diff --git a/src/Text3.cpp b/src/Text3.cpp
index 1dead38685..f54e8f4b5a 100644
--- a/src/Text3.cpp
+++ b/src/Text3.cpp
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@
 #include "support/lstrings.h"
 #include "support/lyxtime.h"
 #include "support/os.h"
+#include "support/regex.h"
 
 #include "mathed/InsetMathHull.h"
 #include "mathed/MathMacroTemplate.h"
@@ -1668,15 +1669,46 @@ void Text::dispatch(Cursor & cur, FuncRequest & cmd)
 	}
 
 	case LFUN_HREF_INSERT: {
-		InsetCommandParams p(HYPERLINK_CODE);
-		docstring content;
+		// FIXME If we're actually given an argument, shouldn't
+		// we use it, whether or not we have a selection?
+		docstring content = cmd.argument();
 		if (cur.selection()) {
 			content = cur.selectionAsString(false);
 			cutSelection(cur, true, false);
 		}
-		p["target"] = (cmd.argument().empty()) ?
-			content : cmd.argument();
+
+		InsetCommandParams p(HYPERLINK_CODE);
+		if (!content.empty()){
+			// if it looks like a link, we'll put it as target,
+			// otherwise as name (bug #8792).
+
+			// We can't do:
+			//   regex_match(to_utf8(content), matches, link_re)
+			// because smatch stores pointers to the substrings rather
+			// than making copies of them. And those pointers become
+			// invalid after regex_match returns, since it is then
+			// being given a temporary object. (Thanks to Georg for
+			// figuring that out.)
+			regex const link_re("^([a-zA-Z]+):.*");
+			smatch matches;
+			string const c = to_utf8(content);
+
+			if (content.substr(0,7) == "mailto:") {
+				p["target"] = content;
+				p["type"] = from_ascii("mailto:");
+			} else if (regex_match(c, matches, link_re)) {
+				p["target"] = content;
+				string protocol = matches.str(1);
+				if (protocol == "file")
+					p["type"] = from_ascii("file:");
+			} else
+				p["name"] = content;
+		}
 		string const data = InsetCommand::params2string(p);
+
+		// we need to have a target. if we already have one, then
+		// that gets used at the default for the name, too, which
+		// is probably what is wanted.
 		if (p["target"].empty()) {
 			bv->showDialog("href", data);
 		} else {
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.cpp b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.cpp
index 7cb9cc61d4..6cd9262798 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.cpp
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.cpp
@@ -68,6 +68,23 @@ void GuiHyperlink::paramsToDialog(Inset const * inset)
 }
 
 
+bool GuiHyperlink::initialiseParams(std::string const & data)
+{
+	InsetCommandParams params(insetCode());
+	if (!InsetCommand::string2params(data, params))
+		return false;
+	targetED->setText(toqstr(params["target"]));
+	nameED->setText(toqstr(params["name"]));
+	if (params["type"] == from_utf8("mailto:"))
+		emailRB->setChecked(true);
+	else if (params["type"] == from_utf8("file:"))
+		fileRB->setChecked(true);
+	else
+		webRB->setChecked(true);
+	return true;
+}
+
+
 docstring GuiHyperlink::dialogToParams() const
 {
 	InsetCommandParams params(insetCode());
@@ -75,11 +92,11 @@ docstring GuiHyperlink::dialogToParams() const
 	params["target"] = qstring_to_ucs4(targetED->text());
 	params["name"] = qstring_to_ucs4(nameED->text());
 	if (webRB->isChecked())
-		params["type"] = qstring_to_ucs4("");
+		params["type"] = from_utf8("");
 	else if (emailRB->isChecked())
-		params["type"] = qstring_to_ucs4("mailto:");
+		params["type"] = from_utf8("mailto:");
 	else if (fileRB->isChecked())
-		params["type"] = qstring_to_ucs4("file:");
+		params["type"] = from_utf8("file:");
 	params.setCmdName("href");
 	return from_utf8(InsetHyperlink::params2string(params));
 }
diff --git a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.h b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.h
index 2134ca8a19..d2dd0ee0fb 100644
--- a/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.h
+++ b/src/frontends/qt4/GuiHyperlink.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ private:
 	void paramsToDialog(Inset const *);
 	docstring dialogToParams() const;
 	bool checkWidgets() const;
+	bool initialiseParams(std::string const & data);
 	//@}
 };
 
diff --git a/src/support/lstrings.cpp b/src/support/lstrings.cpp
index dbf629cafa..2d483e6744 100644
--- a/src/support/lstrings.cpp
+++ b/src/support/lstrings.cpp
@@ -481,6 +481,14 @@ docstring const lowercase(docstring const & a)
 }
 
 
+string const lowercase(string const & a)
+{
+	string tmp(a);
+	transform(tmp.begin(), tmp.end(), tmp.begin(), local_lowercase());
+	return tmp;
+}
+
+
 docstring const uppercase(docstring const & a)
 {
 	docstring tmp(a);
diff --git a/src/support/lstrings.h b/src/support/lstrings.h
index 2606546fa0..89450c706f 100644
--- a/src/support/lstrings.h
+++ b/src/support/lstrings.h
@@ -96,6 +96,7 @@ docstring const ascii_lowercase(docstring const &);
 
 /// Changes the case of \p s to lowercase.
 /// Does not depend on the locale.
+std::string const lowercase(std::string const & s);
 docstring const lowercase(docstring const & s);
 
 /// Changes the case of \p s to uppercase.