diff --git a/src/token.c b/src/token.c
index 450e4ebe..d613e25f 100644
--- a/src/token.c
+++ b/src/token.c
@@ -907,6 +907,7 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
  int escape=0;
  int no_of_pins=0;
  char *fmt_attr = NULL;
+ char *result = NULL;
 
  my_strdup(_ALLOC_ID_, &template, (xctx->inst[inst].ptr + xctx->sym)->templ);
  my_strdup(_ALLOC_ID_, &name, xctx->inst[inst].instname);
@@ -972,60 +973,59 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
    if(!xctx->tok_size)
    value=get_tok_value(template, token+1, 0);
    if(!xctx->tok_size && token[0] =='%') {
-     fputs(token + 1, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, token + 1, NULL);
    } else if(value && value[0]!='\0')
    {  /* instance names (name) and node labels (lab) go thru the expandlabel function. */
       /*if something else must be parsed, put an if here! */
 
     if(!(strcmp(token+1,"name"))) {
       if( (lab=expandlabel(value, &tmp)) != NULL)
-         fprintf(fd, "----name(%s)", lab);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----name(", lab, ")", NULL);
       else
-         fprintf(fd, "%s", value);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, value, NULL);
     }
     else if(!(strcmp(token+1,"lab"))) {
       if( (lab=expandlabel(value, &tmp)) != NULL)
-         fprintf(fd, "----pin(%s)", lab);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", lab, ")", NULL);
       else
-         fprintf(fd, "%s", value);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, value, NULL);
     }
-    else  fprintf(fd, "%s", value);
+    else my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, value, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@path")==0)
    {
-    fprintf( fd, "%s",xctx->sch_path[xctx->currsch] + 1);
+    my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, xctx->sch_path[xctx->currsch] + 1, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@symref")==0)
    {
      const char *s = get_sym_name(inst, 9999, 1);
-     fputs(s, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, s, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@symname")==0) /* of course symname must not be present  */
                                         /* in hash table */
    {
      const char *s = sanitize(translate(inst, get_sym_name(inst, 0, 0)));
-     fputs(s, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, s, NULL);
    }
    else if (strcmp(token,"@symname_ext")==0) 
    {
      const char *s = sanitize(translate(inst, get_sym_name(inst, 0, 1)));
-     fputs(s, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, s, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@schname_ext")==0) /* of course schname must not be present  */
                                         /* in hash table */
    {
-     /* fputs(xctx->sch[xctx->currsch],fd); */
-     fputs(xctx->current_name, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, xctx->current_name, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@schname")==0)
    {
-     fputs(get_cell(xctx->current_name, 0), fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, get_cell(xctx->current_name, 0), NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@topschname")==0) /* of course topschname must not be present in attributes */
    {
      const char *topsch;
      topsch = get_trailing_path(xctx->sch[0], 0, 1);
-     fputs(topsch, fd);
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, topsch, NULL);
    }
    else if(strcmp(token,"@pinlist")==0) /* of course pinlist must not be present  */
                                         /* in hash table. print multiplicity */
@@ -1039,9 +1039,9 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
       if(strboolcmp(get_tok_value(prop,"vhdl_ignore",0), "true")) {
         const char *name = get_tok_value(prop,"name",0);
         if(!int_hash_lookup(&table, name, 1, XINSERT_NOREPLACE)) {
-          if(!first) fprintf(fd, " , ");
+          if(!first) my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, " , ", NULL);
           str_ptr =  net_name(inst,i, &multip, 0, 1);
-          fprintf(fd, "----pin(%s) ", str_ptr);
+          my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", str_ptr, ") ", NULL);
           first = 0;
         }
       }
@@ -1054,7 +1054,7 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
      if(!strcmp( get_tok_value(ptr->rect[PINLAYER][i].prop_ptr,"name",0), token+2)) {
        if(strboolcmp(get_tok_value(ptr->rect[PINLAYER][i].prop_ptr,"vhdl_ignore",0), "true")) {
          str_ptr =  net_name(inst,i, &multip, 0, 1);
-         fprintf(fd, "----pin(%s) ", str_ptr);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", str_ptr, ")", NULL);
        }
        break;
      }
@@ -1106,7 +1106,7 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
          }
          my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &tmpstr);
        }
-       fprintf(fd,"%s", value);
+       my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, value, NULL);
        my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &pin_attr_value);
      }
      else if(n>=0  && n < (xctx->inst[inst].ptr + xctx->sym)->rects[PINLAYER]) {
@@ -1115,7 +1115,7 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
        si  = get_tok_value(prop, "verilog_ignore",0);
        if(strboolcmp(si, "true")) {
          str_ptr =  net_name(inst,n, &multip, 0, 1);
-         fprintf(fd, "----pin(%s) ", str_ptr);
+         my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", str_ptr, ")", NULL);
        }
      }
      my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &pin_attr);
@@ -1131,23 +1131,40 @@ static void print_vhdl_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist  primitives, 200
      Tcl_ResetResult(interp);
      my_snprintf(tclcmd, s, "tclpropeval {%s} {%s} {%s}", token, name, xctx->inst[inst].name);
      tcleval(tclcmd);
-     fprintf(fd, "%s", tclresult());
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, tclresult(), NULL);
      my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &tclcmd);
    }
 
