Index: libcfa/src/collections/string.cfa
===================================================================
--- libcfa/src/collections/string.cfa	(revision 0f107e46be6e9a22fbde07db80c01fda5a0c572d)
+++ libcfa/src/collections/string.cfa	(revision 34c6e1e6f9bd62f10f0af69cc74fa1ba2c78f8fb)
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@
 // Created On       : Fri Sep 03 11:00:00 2021
 // Last Modified By : Peter A. Buhr
-// Last Modified On : Thu Aug 31 13:20:41 2023
-// Update Count     : 161
+// Last Modified On : Sat Sep  2 12:05:57 2023
+// Update Count     : 206
 //
 
@@ -110,4 +110,18 @@
 }
 
+ofstream & ?|?( ofstream & os, _Ostream_Manip(string) f ) {
+	size_t len = size( f.val );
+	char cstr[len + 1];									// room for null terminator
+	for ( i; len ) cstr[i] = f.val[i];					// copy string
+	cstr[len] = '\0';									// terminate
+	_Ostream_Manip(const char *) cf @= { cstr, f.wd, f.pc, f.base, {f.all} };
+	os | cf | nonl;
+	return os;
+} // ?|?
+
+void ?|?( ofstream & os, _Ostream_Manip(string) f ) {
+	(ofstream &)(os | f); ends( os );
+}
+
 ifstream & ?|?(ifstream & in, string & this) {
     return in | (*this.inner); // read to internal string_res
@@ -118,26 +132,18 @@
 }
 
-ifstream & ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_str f ) {
-	// skip, same as for char *
-	if ( ! &f.s ) {
-		// fprintf( stderr,  "skip %s %d\n", f.scanset, f.wd );
-		if ( f.wd == -1 ) fmt( is, f.scanset, "" ); // no input arguments
-		else for ( f.wd ) fmt( is, "%*c" );
-		return is;
-	} // if
-
+ifstream & ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_Sstr f ) {
  	// .---------------,
- 	// | | | | |...|0|0| check and guard
+ 	// | | | | |...|0|0| null terminator and guard if missing
  	// `---------------'
-	enum { gwd = 128 + 2, wd = gwd - 1 };				// guarded and unguarded width
+	enum { gwd = 128 + 1, wd = gwd - 1 };				// guard and unguard width
 	char cstr[gwd];										// read in chunks
 	bool cont = false;
 
-	if ( f.wd == -1 ) f.wd = wd;
-	_Istream_Cstr cfmt = { cstr, (_Istream_str_base)f };
+	_Istream_Cstr cf = { cstr, (_Istream_str_base)f };
+	if ( ! cf.flags.rwd ) cf.wd = wd;
 
 	cstr[wd] = '\0';									// guard null terminate string
 	try {
-		is | cfmt;
+		is | cf;
 	} catch( cstring_length * ) {
 		cont = true;
@@ -148,5 +154,5 @@
 		cont = false;
 		try {
-			is | cfmt;
+			is | cf;
 		} catch( cstring_length * ) {
 			cont = true;								// continue not allowed
@@ -158,5 +164,5 @@
 } // ?|?
 
-void ?|?( ifstream & in, _Istream_str f ) {
+void ?|?( ifstream & in, _Istream_Sstr f ) {
     (ifstream &)(in | f); ends( in );
 }
Index: libcfa/src/collections/string.hfa
===================================================================
--- libcfa/src/collections/string.hfa	(revision 0f107e46be6e9a22fbde07db80c01fda5a0c572d)
+++ libcfa/src/collections/string.hfa	(revision 34c6e1e6f9bd62f10f0af69cc74fa1ba2c78f8fb)
@@ -10,6 +10,6 @@
 // Created On       : Fri Sep 03 11:00:00 2021
 // Last Modified By : Peter A. Buhr
-// Last Modified On : Thu Aug 31 11:47:27 2023
-// Update Count     : 49
+// Last Modified On : Sat Sep  2 11:26:28 2023
+// Update Count     : 55
 //
 
@@ -58,29 +58,41 @@
 void ?|?( ifstream & in, string & this );
 
