diff --git a/include/igloo/ro.h b/include/igloo/ro.h
index 92b112e..6d4cc25 100644
--- a/include/igloo/ro.h
+++ b/include/igloo/ro.h
@@ -131,12 +131,34 @@ typedef igloo_ro_t (*igloo_ro_convert_t)(igloo_ro_t self, const igloo_ro_type_t
  */
 typedef igloo_ro_t (*igloo_ro_get_interface_t)(igloo_ro_t self, const igloo_ro_type_t *type, const char *name, igloo_ro_t associated);
 
+/* Type used to store flags for stringify operation.
+ */
+#ifdef IGLOO_CTC_HAVE_STDINT_H
+typedef uint_least32_t igloo_ro_sy_t;
+#else
+typedef unsigned long int igloo_ro_sy_t;
+#endif
+/* No stringify flags set. Usefull for variable initialization. */
+#define igloo_RO_SY_NONE            ((igloo_ro_sy_t)0x0000)
+/* Stringify using defaults. */
+#define igloo_RO_SY_DEFAULT         ((igloo_ro_sy_t)0x1000)
+/* Stringify the object itself, do not touch the content.
+ * When set together with igloo_RO_SY_CONTENT the libigloo will select the mode.
+ */
+#define igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT          ((igloo_ro_sy_t)0x0001)
+/* Stringify the object's content.
+ * When set together with igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT the libigloo will select the mode.
+ */
+#define igloo_RO_SY_CONTENT         ((igloo_ro_sy_t)0x0002)
+
 /* Type used for callback called when the object needs to be converted to a string.
  *
  * This is used mostly for debugging or preseting the object to the user.
  * The callback is not expected to return a string that can be used to reconstruct the object.
+ *
+ * igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT is always set when this is called.
  */
-typedef char * (*igloo_ro_stringify_t)(igloo_ro_t self);
+typedef char * (*igloo_ro_stringify_t)(igloo_ro_t self, igloo_ro_sy_t flags);
 
 /* Type used as a result of a compare between objects.
  */
@@ -350,10 +372,13 @@ igloo_ro_t igloo_ro_get_interface(igloo_ro_t self, const igloo_ro_type_t *type,
  * Parameters:
  *  self
  *      The object to convert to a string.
+ *  flags
+ *      Flags used to select options to the conversion.
+ *      Should normally be igloo_RO_SY_DEFAULT.
  * Returns:
  *  A string as allocated using malloc(3). The caller must call free(3).
  */
-char *          igloo_ro_stringify(igloo_ro_t self);
+char *          igloo_ro_stringify(igloo_ro_t self, igloo_ro_sy_t flags);
 
 /* Compare two objects.
  *
diff --git a/src/buffer.c b/src/buffer.c
index 55679b4..2d71302 100644
--- a/src/buffer.c
+++ b/src/buffer.c
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ struct igloo_buffer_tag {
 };
 
 static void __free(igloo_ro_t self);
-static char * __stringify(igloo_ro_t self);
+static char * __stringify(igloo_ro_t self, igloo_ro_sy_t flags);
 
 igloo_RO_PUBLIC_TYPE(igloo_buffer_t,
         igloo_RO_TYPEDECL_FREE(__free),
@@ -141,7 +141,7 @@ int         igloo_buffer_get_string(igloo_buffer_t *buffer, const char **string)
     return 0;
 }
 
-static char * __stringify(igloo_ro_t self)
+static char * __stringify(igloo_ro_t self, igloo_ro_sy_t flags)
 {
     igloo_buffer_t *buffer = igloo_RO_TO_TYPE(self, igloo_buffer_t);
     const char *ret;
diff --git a/src/ro.c b/src/ro.c
index 4bffd4d..9ce9198 100644
--- a/src/ro.c
+++ b/src/ro.c
@@ -392,26 +392,37 @@ igloo_ro_t igloo_ro_get_interface(igloo_ro_t self, const igloo_ro_type_t *type,
     return ret;
 }
 
-char *          igloo_ro_stringify(igloo_ro_t self)
+char *          igloo_ro_stringify(igloo_ro_t self, igloo_ro_sy_t flags)
 {
     igloo_ro_base_t *base = igloo_RO__GETBASE(self);
     char *ret = NULL;
 
-    if (!base)
-        return strdup("{igloo_RO_NULL}");
+    if (flags & igloo_RO_SY_DEFAULT)
+        flags |= igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT|igloo_RO_SY_CONTENT;
+
+
+    if (!base) {
+        if (flags & igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT) {
+            return strdup("{igloo_RO_NULL}");
+        } else {
+            return NULL;
+        }
+    }
 
     igloo_thread_mutex_lock(&(base->lock));
     if (!base->refc) {
-        int len;
-        char buf;
+        if (flags & igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT) {
+            int len;
+            char buf;
 
 #define STRINGIFY_FORMAT_WEAK "{%s@%p, weak}", base->type->type_name, base
-        len = snprintf(&buf, 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_WEAK);
-        if (len > 2) {
-            /* We add 2 bytes just to make sure no buggy interpretation of \0 inclusion could bite us. */
-            ret = calloc(1, len + 2);
-            if (ret) {
-                snprintf(ret, len + 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_WEAK);
+            len = snprintf(&buf, 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_WEAK);
+            if (len > 2) {
+                /* We add 2 bytes just to make sure no buggy interpretation of \0 inclusion could bite us. */
+                ret = calloc(1, len + 2);
+                if (ret) {
+                    snprintf(ret, len + 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_WEAK);
+                }
             }
         }
 
@@ -419,19 +430,21 @@ char *          igloo_ro_stringify(igloo_ro_t self)
         return ret;
     }
 
-    if (base->type->type_stringifycb) {
-        ret = base->type->type_stringifycb(self);
+    if (base->type->type_stringifycb && (flags & igloo_RO_SY_CONTENT)) {
+        ret = base->type->type_stringifycb(self, flags);
     } else {
-        int len;
-        char buf;
+        if (flags & igloo_RO_SY_OBJECT) {
+            int len;
+            char buf;
 
 #define STRINGIFY_FORMAT_FULL "{%s@%p, strong, name=\"%s\", associated=%p}", base->type->type_name, base, base->name, igloo_RO__GETBASE(base->associated)
-        len = snprintf(&buf, 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_FULL);
-        if (len > 2) {
-            /* We add 2 bytes just to make sure no buggy interpretation of \0 inclusion could bite us. */
-            ret = calloc(1, len + 2);
-            if (ret) {
-                snprintf(ret, len + 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_FULL);
+            len = snprintf(&buf, 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_FULL);
+            if (len > 2) {
+                /* We add 2 bytes just to make sure no buggy interpretation of \0 inclusion could bite us. */
+                ret = calloc(1, len + 2);
+                if (ret) {
+                    snprintf(ret, len + 1, STRINGIFY_FORMAT_FULL);
+                }
             }
         }
     }