-   if(c!='%' && c!='@' && c!='\0' ) fputc(c,fd);
+   if(c!='%' && c!='@' && c!='\0' ) {
+     char str[2];
+     str[0] = (unsigned char) c;
+     str[1] = (unsigned char)'\0';
+     my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, str, NULL);
+   }
    if(c == '@' || c == '%') s--;
    state=TOK_BEGIN;
   }
-  else if(state==TOK_BEGIN && c!='\0')  fputc(c,fd);
+  else if(state==TOK_BEGIN && c!='\0') {
+    char str[2];
+    str[0] = (unsigned char) c;
+    str[1] = (unsigned char)'\0';
+    my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, str, NULL);
+  }
 
   if(c=='\0')
   {
+   if(result && strstr(result, "tcleval(")== result) {
+     dbg(1, "print_vhdl_primitive(): before translate() result=%s\n", result);
+     my_strdup(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, translate(inst, result));
+     dbg(1, "print_vhdl_primitive(): after  translate() result=%s\n", result);
+   }
+   if(result) fprintf(fd, "%s", result);
    fputc('\n',fd);
    fprintf(fd, "---- end primitive\n");
    break ;
   }
  }
+ my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &result);
  my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &template);
  my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &format);
  my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &name);
@@ -1414,9 +1431,19 @@ void print_vhdl_element(FILE *fd, int inst)
   const char *fmt;
 
   fmt_attr = xctx->format ? xctx->format : "vhdl_format";
-  fmt = get_tok_value((xctx->inst[inst].ptr + xctx->sym)->prop_ptr, fmt_attr, 2);
+
+  /* allow format string override in instance */
+  fmt = get_tok_value(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, fmt_attr, 2);
+  /* get netlist format rule from symbol */
+  if(!xctx->tok_size)
+    fmt = get_tok_value((xctx->inst[inst].ptr + xctx->sym)->prop_ptr, fmt_attr, 2);
+  /* allow format string override in instance */
   if(!xctx->tok_size && strcmp(fmt_attr, "vhdl_format") )
+    fmt = get_tok_value(xctx->inst[inst].prop_ptr, "vhdl_format", 2);
+  /* get netlist format rule from symbol */
+  if(!xctx->tok_size && strcmp(fmt_attr, "vhdl_format"))
     fmt = get_tok_value((xctx->inst[inst].ptr + xctx->sym)->prop_ptr, "vhdl_format", 2);
+
   if(fmt[0]) {
    print_vhdl_primitive(fd, inst);
    return;
@@ -2832,7 +2859,7 @@ static void print_verilog_primitive(FILE *fd, int inst) /* netlist switch level
          if(!int_hash_lookup(&table, name, 1, XINSERT_NOREPLACE)) {
            if(!first) my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, " , ", NULL);
            str_ptr =  net_name(inst,i, &multip, 0, 1);
-           my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", str_ptr, ")", NULL);
+           my_mstrcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &result, "----pin(", str_ptr, ") ", NULL);
            first = 0;
          }
        }