diff --git a/command.c b/command.c
index 99db02b10f..f01f2bd4bc 100644
--- a/command.c
+++ b/command.c
@@ -222,11 +222,11 @@ static bool command_read_ram(const char *arg)
 
 static bool command_write_ram(const char *arg)
 {
-   cheevos_var_t var;
-   uint8_t * data;
-   unsigned nbytes;
    int i;
    char reply[256];
+   cheevos_var_t var;
+   unsigned nbytes;
+   uint8_t * data    = NULL;
 
    cheevos_parse_guest_addr(&var, strtoul(arg, (char**)&arg, 16));
    data = cheevos_get_memory(&var);
@@ -859,7 +859,7 @@ static void command_event_disk_control_set_eject(bool new_state, bool print_log)
             msg_hash_to_str(MSG_VIRTUAL_DISK_TRAY));
    }
 
-   if (*msg)
+   if (!string_is_empty(msg))
    {
       if (error)
          RARCH_ERR("%s\n", msg);
@@ -918,7 +918,7 @@ static void command_event_disk_control_set_index(unsigned idx)
       error = true;
    }
 
-   if (*msg)
+   if (!string_is_empty(msg))
    {
       if (error)
          RARCH_ERR("%s\n", msg);
@@ -1543,11 +1543,12 @@ void command_event_save_current_config(void)
        */
 
       /* Flush out the core specific config. */
-      if (*global->path.core_specific_config &&
-            settings->core_specific_config)
+      if (!string_is_empty(global->path.core_specific_config)
+            && settings->core_specific_config)
          ret = config_save_file(global->path.core_specific_config);
       else
          ret = config_save_file(global->path.config);
+
       if (ret)
       {
          snprintf(msg, sizeof(msg), "Saved new config to \"%s\".",
@@ -2092,7 +2093,7 @@ bool command_event(enum event_command cmd, void *data)
       case CMD_EVENT_CORE_INFO_INIT:
          command_event(CMD_EVENT_CORE_INFO_DEINIT, NULL);
 
-         if (*settings->directory.libretro)
+         if (!string_is_empty(settings->directory.libretro))
             core_info_init_list();
          break;
       case CMD_EVENT_CORE_DEINIT:
diff --git a/configuration.c b/configuration.c
index 69d088345f..8666941525 100644
--- a/configuration.c
+++ b/configuration.c
@@ -901,7 +901,7 @@ static void config_set_defaults(void)
             g_defaults.dir.content_history,
             sizeof(settings->directory.content_history));
 
-   if (*g_defaults.path.config)
+   if (!string_is_empty(g_defaults.path.config))
       fill_pathname_expand_special(global->path.config,
             g_defaults.path.config, sizeof(global->path.config));
 
@@ -1949,7 +1949,7 @@ static void config_load_core_specific(void)
 #endif
 
 #ifdef HAVE_MENU
-   if (*settings->directory.menu_config)
+   if (!string_is_empty(settings->directory.menu_config))
    {
       path_resolve_realpath(settings->directory.menu_config,
             sizeof(settings->directory.menu_config));
@@ -2277,14 +2277,14 @@ static void parse_config_file(void)
    bool         ret = config_load_file((*global->path.config)
          ? global->path.config : NULL, false);
 
-   if (*global->path.config)
+   if (!string_is_empty(global->path.config))
    {
       RARCH_LOG("Config: loading config from: %s.\n", global->path.config);
    }
    else
    {
       RARCH_LOG("Loading default config.\n");
-      if (*global->path.config)
+      if (!string_is_empty(global->path.config))
          RARCH_LOG("Config: found default config: %s.\n", global->path.config);
    }
 
@@ -2466,7 +2466,7 @@ void config_load(void)
    global_t   *global   = global_get_ptr();
 
