Index: /trunk/archive/psdb/psDB.c
===================================================================
--- /trunk/archive/psdb/psDB.c	(revision 3206)
+++ /trunk/archive/psdb/psDB.c	(revision 3207)
@@ -8,6 +8,6 @@
  *  @author Joshua Hoblitt
  *
- *  @version $Revision: 1.18 $ $Name: not supported by cvs2svn $
- *  @date $Date: 2005-02-13 11:21:18 $
+ *  @version $Revision: 1.19 $ $Name: not supported by cvs2svn $
+ *  @date $Date: 2005-02-13 19:55:53 $
  *
  *  Copyright 2005 Joshua Hoblitt, University of Hawaii
@@ -1245,6 +1245,11 @@
     ssize_t         tailLength;         // length of string to append
 
-    // size of existing string
-    oldLength = strlen(*dest);
+    if (!*dest) {
+        *dest = psStringCopy("");
+        oldLength = 0;
+    } else {
+        // size of existing string
+        oldLength = strlen(*dest);
+    }
 
     // find the size of the string to append
@@ -1281,6 +1286,12 @@
     char            *oldDest;           // copy of original string
 
-    // size of existing string
-    length = strlen(*dest);
+    if (!*dest) {
+        // makes the string backup and concatination pointless 
+        *dest = psStringCopy("");
+        length = 0;
+    } else {
+        // size of existing string
+        length = strlen(*dest);
+    }
 
     // find the size of the string to prepend