diff --git a/src/callback.c b/src/callback.c
index fb9b4ebf..03145ca6 100644
--- a/src/callback.c
+++ b/src/callback.c
@@ -635,7 +635,7 @@ static int waves_callback(int event, int mx, int my, KeySym key, int button, int
                 char *saven, *nptr, *ntok, *node = NULL;;
                 my_strdup2(1426, &node, get_tok_value(r->prop_ptr,"node",0));
                 nptr = node;
-                while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", &saven)) ) {
+                while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", "", &saven)) ) {
                   nptr = NULL;
                   j = get_raw_index(ntok);
                   if(j >= 0) {
diff --git a/src/draw.c b/src/draw.c
index c6a80aa4..1e5db90b 100644
--- a/src/draw.c
+++ b/src/draw.c
@@ -1659,8 +1659,8 @@ static SPICE_DATA **get_bus_idx_array(const char *ntok, int *n_bits)
   p = 0;
   my_strdup2(1402, &ntok_copy, ntok);
   ntok_ptr = ntok_copy;
-  my_strtok_r(ntok_ptr, ",", &ntok_savep); /*strip off bus name (1st field) */
-  while( (bit_name = my_strtok_r(NULL, ",", &ntok_savep)) ) {
+  my_strtok_r(ntok_ptr, ",", "", &ntok_savep); /*strip off bus name (1st field) */
+  while( (bit_name = my_strtok_r(NULL, ",", "", &ntok_savep)) ) {
     int idx;
     if( (idx = get_raw_index(bit_name)) != -1) {
       idx_arr[p] = xctx->graph_values[idx];
@@ -2279,9 +2279,9 @@ int edit_wave_attributes(int what, int i, Graph_ctx *gr)
   sptr = sweep;
   n_nodes = count_items(node, " \t\n");
   /* process each node given in "node" attribute, get also associated color/sweep var if any */
-  while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", &saven)) ) {
-    ctok = my_strtok_r(cptr, " ", &savec);
-    stok = my_strtok_r(sptr, " ", &saves);
+  while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", "\"", &saven)) ) {
+    ctok = my_strtok_r(cptr, " ", "", &savec);
+    stok = my_strtok_r(sptr, " ", "", &saves);
     nptr = cptr = sptr = NULL;
     dbg(1, "ntok=%s ctok=%s\n", ntok, ctok? ctok: "NULL");
     if(stok && stok[0]) {
@@ -2347,7 +2347,7 @@ int edit_wave_attributes(int what, int i, Graph_ctx *gr)
       }
     }
     wcnt++;
-  } /* while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", &saven)) ) */
+  } /* while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", "", &saven)) ) */
   my_free(1494, &node);
   my_free(1495, &color);
   my_free(1496, &sweep);
@@ -2399,14 +2399,14 @@ void draw_graph(int i, const int flags, Graph_ctx *gr)
     sptr = sweep;
     n_nodes = count_items(node, " \t\n");
     /* process each node given in "node" attribute, get also associated color/sweep var if any*/
-    while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", &saven)) ) {
+    while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", "\"", &saven)) ) {
       if(strstr(ntok, ",")) {
         my_strdup2(1452, &bus_msb, find_nth(ntok, ',', 2));
       }
-      ctok = my_strtok_r(cptr, " ", &savec);
-      stok = my_strtok_r(sptr, " ", &saves);
+      ctok = my_strtok_r(cptr, " ", "", &savec);
+      stok = my_strtok_r(sptr, " ", "", &saves);
       nptr = cptr = sptr = NULL;
-      dbg(1, "ntok=%s ctok=%s\n", ntok, ctok? ctok: "NULL");
+      dbg(0, "ntok=%s ctok=%s\n", ntok, ctok? ctok: "NULL");
       if(ctok && ctok[0]) wave_color = atoi(ctok);
       if(wave_color < 0) wave_color = 4;
       if(wave_color >= cadlayers) wave_color = cadlayers - 1;
@@ -2526,7 +2526,7 @@ void draw_graph(int i, const int flags, Graph_ctx *gr)
       } /*  if( (idx = get_raw_index(bus_msb ? bus_msb : ntok)) != -1 ) */
       wcnt++;
       if(bus_msb) my_free(1453, &bus_msb);
-    } /* while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", &saven)) ) */
+    } /* while( (ntok = my_strtok_r(nptr, "\n\t ", "", &saven)) ) */
     my_free(1391, &node);
     my_free(1392, &color);
     my_free(1408, &sweep);
diff --git a/src/editprop.c b/src/editprop.c
index 43968e83..8730b446 100644
--- a/src/editprop.c
+++ b/src/editprop.c
@@ -47,7 +47,49 @@ int my_strncasecmp(const char *s1, const char *s2, size_t n)
   return tolower(*s1) - tolower(*s2);
 }
 
-char *my_strtok_r(char *str, const char *delim, char **saveptr)
+/* split a string into tokens like standard strtok_r,
+ * if quote string is not empty any character matching quote is considered a quoting
+ * character, removed from input and all characters before next quote are considered
+ * as part of the token. backslash can be used to enter literal quoting characters and
+ * literal backslashes.