    /* Flush out per-core configs before loading a new config. */
-   if (*global->path.core_specific_config &&
+   if (!string_is_empty(global->path.core_specific_config) &&
          settings->config_save_on_exit && settings->core_specific_config)
       config_save_file(global->path.core_specific_config);
 
diff --git a/file_path_special.c b/file_path_special.c
index 966d7fa538..3b0118840a 100644
--- a/file_path_special.c
+++ b/file_path_special.c
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ void fill_pathname_abbreviate_special(char *out_path,
    
    for (i = 0; candidates[i]; i++)
    {
-      if (*candidates[i] && strstr(in_path, candidates[i]) == in_path)
+      if (!string_is_empty(candidates[i]) && strstr(in_path, candidates[i]) == in_path)
       {
          size_t src_size  = strlcpy(out_path, notations[i], size);
 
diff --git a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_get_value.c b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_get_value.c
index b6955e5a04..3d3062bb4c 100644
--- a/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_get_value.c
+++ b/menu/cbs/menu_cbs_get_value.c
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ static void menu_action_setting_disp_set_label_shader_pass(
    if (!shader)
       return;
 
-   if (*shader->pass[pass].source.path)
+   if (!string_is_empty(shader->pass[pass].source.path))
       fill_pathname_base(s,
             shader->pass[pass].source.path, len);
 #endif
diff --git a/menu/menu_shader.c b/menu/menu_shader.c
index 65c8e84301..45d8612e11 100644
--- a/menu/menu_shader.c
+++ b/menu/menu_shader.c
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 #include <compat/strl.h>
 #include <retro_assert.h>
 #include <file/file_path.h>
+#include <string/stdstring.h>
 
 #include "menu_driver.h"
 #include "menu_shader.h"
@@ -48,10 +49,10 @@ void menu_shader_manager_init(menu_handle_t *menu)
 
    if (global)
    {
-      if (*global->path.core_specific_config
+      if (!string_is_empty(global->path.core_specific_config)
             && settings->core_specific_config)
          config_path = global->path.core_specific_config;
-      else if (*global->path.config)
+      else if (!string_is_empty(global->path.config))
          config_path = global->path.config;
    }
 
@@ -288,7 +289,7 @@ void menu_shader_manager_save_preset(
       strlcpy(buffer, conf_path, sizeof(buffer));
    }
 
-   if (*global->path.config)
+   if (!string_is_empty(global->path.config))
       fill_pathname_basedir(
             config_directory,
             global->path.config,
diff --git a/retroarch.c b/retroarch.c
index 4c6a6615a1..4aa9aaa597 100644
--- a/retroarch.c
+++ b/retroarch.c
@@ -1062,13 +1062,13 @@ static void retroarch_parse_input(int argc, char *argv[])
       }
    }
 
-   if (!*global->subsystem && optind < argc)
+   if (string_is_empty(global->subsystem) && optind < argc)
    {
       /* We requested explicit ROM, so use PLAIN core type. */
       retroarch_set_current_core_type(CORE_TYPE_PLAIN, false);
       retroarch_set_pathnames((const char*)argv[optind]);
    }
-   else if (*global->subsystem && optind < argc)
+   else if (!string_is_empty(global->subsystem) && optind < argc)
    {
       /* We requested explicit ROM, so use PLAIN core type. */
       retroarch_set_current_core_type(CORE_TYPE_PLAIN, false);
diff --git a/tasks/task_overlay.c b/tasks/task_overlay.c
index c7744e1941..17b1c004b7 100644
--- a/tasks/task_overlay.c
+++ b/tasks/task_overlay.c
@@ -562,10 +562,10 @@ static bool task_overlay_resolve_targets(struct overlay *ol,
 
    for (i = 0; i < current->size; i++)
    {
-      const char *next = current->descs[i].next_index_name;
       ssize_t next_idx  = 0;
+      const char *next = current->descs[i].next_index_name;
 
-      if (*next)
+      if (!string_is_empty(next))
       {
          next_idx = task_overlay_find_index(ol, next, size);