--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/common/strhelp.c	Tue Mar 18 10:04:30 2014 +0000
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
+
+#include <stdio.h>
+#include <stdlib.h>
+#include <string.h>
+#include <assert.h>
+
+static void
+out_of_core(void)
+{
+    fputs("\nfatal: out of memory\n", stderr);
+    exit(2);
+}
+void *
+xmalloc( size_t n )
+{
+    void *p = malloc( n );
+    if( !p )
+        out_of_core();
+    return p;
+}
+
+void *
+xrealloc( void *a, size_t n )
+{
+    void *p = realloc( a, n );
+    if( !p )
+        out_of_core();
+    return p;
+}
+
+char *
+xstrdup( const char *string )
+{
+    void *p = xmalloc( strlen(string)+1 );
+    strcpy( p, string );
+    return p;
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * strv_length:
+ * @str_array: a %NULL-terminated array of strings
+ *
+ * Returns the length of the given %NULL-terminated
+ * string array @str_array.
+ *
+ * Return value: length of @str_array.
+ *
+ */
+unsigned int
+strv_length (char **str_array)
+{
+    unsigned int i = 0;
+
+    if (!str_array)
+        return 0;
+
+    while (str_array[i])
+        ++i;
+
+    return i;
+}
+
+/* @brief append a string to a NULL terminated array of strings.
+ *
+ * @param[inout] array pointer to the NULL terminated list of string pointers.
+ * @param[in] string pointer to the string to append to the list.
+ * */
+void array_append_str(char ***pArray, const char *string)
+{
+    unsigned int old_len = strv_length(*pArray);
+    *pArray = xrealloc(*pArray, sizeof(char**) * (old_len + 2));
+
+    *pArray[old_len] = xstrdup(string);
+    *pArray[old_len + 1] = NULL;
+}
+
+/* @brief append a string to another string.
+ *
+ * @param[inout] pDst pointer to the string to be extended.
+ * @param[in] appendage pointer to the string to append.
+ * */
+void str_append_str(char **pDst, const char *appendage)
+{
+    size_t old_len = strlen(*pDst),
+           added_len = strlen(appendage);
+    size_t new_len = old_len + added_len + 1;
+
+    if (!appendage)
+        return;
+
+    *pDst = (char *)xrealloc(*pDst, sizeof(char) * (new_len));
+
+    strcpy(*pDst + old_len, appendage);
+
+    *pDst[new_len - 1] = '\0';
+}
+
+void
+strfreev (char **str_array)
+{
+  if (str_array)
+    {
+      int i;
+
+      for (i = 0; str_array[i] != NULL; i++)
+        free (str_array[i]);
+
+      free (str_array);
+    }
+}