diff --git a/src/pugixml.hpp b/src/pugixml.hpp
index 09bd692..ed5a08a 100644
--- a/src/pugixml.hpp
+++ b/src/pugixml.hpp
@@ -335,9 +335,18 @@ namespace pugi
 		const char_t* name() const;
 		const char_t* value() const;
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		string_t sname() const { return name(); }
+		string_t svalue() const { return value(); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get attribute value, or the default value if attribute is empty
 		const char_t* as_string(const char_t* def = PUGIXML_TEXT("")) const;
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		string_t as_sstring(const string_t &def = string_t()) const { return as_string(def.c_str()); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get attribute value as a number, or the default value if conversion did not succeed or attribute is empty
 		int as_int(int def = 0) const;
 		unsigned int as_uint(unsigned int def = 0) const;
@@ -370,6 +379,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		bool set_value(unsigned long long rhs);
 	#endif
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		bool set_value(const string_t &rhs) { return set_value(rhs.c_str()); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Set attribute value (equivalent to set_value without error checking)
 		xml_attribute& operator=(const char_t* rhs);
 		xml_attribute& operator=(int rhs);
@@ -385,6 +398,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		xml_attribute& operator=(unsigned long long rhs);
 	#endif
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		xml_attribute& operator=(const string_t &rhs) { return (*this = rhs.c_str()); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get next/previous attribute in the attribute list of the parent node
 		xml_attribute next_attribute() const;
 		xml_attribute previous_attribute() const;
@@ -448,6 +465,11 @@ namespace pugi
 		// Note: For <node>text</node> node.value() does not return "text"! Use child_value() or text() methods to access text inside nodes.
 		const char_t* value() const;
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		const string_t sname() const { return name(); }
+		const string_t svalue() const { return value(); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get attribute list
 		xml_attribute first_attribute() const;
 		xml_attribute last_attribute() const;
@@ -701,6 +723,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		unsigned long long as_ullong(unsigned long long def = 0) const;
 	#endif
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		string_t as_sstring(const string_t &def = string_t()) const { return as_string(def.c_str()); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get text as bool (returns true if first character is in '1tTyY' set), or the default value if object is empty
 		bool as_bool(bool def = false) const;
 
@@ -736,6 +762,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		xml_text& operator=(unsigned long long rhs);
 	#endif
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		xml_text& operator=(const string_t &rhs) { return (*this = rhs.c_str()); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get the data node (node_pcdata or node_cdata) for this object
 		xml_node data() const;
 	};
@@ -1069,6 +1099,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		// Get variable name
 		const char_t* name() const;
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		string_t sname() const { return name(); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Get variable type
 		xpath_value_type type() const;
 
@@ -1078,6 +1112,10 @@ namespace pugi
 		const char_t* get_string() const;
 		const xpath_node_set& get_node_set() const;
 
+	#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+		string_t get_sstring() const { return get_string(); }
+	#endif
+
 		// Set variable value; no type conversion is performed, false is returned on type mismatch error
 		bool set(bool value);
 		bool set(double value);
diff --git a/tests/test.cpp b/tests/test.cpp
index 6347984..bd4bf5b 100644
--- a/tests/test.cpp
+++ b/tests/test.cpp
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ bool test_string_equal(const pugi::char_t* lhs, const pugi::char_t* rhs)
 	#endif
 }
 
+#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+bool test_string_equal(const pugi::string_t& lhs, const pugi::string_t& rhs)
+{
+	return (lhs == rhs);
+}
+#endif
+
 bool test_node(const pugi::xml_node& node, const pugi::char_t* contents, const pugi::char_t* indent, unsigned int flags)
 {
 	xml_writer_string writer;
diff --git a/tests/test.hpp b/tests/test.hpp
index e700826..5e7a15d 100644
--- a/tests/test.hpp
+++ b/tests/test.hpp
@@ -32,6 +32,10 @@ struct test_runner
 
 bool test_string_equal(const pugi::char_t* lhs, const pugi::char_t* rhs);
 
+#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+bool test_string_equal(const pugi::string_t& lhs, const pugi::string_t& rhs);
+#endif
+
 template <typename Node> inline bool test_node_name_value(const Node& node, const pugi::char_t* name, const pugi::char_t* value)
 {
 	return test_string_equal(node.name(), name) && test_string_equal(node.value(), value);
diff --git a/tests/test_dom_text.cpp b/tests/test_dom_text.cpp
index 7582460..d9e4b61 100644
--- a/tests/test_dom_text.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_dom_text.cpp
@@ -59,6 +59,26 @@ TEST_XML_FLAGS(dom_text_as_string, "<node><a>foo</a><b><node/><![CDATA[bar]]></b
     CHECK_STRING(xml_node().text().as_string(), STR(""));
 }
 
+#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+TEST_XML_FLAGS(dom_text_as_sstring, "<node><a>foo</a><b><node/><![CDATA[bar]]></b><c><?pi value?></c><d/></node>", parse_default | parse_pi)
+{
+    xml_node node = doc.child(STR("node"));
+
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("a")).text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("foo")));
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("a")).first_child().text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("foo")));
+
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("b")).text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("bar")));
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("b")).last_child().text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("bar")));
+
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("c")).text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("")));
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("c")).first_child().text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("")));
+
+    CHECK_STRING(node.child(STR("d")).text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("")));
+
+    CHECK_STRING(xml_node().text().as_sstring(), string_t(STR("")));
+}
+#endif
+
 TEST_XML(dom_text_as_int, "<node><text1>1</text1><text2>-1</text2><text3>-2147483648</text3><text4>2147483647</text4><text5>0</text5></node>")
 {
 	xml_node node = doc.child(STR("node"));
@@ -442,4 +462,8 @@ TEST(dom_text_defaults)
     CHECK(text.as_llong(42) == 42);
     CHECK(text.as_ullong(42) == 42);
 #endif
+
+#ifndef PUGIXML_NO_STL
+    CHECK(text.as_sstring() == string_t());
+#endif
 }