diff --git a/input.c b/input.c
index d86397b..5731ccd 100644
--- a/input.c
+++ b/input.c
@@ -102,6 +102,26 @@ static int nextarg( const char *prompt, char *buf, int size, int terminator) {
 		return gettokval( buf, size) ;
 }
 
+static char *newnextarg( const char *prompt, int terminator) {
+    /* if we are interactive, go get it! */
+    if( clexec == FALSE) {
+    	char	*buf ;
+    	int		size ;
+
+		size = term.t_ncol + 1 ;
+		buf = malloc( size) ;
+		if( buf != NULL) {
+        	if( TRUE != getstring( prompt, buf, size, terminator)) {
+        		free( buf) ;
+        		buf = NULL ;
+        	}
+        }
+        
+		return buf ;
+	} else
+		return getnewtokval() ;
+}
+
 /*
  * Write a prompt into the message line, then read back a response. Keep
  * track of the physical position of the cursor. If we are in a keyboard
@@ -118,6 +138,10 @@ int mlreplyt( const char *prompt, char *buf, int nbuf) {
     return nextarg( prompt, buf, nbuf, metac) ;
 }
 
+char *newmlreplyt( const char *prompt) {
+    return newnextarg( prompt, metac) ;
+}
+
 /*
  * ectoc:
  *  expanded character to character
diff --git a/input.h b/input.h
index fffd38c..f163c8d 100644
--- a/input.h
+++ b/input.h
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ extern const int nlc ;	/* end of input char */
 int mlyesno( const char *prompt) ;
 int mlreply( const char *prompt, char *buf, int nbuf) ;
 int mlreplyt( const char *prompt, char *buf, int nbuf) ;
+char *newmlreplyt( const char *prompt) ;
 int ectoc( int c) ;
 fn_t getname( void) ;
 int tgetc( void) ;
diff --git a/random.c b/random.c
index b791898..934b9c3 100644
--- a/random.c
+++ b/random.c
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
  */
 
 #include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
 
 #include "basic.h"
@@ -1191,24 +1192,26 @@ int fmatch(int ch)
  */
 int istring(int f, int n)
 {
-	int status;	/* status return code */
-	char tstring[ 512] ;	/* string to add */
+	int status ;	/* status return code */
+	char *tstring ;	/* string to add */
 
 	/* ask for string to insert */
-	status =
-	    mlreplyt( "String to insert<META>: ", tstring, sizeof tstring - 1) ;
-	if (status != TRUE)
-		return status;
+	tstring = newmlreplyt( "String to insert<META>: ") ;
+	if( tstring == NULL)
+		return FALSE ;
 
-	if (f == FALSE)
-		n = 1;
-
-	if (n < 0)
-		n = -n;
+	if( f == FALSE)
+		n = 1 ;
+	else if( n < 0)
+		n = -n ;
 
 	/* insert it */
-	while (n-- && (status = linstr(tstring)));
-	return status;
+	status = TRUE ;
+	while( n-- && status)
+		status = linstr( tstring) ;
+
+	free( tstring) ;
+	return status ;
 }
 
 /*