diff --git a/ruby/rubystrings.swg b/ruby/rubystrings.swg
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f6ce8635423
--- /dev/null
+++ b/ruby/rubystrings.swg
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+/* ------------------------------------------------------------
+ *  utility methods for char strings
+ * ------------------------------------------------------------ */
+
+%fragment("SWIG_AsCharPtrAndSize","header",fragment="SWIG_pchar_descriptor") {
+SWIGINTERN int
+SWIG_AsCharPtrAndSize(VALUE obj, char** cptr, size_t* psize, int *alloc)
+{
+  if (TYPE(obj) == T_STRING) {
+    char *cstr = StringValuePtr(obj);
+    size_t size = RSTRING_LEN(obj) + 1;
+    if (cptr)  {
+      if (alloc) {
+        if (*alloc == SWIG_NEWOBJ) {
+          *cptr = %new_copy_array(cstr, size, char);
+        } else {
+          *cptr = cstr;
+          *alloc = SWIG_OLDOBJ;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    if (psize) *psize = size;
+    return SWIG_OK;
+  } else {
+    swig_type_info* pchar_descriptor = SWIG_pchar_descriptor();
+    if (pchar_descriptor) {
+      void* vptr = 0;
+      if (SWIG_ConvertPtr(obj, &vptr, pchar_descriptor, 0) == SWIG_OK) {
+        if (cptr) *cptr = (char *)vptr;
+        if (psize) *psize = vptr ? (strlen((char*)vptr) + 1) : 0;
+        if (alloc) *alloc = SWIG_OLDOBJ;
+        return SWIG_OK;
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return SWIG_TypeError;
+}
+}
+
+%fragment("SWIG_FromCharPtrAndSize","header",fragment="SWIG_pchar_descriptor") {
+SWIGINTERNINLINE VALUE
+SWIG_FromCharPtrAndSize(const char* carray, size_t size)
+{
+  if (carray) {
+    if (size > LONG_MAX) {
+      swig_type_info* pchar_descriptor = SWIG_pchar_descriptor();
+      return pchar_descriptor ?
+        SWIG_NewPointerObj(%const_cast(carray,char *), pchar_descriptor, 0) : Qnil;
+    } else {
+      return rb_utf8_str_new(carray, %numeric_cast(size,long));
+    }
+  } else {
+    return Qnil;
+  }
+}
+}
+