+GNUNET_STRINGS_pp2s (const struct GNUNET_PeerIdentity *pids,
+ unsigned int num_pids);
+
+
+/**
+ * Parse a path that might be an URI.
+ *
+ * @param path path to parse. Must be NULL-terminated.
+ * @param[out] scheme_part pointer to a string that
+ * represents the URI scheme will be stored. Can be NULL. The string is
+ * allocated by the function, and should be freed by GNUNET_free() when
+ * it is no longer needed.
+ * @param path_part a pointer to 'const char *' where a pointer to the path
+ * part of the URI will be stored. Can be NULL. Points to the same block
+ * of memory as @a path, and thus must not be freed. Might point to '\0',
+ * if path part is zero-length.
+ * @return #GNUNET_YES if it's an URI, #GNUNET_NO otherwise. If 'path' is not
+ * an URI, '* scheme_part' and '*path_part' will remain unchanged
+ * (if they weren't NULL).
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_parse_uri (const char *path,
+ char **scheme_part,
+ const char **path_part);
+
+
+/**
+ * Check whether filename is absolute or not, and if it's an URI
+ *
+ * @param filename filename to check
+ * @param can_be_uri #GNUNET_YES to check for being URI, #GNUNET_NO - to
+ * assume it's not URI
+ * @param r_is_uri a pointer to an int that is set to #GNUNET_YES if 'filename'
+ * is URI and to GNUNET_NO otherwise. Can be NULL. If 'can_be_uri' is
+ * not #GNUNET_YES, *r_is_uri is set to #GNUNET_NO.
+ * @param r_uri_scheme a pointer to a char * that is set to a pointer to URI scheme.
+ * The string is allocated by the function, and should be freed with
+ * GNUNET_free (). Can be NULL.
+ * @return #GNUNET_YES if 'filename' is absolute, #GNUNET_NO otherwise.
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_path_is_absolute (const char *filename,
+ int can_be_uri,
+ int *r_is_uri,
+ char **r_uri_scheme);
+
+
+/**
+ * Flags for what we should check a file for.
+ */
+enum GNUNET_STRINGS_FilenameCheck
+{
+ /**
+ * Check that it exists.
+ */
+ GNUNET_STRINGS_CHECK_EXISTS = 0x00000001,
+
+ /**
+ * Check that it is a directory.
+ */
+ GNUNET_STRINGS_CHECK_IS_DIRECTORY = 0x00000002,
+
+ /**
+ * Check that it is a link.
+ */
+ GNUNET_STRINGS_CHECK_IS_LINK = 0x00000004,
+
+ /**
+ * Check that the path is an absolute path.
+ */
+ GNUNET_STRINGS_CHECK_IS_ABSOLUTE = 0x00000008
+};
+
+
+/**
+ * Perform checks on @a filename. FIXME: some duplication with
+ * "GNUNET_DISK_"-APIs. We should unify those.
+ *
+ * @param filename file to check
+ * @param checks checks to perform
+ * @return #GNUNET_YES if all checks pass, #GNUNET_NO if at least one of them
+ * fails, #GNUNET_SYSERR when a check can't be performed
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_check_filename (const char *filename,
+ enum GNUNET_STRINGS_FilenameCheck checks);
+
+
+/**
+ * Tries to convert @a zt_addr string to an IPv6 address.
+ * The string is expected to have the format "[ABCD::01]:80".
+ *
+ * @param zt_addr 0-terminated string. May be mangled by the function.
+ * @param addrlen length of zt_addr (not counting 0-terminator).
+ * @param r_buf a buffer to fill. Initially gets filled with zeroes,
+ * then its sin6_port, sin6_family and sin6_addr are set appropriately.
+ * @return #GNUNET_OK if conversion succeded. #GNUNET_SYSERR otherwise, in which
+ * case the contents of r_buf are undefined.
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_to_address_ipv6 (const char *zt_addr,
+ uint16_t addrlen,
+ struct sockaddr_in6 *r_buf);
+
+
+/**
+ * Tries to convert @a zt_addr string to an IPv4 address.
+ * The string is expected to have the format "1.2.3.4:80".
+ *
+ * @param zt_addr 0-terminated string. May be mangled by the function.
+ * @param addrlen length of zt_addr (not counting 0-terminator).
+ * @param r_buf a buffer to fill.
+ * @return #GNUNET_OK if conversion succeded. #GNUNET_SYSERR otherwise, in which case
+ * the contents of r_buf are undefined.
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_to_address_ipv4 (const char *zt_addr,
+ uint16_t addrlen,
+ struct sockaddr_in *r_buf);
+
+
+/**
+ * Parse an address given as a string into a
+ * `struct sockaddr`.
