diff --git a/src/shared/proparser/proitems.cpp b/src/shared/proparser/proitems.cpp
index 1b16ded4d58..5dd7898cd0f 100644
--- a/src/shared/proparser/proitems.cpp
+++ b/src/shared/proparser/proitems.cpp
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@
 #include <QFileInfo>
 #include <QSet>
 #include <QStringList>
+#include <QTextStream>
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
@@ -289,6 +290,12 @@ ProString ProString::trimmed() const
     return ret;
 }
 
+QTextStream &operator<<(QTextStream &t, const ProString &str)
+{
+    t << str.toQString(); // XXX optimize ... somehow
+    return t;
+}
+
 QString ProStringList::join(const QString &sep) const
 {
     int totalLength = 0;
@@ -313,6 +320,20 @@ QString ProStringList::join(const QString &sep) const
     return res;
 }
 
+void ProStringList::removeAll(const ProString &str)
+{
+    for (int i = size(); --i >= 0; )
+        if (at(i) == str)
+            remove(i);
+}
+
+void ProStringList::removeAll(const char *str)
+{
+    for (int i = size(); --i >= 0; )
+        if (at(i) == str)
+            remove(i);
+}
+
 void ProStringList::removeDuplicates()
 {
     int n = size();
@@ -332,6 +353,13 @@ void ProStringList::removeDuplicates()
         erase(begin() + j, end());
 }
 
+ProStringList::ProStringList(const QStringList &list)
+{
+    reserve(list.size());
+    foreach (const QString &str, list)
+        *this << ProString(str);
+}
+
 QStringList ProStringList::toQStringList() const
 {
     QStringList ret;
@@ -341,6 +369,22 @@ QStringList ProStringList::toQStringList() const
     return ret;
 }
 
+bool ProStringList::contains(const ProString &str, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs) const
+{
+    for (int i = 0; i < size(); i++)
+        if (!at(i).compare(str, cs))
+            return true;
+    return false;
+}
+
+bool ProStringList::contains(const char *str, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs) const
+{
+    for (int i = 0; i < size(); i++)
+        if (!at(i).compare(str, cs))
+            return true;
+    return false;
+}
+
 ProFile::ProFile(const QString &fileName)
     : m_refCount(1),
       m_fileName(fileName),
diff --git a/src/shared/proparser/proitems.h b/src/shared/proparser/proitems.h
index 7aa893a0a83..3a4b69b5b6e 100644
--- a/src/shared/proparser/proitems.h
+++ b/src/shared/proparser/proitems.h
@@ -32,12 +32,15 @@
 #define PROITEMS_H
 
 #include "qmake_global.h"
+
 #include <QString>
 #include <QVector>
 #include <QHash>
 
