diff --git a/code/nel/include/nel/misc/string_common.h b/code/nel/include/nel/misc/string_common.h
index 3fd46b835..372ee4be5 100644
--- a/code/nel/include/nel/misc/string_common.h
+++ b/code/nel/include/nel/misc/string_common.h
@@ -246,9 +246,10 @@ inline bool fromString(const std::string &str, sint64 &val) { bool ret = sscanf(
 inline bool fromString(const std::string &str, float &val) { bool ret = sscanf(str.c_str(), "%f", &val) == 1; if (!ret) val = 0.0f; return ret; }
 inline bool fromString(const std::string &str, double &val) { bool ret = sscanf(str.c_str(), "%lf", &val) == 1; if (!ret) val = 0.0; return ret; }
 
-// Fast string to bool, reliably defined for strings starting with 0, 1, t, T, f, F, y, Y, n, N, anything else is undefined.
-// (str[0] == '1' || (str[0] & 0xD2) == 0x50)
-//  - Kaetemi
+/// Fast string to bool, reliably defined for strings starting with 0, 1, t, T, f, F, y, Y, n, N, and empty strings, anything else is undefined.
+///  - Kaetemi
+inline bool toBool(const char *str) { return str[0] == '1' || (str[0] & 0xD2) == 0x50; }
+inline bool toBool(const std::string &str) { return toBool(str.c_str()); } // Safe because first byte may be null
 
 bool fromString(const std::string &str, bool &val);
 
diff --git a/code/nel/src/gui/interface_element.cpp b/code/nel/src/gui/interface_element.cpp
index 4a736314d..98f4ab7d6 100644
--- a/code/nel/src/gui/interface_element.cpp
+++ b/code/nel/src/gui/interface_element.cpp
@@ -1028,21 +1028,16 @@ namespace NLGUI
 	}
 
 	// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-	bool			CInterfaceElement::convertBool (const char *ptr)
+	bool CInterfaceElement::convertBool (const char *ptr)
 	{
-		std::string str = toLower(ptr);
-		bool b = false;
-		fromString( str, b );
-		return b;
+		return NLMISC::toBool(ptr);
 	}
 
 	// ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 	NLMISC::CVector CInterfaceElement::convertVector (const char *ptr)
 	{
 		float x = 0.0f, y = 0.0f, z = 0.0f;
-
 		sscanf (ptr, "%f %f %f", &x, &y, &z);
-
 		return CVector(x,y,z);
 	}