--- proto.h.orig	2003/10/26 11:34:23	1.5

+++ proto.h	2007/11/06 23:07:52	1.5.22.1

@@ -112,6 +112,7 @@ extern	double	getfval(Cell *);

 extern	char	*getsval(Cell *);

 extern	char	*getpssval(Cell *);     /* for print */

 extern	char	*tostring(const char *);

+extern	char	*tostringN(const char *, size_t n);

 extern	char	*qstring(const char *, int);

 extern	void	recinit(unsigned int);

--- tran.c.orig	2005/07/03 15:18:11	1.6

+++ tran.c	2007/11/06 23:07:52	1.9.10.1

@@ -210,7 +210,10 @@ Cell *setsymtab(const char *n, const cha

 	int h;

 	Cell *p;

-	if (n != NULL && (p = lookup(n, tp)) != NULL) {

+	if (n == NULL)

+		n = "";

+

+	if ((p = lookup(n, tp)) != NULL) {

 		   dprintf( ("setsymtab found %p: n=%s s=\"%s\" f=%g t=%o\n",

 			p, NN(p->nval), NN(p->sval), p->fval, p->tval) );

 		return(p);

@@ -282,6 +285,7 @@ Awkfloat setfval(Cell *vp, Awkfloat f)	/

 {

 	int fldno;

+	f += 0.0;		/* normalise negative zero to positive zero */

 	if ((vp->tval & (NUM | STR)) == 0) 

 		funnyvar(vp, "assign to");

 	if (isfld(vp)) {

@@ -400,7 +404,18 @@ char *tostring(const char *s)	/* make a 

 {

 	char *p;

-	p = (char *) malloc(strlen(s)+1);

+	p = strdup(s);

+	if (p == NULL)

+		FATAL("out of space in tostring on %s", s);

+	strcpy(p, s);

+	return(p);

+}

+

+char *tostringN(const char *s, size_t n)	/* make a copy of string s */

+{

+	char *p;

+

+	p = malloc(n);

 	if (p == NULL)

 		FATAL("out of space in tostring on %s", s);

 	strcpy(p, s);