--- a/src/pt-loop.cc
+++ b/src/pt-loop.cc
@@ -215,22 +215,41 @@
 
       do_for_loop_once (ult, rhs, quit);
     }
+  else if (rhs.is_string ())
+    {
+      charMatrix chm_tmp = rhs.char_matrix_value ();
+      int nr = chm_tmp.rows ();
+      int steps = chm_tmp.columns ();
+
+      if (error_state)
+	return;
+
+      if (nr == 1)
+	DO_LOOP (chm_tmp (0, i));
+      else
+	{
+	  for (int i = 0; i < steps; i++)
+	    {
+	      octave_value val (chm_tmp.extract (0, i, nr-1, i), true);
+
+	      bool quit = false;
+
+	      do_for_loop_once (ult, val, quit);
+
+	      if (quit)
+		break;
+	    }
+	}
+    }
   else if (rhs.is_matrix_type ())
     {
-      charMatrix chm_tmp;
       Matrix m_tmp;
       ComplexMatrix cm_tmp;
 
       int nr;
       int steps;
 
-      if (rhs.is_string ())
-	{
-	  chm_tmp = rhs.char_matrix_value ();
-	  nr = chm_tmp.rows ();
-	  steps = chm_tmp.columns ();
-	}
-      else if (rhs.is_real_matrix ())
+      if (rhs.is_real_matrix ())
 	{
 	  m_tmp = rhs.matrix_value ();
 	  nr = m_tmp.rows ();
@@ -246,26 +265,7 @@
       if (error_state)
 	return;
 
-      if (rhs.is_string ())
-	{
-	  if (nr == 1)
-	    DO_LOOP (chm_tmp (0, i));
-	  else
-	    {
-	      for (int i = 0; i < steps; i++)
-		{
-		  octave_value val (chm_tmp.extract (0, i, nr-1, i), true);
-
-		  bool quit = false;
-
-		  do_for_loop_once (ult, val, quit);
-
-		  if (quit)
-		    break;
-		}
-	    }
-	}
-      else if (rhs.is_real_matrix ())
+      if (rhs.is_real_matrix ())
 	{
 	  if (nr == 1)
 	    DO_LOOP (m_tmp (0, i));