+ * if quote is empty no backslash is removed from input and behavior is identical
+ * to strtok_r
+ */
+char *my_strtok_r(char *str, const char *delim, const char *quote, char **saveptr)
+{
+  char *tok;
+  int q = 0; /* quote */
+  int e = 0; /* escape */
+  int ne = 0; /* number of escapes / quoting chars to remove */
+  if(str) { /* 1st call */
+    *saveptr = str;
+  }
+  while(**saveptr && strchr(delim, **saveptr) ) { /* skip separators */
+    ++(*saveptr);
+  }
+  tok = *saveptr; /* start of token */
+  while(**saveptr && (e || q || !strchr(delim, **saveptr)) ) { /* look for sep. marking end of current token */
+    if(ne) *(*saveptr - ne) = **saveptr; /* shift back eating escapes / quotes */
+    if(!e && strchr(quote, **saveptr)) {
+      q = !q;
+      ne++;
+    }
+    if(quote[0] && !e && **saveptr == '\\') { /* if quote is empty string do not skip backslashes either */
+      e = 1;
+      ne++;
+    } else e = 0;
+    ++(*saveptr);
+  }
+  if(**saveptr) {
+    **saveptr = '\0'; /* mark end of token */
+    if(ne) *(*saveptr - ne) = **saveptr; /* shift back eating escapes / quotes */
+    ++(*saveptr);     /* if not at end of string advance one char for next iteration */
+  } else if(ne) *(*saveptr - ne ) = **saveptr; /* shift back eating escapes / quotes */
+  if(tok[0]) return tok; /* return token */
+  else return NULL; /* no more tokens */
+}
+
+char *xmy_strtok_r(char *str, const char *delim, char **saveptr)
 {
   char *tok;
   if(str) { /* 1st call */
diff --git a/src/token.c b/src/token.c
index 9496a6f3..181fe099 100644
--- a/src/token.c
+++ b/src/token.c
@@ -1943,8 +1943,8 @@ void print_tedax_element(FILE *fd, int inst)
      /* fprintf(errfp, "extra_pinnumber: |%s|\n", extra_pinnumber); */
      /* fprintf(errfp, "extra: |%s|\n", extra); */
      for(extra_ptr = extra, extra_pinnumber_ptr = extra_pinnumber; ; extra_ptr=NULL, extra_pinnumber_ptr=NULL) {
-       extra_pinnumber_token=my_strtok_r(extra_pinnumber_ptr, " ", &saveptr1);
-       extra_token=my_strtok_r(extra_ptr, " ", &saveptr2);
+       extra_pinnumber_token=my_strtok_r(extra_pinnumber_ptr, " ", "", &saveptr1);
+       extra_token=my_strtok_r(extra_ptr, " ", "", &saveptr2);
        if(!extra_token) break;
        /* fprintf(errfp, "extra_pinnumber_token: |%s|\n", extra_pinnumber_token); */
        /* fprintf(errfp, "extra_token: |%s|\n", extra_token); */
diff --git a/src/xschem.h b/src/xschem.h
index 1ac98e66..b17391bf 100644
--- a/src/xschem.h
+++ b/src/xschem.h
@@ -1310,7 +1310,7 @@ extern int  my_snprintf(char *str, int size, const char *fmt, ...);
 extern size_t my_strdup(int id, char **dest, const char *src);
 extern void my_strndup(int id, char **dest, const char *src, int n);
 extern size_t my_strdup2(int id, char **dest, const char *src);
-extern char *my_strtok_r(char *str, const char *delim, char **saveptr);
+extern char *my_strtok_r(char *str, const char *delim, const char *quote, char **saveptr);
 extern int my_strncpy(char *d, const char *s, int n);
 extern int my_strcasecmp(const char *s1, const char *s2);
 extern int my_strncasecmp(const char *s1, const char *s2, size_t n);
diff --git a/src/xschem.tcl b/src/xschem.tcl
index 59a17553..84127b24 100644
--- a/src/xschem.tcl
+++ b/src/xschem.tcl
@@ -659,7 +659,11 @@ proc sim_is_xyce {} {
 proc tolist {s} {
   set s [string trim $s]
   regsub -all {[\t\n ]+} $s { } s
-  return [split $s]
+  if { [string is list $s] } {
+    return $s
+  } else {
+    return [split $s]
+  }
 }
 
 proc set_sim_defaults {{reset {}}} {
@@ -1501,7 +1505,7 @@ proc graph_update_nodelist {} {
   # tagging nodes in text widget:
   set col  [xschem getprop rect 2 $graph_selected color]
   set col [string trim $col " \n"]
-  set tt [.graphdialog.center.right.text1 search -all -nolinestop -regexp -count cc {[^ \n]+} 1.0]
+  set tt [.graphdialog.center.right.text1 search -all -nolinestop -regexp -count cc {"[^"]+"|[^ \n]+} 1.0] ;#"4vim
   set n 0
   if { [info exists cc] && ($tt ne {}) } {
     foreach t $tt c $cc {
@@ -1538,7 +1542,7 @@ proc fill_graph_listbox {} {
 proc update_graph_node {node} {
   global graph_selected
   graph_update_nodelist
-  regsub -all {(["\\])} $node {\\\1} node_quoted ;#"  editor is confused by the previous quote
+  regsub -all {(["\\])} $node {\\\1} node_quoted ;#"4vim
   xschem setprop rect 2 $graph_selected node $node_quoted fast
   xschem draw_graph $graph_selected
 }