+ *
+ * @param addr the address
+ * @param[out] af set to the parsed address family (i.e. AF_INET)
+ * @param[out] sa set to the parsed address
+ * @return 0 on error, otherwise number of bytes in @a sa
+ */
+size_t
+GNUNET_STRINGS_parse_socket_addr (const char *addr,
+ uint8_t *af,
+ struct sockaddr **sa);
+
+
+/**
+ * Tries to convert @a addr string to an IP (v4 or v6) address.
+ * Will automatically decide whether to treat 'addr' as v4 or v6 address.
+ *
+ * @param addr a string, may not be 0-terminated.
+ * @param addrlen number of bytes in @a addr (if addr is 0-terminated,
+ * 0-terminator should not be counted towards addrlen).
+ * @param r_buf a buffer to fill.
+ * @return #GNUNET_OK if conversion succeded. #GNUNET_SYSERR otherwise, in which
+ * case the contents of r_buf are undefined.
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_to_address_ip (const char *addr,
+ uint16_t addrlen,
+ struct sockaddr_storage *r_buf);
+
+
+/**
+ * Returns utf-8 encoded arguments. Does nothing (returns a copy of
+ * @a argc and @a argv) on any platform other than W32. Returned @a
+ * argv has `u8argv[u8argc] == NULL`. Returned @a argv is a single
+ * memory block, and can be freed with a single GNUNET_free() call.
+ *
+ * @param argc argc (as given by main())
+ * @param argv argv (as given by main())
+ * @param u8argc a location to store new argc in (though it's th same as argc)
+ * @param u8argv a location to store new argv in
+ * @return #GNUNET_OK on success, #GNUNET_SYSERR on failure
+ */
+int
+GNUNET_STRINGS_get_utf8_args (int argc,
+ char *const *argv,
+ int *u8argc,
+ char *const **u8argv);
+
+
+/* ***************** IPv4/IPv6 parsing ****************** */
+
+struct GNUNET_STRINGS_PortPolicy
+{
+
+ /**
+ * Starting port range (0 if none given).
+ */
+ uint16_t start_port;
+
+ /**
+ * End of port range (0 if none given).
+ */
+ uint16_t end_port;
+
+ /**
+ * #GNUNET_YES if the port range should be negated
+ * ("!" in policy).
+ */
+ int negate_portrange;
+
+};
+
+
+/**
+ * @brief IPV4 network in CIDR notation.
+ */
+struct GNUNET_STRINGS_IPv4NetworkPolicy
+{
+ /**
+ * IPv4 address.
+ */
+ struct in_addr network;
+
+ /**
+ * IPv4 netmask.
+ */
+ struct in_addr netmask;
+
+ /**
+ * Policy for port access.
+ */
+ struct GNUNET_STRINGS_PortPolicy pp;
+
+};
+
+
+/**
+ * @brief network in CIDR notation for IPV6.
+ */
+struct GNUNET_STRINGS_IPv6NetworkPolicy
+{
+ /**
+ * IPv6 address.
+ */
+ struct in6_addr network;
+
+ /**
+ * IPv6 netmask.
+ */
+ struct in6_addr netmask;
+
+ /**
+ * Policy for port access.
+ */
+ struct GNUNET_STRINGS_PortPolicy pp;
+
+};
+
+
+/**
+ * Parse an IPv4 network policy. The argument specifies a list of
+ * subnets. The format is <tt>(network[/netmask][:[!]SPORT-DPORT];)*</tt>
+ * (no whitespace, must be terminated with a semicolon). The network
+ * must be given in dotted-decimal notation. The netmask can be given
+ * in CIDR notation (/16) or in dotted-decimal (/255.255.0.0).
+ *
+ * @param routeListX a string specifying the IPv4 subnets
+ * @return the converted list, terminated with all zeros;
+ * NULL if the synatx is flawed
+ */
+struct GNUNET_STRINGS_IPv4NetworkPolicy *
+GNUNET_STRINGS_parse_ipv4_policy (const char *routeListX);
+
+
+/**
+ * Parse an IPv6 network policy. The argument specifies a list of
+ * subnets. The format is <tt>(network[/netmask[:[!]SPORT[-DPORT]]];)*</tt>
+ * (no whitespace, must be terminated with a semicolon). The network
+ * must be given in colon-hex notation. The netmask must be given in
+ * CIDR notation (/16) or can be omitted to specify a single host.
+ * Note that the netmask is mandatory if ports are specified.
+ *
+ * @param routeListX a string specifying the policy
+ * @return the converted list, 0-terminated, NULL if the synatx is flawed
+ */
+struct GNUNET_STRINGS_IPv6NetworkPolicy *
+GNUNET_STRINGS_parse_ipv6_policy (const char *routeListX);
+
+