 QT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE
 
+class QTextStream;
+
 #ifdef PROPARSER_THREAD_SAFE
 typedef QAtomicInt ProItemRefCount;
 #else
@@ -70,29 +73,58 @@ public:
     PROITEM_EXPLICIT ProString(const char *str);
     ProString(const QString &str, int offset, int length);
     void setValue(const QString &str);
+    void clear() { m_string.clear(); m_length = 0; }
     ProString &setSource(const ProString &other) { m_file = other.m_file; return *this; }
     ProString &setSource(const ProFile *pro) { m_file = pro; return *this; }
     const ProFile *sourceFile() const { return m_file; }
-    QString toQString() const;
-    QString &toQString(QString &tmp) const;
+
     ProString &operator+=(const ProString &other);
     ProString &append(const ProString &other, bool *pending = 0);
     ProString &append(const ProStringList &other, bool *pending = 0, bool skipEmpty1st = false);
+
+    void chop(int n) { Q_ASSERT(n <= m_length); m_length -= n; }
+    void chopFront(int n) { Q_ASSERT(n <= m_length); m_offset += n; m_length -= n; }
+
     bool operator==(const ProString &other) const { return toQStringRef() == other.toQStringRef(); }
     bool operator==(const QString &other) const { return toQStringRef() == other; }
     bool operator==(QLatin1String other) const  { return toQStringRef() == other; }
+    bool operator==(const char *other) const { return toQStringRef() == QLatin1String(other); }
     bool operator!=(const ProString &other) const { return !(*this == other); }
     bool operator!=(const QString &other) const { return !(*this == other); }
     bool operator!=(QLatin1String other) const { return !(*this == other); }
+    bool operator!=(const char *other) const { return !(*this == other); }
     bool isNull() const { return m_string.isNull(); }
     bool isEmpty() const { return !m_length; }
+    int length() const { return m_length; }
     int size() const { return m_length; }
+    QChar at(int i) const { Q_ASSERT((uint)i < (uint)m_length); return constData()[i]; }
     const QChar *constData() const { return m_string.constData() + m_offset; }
     ProString mid(int off, int len = -1) const;
     ProString left(int len) const { return mid(0, len); }
     ProString right(int len) const { return mid(qMax(0, size() - len)); }
     ProString trimmed() const;
-    void clear() { m_string.clear(); m_length = 0; }
+    int compare(const ProString &sub, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().compare(sub.toQStringRef(), cs); }
+    int compare(const QString &sub, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().compare(sub, cs); }
+    int compare(const char *sub, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().compare(QLatin1String(sub), cs); }
+    bool startsWith(const ProString &sub) const { return toQStringRef().startsWith(sub.toQStringRef()); }
+    bool startsWith(const QString &sub) const { return toQStringRef().startsWith(sub); }
+    bool startsWith(const char *sub) const { return toQStringRef().startsWith(QLatin1String(sub)); }
+    bool startsWith(QChar c) const { return toQStringRef().startsWith(c); }
+    bool endsWith(const ProString &sub) const { return toQStringRef().endsWith(sub.toQStringRef()); }
+    bool endsWith(const QString &sub) const { return toQStringRef().endsWith(sub); }
+    bool endsWith(const char *sub) const { return toQStringRef().endsWith(QLatin1String(sub)); }
+    bool endsWith(QChar c) const { return toQStringRef().endsWith(c); }
+    int indexOf(const QString &s, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().indexOf(s, from, cs); }
+    int indexOf(const char *s, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().indexOf(QLatin1String(s), from, cs); }
+    int indexOf(QChar c, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().indexOf(c, from, cs); }
+    int lastIndexOf(const QString &s, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().lastIndexOf(s, from, cs); }
+    int lastIndexOf(const char *s, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().lastIndexOf(QLatin1String(s), from, cs); }
+    int lastIndexOf(QChar c, int from = 0, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return toQStringRef().lastIndexOf(c, from, cs); }
+    bool contains(const QString &s, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return indexOf(s, 0, cs) >= 0; }
+    bool contains(const char *s, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return indexOf(QLatin1String(s), 0, cs) >= 0; }
+    bool contains(QChar c, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const { return indexOf(c, 0, cs) >= 0; }
+    int toInt(bool *ok = 0) const { return toQString().toInt(ok); } // XXX optimize
+    short toShort(bool *ok = 0) const { return toQString().toShort(ok); } // XXX optimize
 
     static uint hash(const QChar *p, int n);
 
@@ -101,6 +133,11 @@ public:
     ALWAYS_INLINE ProKey &toKey() { return *(ProKey *)this; }
     ALWAYS_INLINE const ProKey &toKey() const { return *(const ProKey *)this; }
 
+    QString toQString() const;
+    QString &toQString(QString &tmp) const;
+
+    QByteArray toLatin1() const { return toQStringRef().toLatin1(); }
+
 private:
     ProString(const ProKey &other);
     ProString &operator=(const ProKey &other);
@@ -160,15 +197,49 @@ inline QString operator+(const ProString &one, const QString &two)
 inline QString operator+(const QString &one, const ProString &two)
     { return ProString(one) + two; }
 
+inline QString operator+(const ProString &one, const char *two)
+    { return one + ProString(two); } // XXX optimize
+inline QString operator+(const char *one, const ProString &two)
+    { return ProString(one) + two; } // XXX optimize
+
+inline QString &operator+=(QString &that, const ProString &other)
+    { return that += other.toQStringRef(); }
+
+inline bool operator==(const QString &that, const ProString &other)
+    { return other == that; }
+inline bool operator!=(const QString &that, const ProString &other)
+    { return !(other == that); }
+
+QTextStream &operator<<(QTextStream &t, const ProString &str);
+
 class ProStringList : public QVector<ProString> {
 public:
     ProStringList() {}
     ProStringList(const ProString &str) { *this << str; }
-    QString join(const QString &sep) const;
-    void removeDuplicates();
+    explicit ProStringList(const QStringList &list);
     QStringList toQStringList() const;
+
+    ProStringList &operator<<(const ProString &str)
+        { QVector<ProString>::operator<<(str); return *this; }
+
+    int length() const { return size(); }
+
+    QString join(const QString &sep) const;
+
+    void removeAll(const ProString &str);
+    void removeAll(const char *str);
+    void removeAt(int idx) { remove(idx); }
+    void removeDuplicates();
+
+    bool contains(const ProString &str, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const;
+    bool contains(const QString &str, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const
+        { return contains(ProString(str), cs); }
+    bool contains(const char *str, Qt::CaseSensitivity cs = Qt::CaseSensitive) const;
 };
 
+inline ProStringList operator+(const ProStringList &one, const ProStringList &two)
+    { ProStringList ret = one; ret += two; return ret; }
+
 typedef QHash<ProKey, ProStringList> ProValueMap;
 
 // These token definitions affect both ProFileEvaluator and ProWriter