-struct _Istream_str {
+static inline {
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) bin( string s ) { return (_Ostream_Manip(string))@{ s, 1, 0, 'b', { .all : 0 } }; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) oct( string s ) { return (_Ostream_Manip(string))@{ s, 1, 0, 'o', { .all : 0 } }; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) hex( string s ) { return (_Ostream_Manip(string))@{ s, 1, 0, 'x', { .all : 0 } }; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) wd( unsigned int w, string s ) { return (_Ostream_Manip(string))@{ s, w, 0, 's', { .all : 0 } }; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) wd( unsigned int w, unsigned int pc, string s ) { return (_Ostream_Manip(string))@{ s, w, pc, 's', { .flags.pc : true } }; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) & wd( unsigned int w, _Ostream_Manip(string) & fmt ) { fmt.wd = w; return fmt; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) & wd( unsigned int w, unsigned int pc, _Ostream_Manip(string) & fmt ) { fmt.wd = w; fmt.pc = pc; fmt.flags.pc = true; return fmt; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) & left( _Ostream_Manip(string) & fmt ) { fmt.flags.left = true; return fmt; }
+	_Ostream_Manip(string) & nobase( _Ostream_Manip(string) & fmt ) { fmt.flags.nobsdp = true; return fmt; }
+} // distribution
+ofstream & ?|?( ofstream & os, _Ostream_Manip(string) f );
+void ?|?( ofstream & os, _Ostream_Manip(string) );
+
+struct _Istream_Sstr {
 	string & s;
 	inline _Istream_str_base;
-}; // _Istream_str
+}; // _Istream_Sstr
 
 static inline {
 	// read width does not include null terminator
-	_Istream_str wdi( unsigned int rwd, string & s ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ s, {{0p}, rwd, {.flags.rwd : true}} }; }
-	_Istream_str skip( const char scanset[] ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ *0p, {{scanset}, -1, {.all : 0}} }; }
-	_Istream_str skip( unsigned int wd ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ *0p, {{0p}, wd, {.all : 0}} }; }
-	_Istream_str getline( string & s, const char delimit = '\n' ) {
-		return (_Istream_str)@{ s, {{.delimit : { delimit, '\0' } }, -1, {.flags.delimit : true, .flags.inex : true}} };
+	_Istream_Sstr wdi( unsigned int rwd, string & s ) { return (_Istream_Sstr)@{ s, {{0p}, rwd, {.flags.rwd : true}} }; }
+	_Istream_Sstr getline( string & s, const char delimiter = '\n' ) {
+		return (_Istream_Sstr)@{ s, {{.delimiter : { delimiter, '\0' } }, -1, {.flags.delimiter : true, .flags.inex : true}} };
 	}
-	_Istream_str & getline( _Istream_str & fmt, const char delimit = '\n' ) {
-		fmt.delimit[0] = delimit; fmt.delimit[1] = '\0'; fmt.flags.delimit = true; fmt.flags.inex = true; return fmt;
+	_Istream_Sstr & getline( _Istream_Sstr & fmt, const char delimiter = '\n' ) {
+		fmt.delimiter[0] = delimiter; fmt.delimiter[1] = '\0'; fmt.flags.delimiter = true; fmt.flags.inex = true; return fmt;
 	}
-	_Istream_str incl( const char scanset[], string & s ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ s, {{scanset}, -1, {.flags.inex : false}} }; }
-	_Istream_str & incl( const char scanset[], _Istream_str & fmt ) { fmt.scanset = scanset; fmt.flags.inex = false; return fmt; }
-	_Istream_str excl( const char scanset[], string & s ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ s, {{scanset}, -1, {.flags.inex : true}} }; }
-	_Istream_str & excl( const char scanset[], _Istream_str & fmt ) { fmt.scanset = scanset; fmt.flags.inex = true; return fmt; }
-	_Istream_str ignore( string & s ) { return (_Istream_str)@{ s, {{0p}, -1, {.flags.ignore : true}} }; }
-	_Istream_str & ignore( _Istream_str & fmt ) { fmt.flags.ignore = true; return fmt; }
+	_Istream_Sstr incl( const char scanset[], string & s ) { return (_Istream_Sstr)@{ s, {{scanset}, -1, {.flags.inex : false}} }; }
+	_Istream_Sstr & incl( const char scanset[], _Istream_Sstr & fmt ) { fmt.scanset = scanset; fmt.flags.inex = false; return fmt; }
+	_Istream_Sstr excl( const char scanset[], string & s ) { return (_Istream_Sstr)@{ s, {{scanset}, -1, {.flags.inex : true}} }; }
+	_Istream_Sstr & excl( const char scanset[], _Istream_Sstr & fmt ) { fmt.scanset = scanset; fmt.flags.inex = true; return fmt; }
+	_Istream_Sstr ignore( string & s ) { return (_Istream_Sstr)@{ s, {{0p}, -1, {.flags.ignore : true}} }; }
+	_Istream_Sstr & ignore( _Istream_Sstr & fmt ) { fmt.flags.ignore = true; return fmt; }
 } // distribution
-ifstream & ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_str f );
-void ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_str t );
+ifstream & ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_Sstr f );
+void ?|?( ifstream & is, _Istream_Sstr t );
 
 // Concatenation