diff --git a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.cpp b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.cpp
index 535ca32fe5..2a2ecd0a89 100644
--- a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-//	Copyright (c) 2001-2004, OpenBeOS
+//	Copyright (c) 2001-2004, Haiku, Inc.
 //
 //	Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a
 //	copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"),
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ _BTextGapBuffer_::_BTextGapBuffer_()
 		fPasswordMode(false)
 {
 	fBuffer = (char *)malloc(fExtraCount + fItemCount);
-	fScratchBuffer = (char*)malloc(0);
+	fScratchBuffer = NULL;
 }
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 _BTextGapBuffer_::~_BTextGapBuffer_()
@@ -246,10 +246,50 @@ _BTextGapBuffer_::Text()
 	return fText;
 }*/
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+void
+_BTextGapBuffer_::GetString(int32 offset, int32 length, char *buffer)
+{
+	if (buffer == NULL)
+		return;
+
+	int32 textLen = Length();
+	
+	if (offset < 0 || offset > (textLen - 1) || length < 1) {
+		buffer[0] = '\0';
+		return;
+	}
+	
+	length = ((offset + length) > textLen) ? textLen - offset : length;
+
+	bool isStartBeforeGap = (offset < fGapIndex);
+	bool isEndBeforeGap = ((offset + length - 1) < fGapIndex);
+
+	if (isStartBeforeGap == isEndBeforeGap) {
+		char *source = fBuffer + offset;
+		if (!isStartBeforeGap)
+			source += fGapCount;
+	
+		memcpy(buffer, source, length);
+	
+	} else {		
+		// if we are here, it can only be that start is before gap,
+		// and the end is after gap.
+
+		int32 beforeLen = fGapIndex - offset;
+		int32 afterLen = length - beforeLen;
+
+		memcpy(buffer, fBuffer + offset, beforeLen);
+		memcpy(buffer + beforeLen, fBuffer + fGapIndex, afterLen);
+			
+	}
+	
+	buffer[length] = '\0';
+}
+//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 char 
 _BTextGapBuffer_::RealCharAt(int32 offset) const
 {
-	return *(fBuffer + offset);
+	return (offset < fGapIndex) ? fBuffer[offset] : fBuffer[offset + fGapCount];
 }
 //------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 bool
diff --git a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.h b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.h
index e4d7c451d3..5eacc4b527 100644
--- a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.h
+++ b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextGapBuffer.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ virtual				~_BTextGapBuffer_();
 
 		
 //		char 	*RealText();
-//		void	GetString(int32 offset, int32 length, char *buffer);
+		void	GetString(int32 offset, int32 length, char *buffer);
 //		void	GetString(int32, int32 *);
 		
 		char	RealCharAt(int32 offset) const;
diff --git a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextView.cpp b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextView.cpp
index 0dc1d5343c..6c039a5c4f 100644
--- a/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextView.cpp
+++ b/src/kits/interface/BTextView/TextView.cpp
@@ -1230,7 +1230,8 @@ BTextView::TextLength() const
 	CALLED();
 	return fText->Length();
 }
-//------------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+
 void
 BTextView::GetText(int32 offset, int32 length, char *buffer) const
 {
@@ -1238,16 +1239,7 @@ BTextView::GetText(int32 offset, int32 length, char *buffer) const
 	if (buffer == NULL)
 		return;
 
-	int32 textLen = fText->Length();
-	if (offset < 0 || offset > (textLen - 1)) {
-		buffer[0] = '\0';
-		return;
-	}
-		
-	length = ((offset + length) > textLen) ? textLen - offset : length;
-	for (int32 i = 0; i < length; i++)
-		buffer[i] = (*fText)[i + offset];
-	buffer[length] = '\0';
+	fText->GetString(offset, length, buffer);
 }