diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index 9a310ba409..607dd84585 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,16 @@
+1999-10-19  Juergen Vigna  <jug@sad.it>
+
+	* src/support/lyxstring.C (lyxstring): we permit to have a null
+	pointer as assignment value and just don't assign it.
+
+	* src/vspace.C (nextToken): corrected this function substituting
+	find_first(_not)_of with find_last_of.
+
+	* src/TableLayout.C (UpdateLayoutTable) (TableOptionsCB)
+ 		(TableOptCloseCB) (TableSpeCloseCB):
+	inserted fl_set_focus call for problem with fl_hide_form() in
+ 	xforms-0.89.
+
 1999-10-19  Jean-Marc Lasgouttes  <Jean-Marc.Lasgouttes@inria.fr>
 
 	* src/lyx_cb.C (LayoutsCB): fix bug where int was added to a
diff --git a/src/TableLayout.C b/src/TableLayout.C
index 927680c891..b944fe6c3a 100644
--- a/src/TableLayout.C
+++ b/src/TableLayout.C
@@ -213,8 +213,13 @@ bool UpdateLayoutTable(int flag)
 	    fl_set_object_lcol(fd_form_table_options->radio_lt_newpage,
 			       FL_INACTIVE);
         }
-        fl_set_button(fd_form_table_options->radio_rotate_table,table->RotateTable());
+        fl_set_button(fd_form_table_options->radio_rotate_table,
+		      table->RotateTable());
+	fl_set_focus_object(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options,
+			    fd_form_table_options->button_table_delete);
     } else if (fd_form_table_options->form_table_options->visible) {
+	fl_set_focus_object(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options,
+			    fd_form_table_options->button_table_delete);
         fl_hide_form(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options);
     }
     return update;
@@ -428,21 +433,27 @@ void TableOptionsCB(FL_OBJECT *ob, long)
             current_view->currentBuffer()->text->TableFeatures(num);
         current_view->currentBuffer()->update(1);
     }
-    if (num == LyXTable::DELETE_TABLE)
+    if (num == LyXTable::DELETE_TABLE) {
+	fl_set_focus_object(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options,
+			    fd_form_table_options->button_table_delete);
         fl_hide_form(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options);
-    else
+    } else
         UpdateLayoutTable(true);
     return;
 }
 
 void TableOptCloseCB(FL_OBJECT *, long)
 {
+    fl_set_focus_object(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options,
+			fd_form_table_options->button_table_delete);
     fl_hide_form(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options);
     return;
 }
 
 void TableSpeCloseCB(FL_OBJECT *, long)
 {
+    fl_set_focus_object(fd_form_table_options->form_table_options,
+			fd_form_table_options->button_table_delete);
     fl_hide_form(fd_form_table_extra->form_table_extra);
     return;
 }
diff --git a/src/support/lyxstring.C b/src/support/lyxstring.C
index e652321194..7d7c614ed0 100644
--- a/src/support/lyxstring.C
+++ b/src/support/lyxstring.C
@@ -337,7 +337,7 @@ lyxstring::lyxstring(value_type const * s, size_type n)
 {
 	Assert(s); // we don't allow null pointers
 	static Srep empty_rep(0, "");
-	if (*s && n) { // s is not empty string and n > 0
+	if (s && *s && n) { // s is not empty string and n > 0
 		rep = new Srep(min(strlen(s), n), s);
 	} else {
 		++empty_rep.ref;
@@ -348,9 +348,10 @@ lyxstring::lyxstring(value_type const * s, size_type n)
 
 lyxstring::lyxstring(value_type const * s)
 {
-	Assert(s); // we don't allow null pointers
+	// yes we allow them just don't initalize them
+	// Assert(s); // we don't allow null pointers
 	static Srep empty_rep(0, "");
-	if (*s) { // s is not empty string
+	if (s && *s) { // s is not empty string
 		rep = new Srep(strlen(s), s);
 	} else {
 		++empty_rep.ref;
diff --git a/src/vspace.C b/src/vspace.C
index 956ea8c571..57e8cfc127 100644
--- a/src/vspace.C
+++ b/src/vspace.C
@@ -92,8 +92,9 @@ static char nextToken (string & data)
 		string::size_type i;
 
 		// I really mean assignment ("=") below, not equality!
-		if ((i = data.find_first_not_of("0123456789.")) != string::npos) {
+		if ((i = data.find_last_of("0123456789.")) != string::npos) {
 			if (number_index > 3) return 'E';  // Error
+			++i;
                         string buffer = data.substr(0, i);
 			if (sscanf (buffer.c_str(),
 				    "%f", &number[number_index]) == 1) {
@@ -102,9 +103,10 @@ static char nextToken (string & data)
 				return 'n';
 			} else 
 				return 'E';  // Error
-		} else if (( i = data
-			     .find_first_of("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz")) != string::npos) {
+		} else if ((i=data.find_last_of("abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz"))
+			   != string::npos) {
 			if (unit_index > 3) return 'E';  // Error
+			++i;
 			string buffer = data.substr(0, i);
 			unit[unit_index] = unitFromString (buffer);
 			if (unit[unit_index] != LyXLength::UNIT_NONE) {