diff --git a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
index 9b3ce378e..70b24ac5c 100644
--- a/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
+++ b/documentation/RELEASE_NOTES.html
@@ -12,6 +12,10 @@
 <h2 align="center">Changes between 3.14.11 and 3.14.12</h2>
 <!-- Insert new items immediately below here ... -->
 
+<h4>DTYP and INP/OUT order</h4>
+
+<p>The fields DTYP and INP/OUT can now be specified in any order.</p>
+
 <h4>Rewrite epicsThreadOnce()</h4>
 
 <p>Michael Davidsaver suggested a better implementation of epicsThreadOnce()
diff --git a/src/dbStatic/dbStaticLib.c b/src/dbStatic/dbStaticLib.c
index 8871ad64c..67275bbd8 100644
--- a/src/dbStatic/dbStaticLib.c
+++ b/src/dbStatic/dbStaticLib.c
@@ -277,6 +277,19 @@ static long setLinkType(DBENTRY *pdbentry)
     plink = (DBLINK *)pdbentry->pfield;
     if (plink->type == link_type) goto done;
 
+    if (plink->text)
+    {
+        /* re-parse link text when DTYP has changed */
+        char * link_text;
+        link_text = plink->text;
+        plink->text = NULL;
+        dbFreeLinkContents(plink);
+        plink->type = link_type;
+        dbPutString(pdbentry, link_text);
+        free(link_text);
+        goto done;
+    }
+
     type = plink->type;
     if ((type == CONSTANT || type == PV_LINK || type == DB_LINK || type == CA_LINK) &&
 	(link_type == CONSTANT || link_type == PV_LINK)) goto done;
@@ -331,6 +344,7 @@ void dbFreeLinkContents(struct link *plink)
 	     epicsPrintf("dbFreeLink called but link type unknown\n");
     }
     if(parm && (parm != pNullString)) free((void *)parm);
+    if(plink->text) free(plink->text);
     memset((char *)plink,0,sizeof(struct link));
 }
 
@@ -2224,6 +2238,8 @@ long epicsShareAPI dbPutString(DBENTRY *pdbentry,const char *pstring)
 		    errMessage(status,"in dbPutString from setLinkType");
 		    return status;
 		}
+                /* store link text in case DTYP changes later */
+                plink->text = epicsStrDup(pstring);
 	    }
 	    if (strlen(pstring) >= sizeof(string)) {
 	        status = S_dbLib_badField;
diff --git a/src/dbStatic/link.h b/src/dbStatic/link.h
index a43c5711e..3d97fa1a9 100644
--- a/src/dbStatic/link.h
+++ b/src/dbStatic/link.h
@@ -183,6 +183,7 @@ union value{
 struct link{
 	union value	value;
 	short		type;
+        char		*text;		/* original INP/OUT link text */
 };
 
 typedef struct link DBLINK;