<db->no_str;i++) str[i]=((const char*)&(db->strs[i][0]));
 
-	menu.putRef(f);
-	menu.setBound(0,0,db->no_str);
-	vdd.setStatSevr(db->status,db->severity);
+	if(menu.dataPointer()==NULL || !menu.isAtomic())
+	{
+		// need to copy the menu chunk from dbr to aitFixedString chunk
+		menu.setDimension(1);
+		sz=db->no_str;
+		str=new aitFixedString[db->no_str];
+		menu.putRef(str,new gddDestructor);
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		if((sz=menu.getDataSizeElements())>db->no_str)
+			sz=db->no_str;
+	}
+
+	for(i=0;i<sz;i++) strcpy(str[i].fixed_string,&(db->strs[i][0]));
+	menu.setBound(0,0,sz);
 
 	// should always be a scaler
 	if(vdd.dimension()) vdd.clear();
 	vdd=db->value;
+	vdd.setStatSevr(db->status,db->severity);
 	return dd;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/gdd/gdd.cc b/src/gdd/gdd.cc
index c79c41769..1b3277a16 100644
--- a/src/gdd/gdd.cc
+++ b/src/gdd/gdd.cc
@@ -4,6 +4,9 @@
 // $Id$
 // 
 // $Log$
+// Revision 1.9  1996/08/22 21:05:40  jbk
+// More fixes to make strings and fixed string work better.
+//
 // Revision 1.8  1996/08/14 12:30:14  jbk
 // fixes for converting aitString to aitInt8* and back
 // fixes for managing the units field for the dbr types
@@ -621,7 +624,6 @@ size_t gdd::flattenWithAddress(void* buf, size_t size, aitIndex* total_dd)
 					// not very good way to do it, size info bad
 					aitString* str = (aitString*)dataPointer();
 					aitString::compact(str,getDataSizeElements(),&bnds[i],size);
-					str->forceConstant();
 				}
 				else
 					memcpy(&bnds[i],dataPointer(),getDataSizeBytes());
@@ -689,7 +691,6 @@ gddStatus gdd::flattenData(gdd* dd, int tot_dds, void* buf,size_t size)
 						aitString* str = (aitString*)dd[i].dataPointer();
 						sz=aitString::compact(str,
 							dd[i].getDataSizeElements(),ptr,size);
-						str->forceConstant();
 					}
 					else
 					{