diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/IFunction.h b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/IFunction.h
index 6499e23dd679..6027de4d2636 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/IFunction.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/inc/MantidAPI/IFunction.h
@@ -422,7 +422,8 @@ class MANTID_API_DLL IFunction
   /// Set an attribute value
   template<typename T>
   void setAttributeValue(const std::string& attName,const T& value){setAttribute(attName,Attribute(value));}
-  void setAttributeValue(const std::string& attName,const char* value){setAttribute(attName,Attribute(std::string(value)));}
+  void setAttributeValue(const std::string& attName,const char* value);
+  void setAttributeValue(const std::string& attName,const std::string& value);
   //@}
 
   /// Set up the function for a fit.
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/src/IFunction.cpp b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/src/IFunction.cpp
index aaf8426f0bcb..571f6008c167 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/src/IFunction.cpp
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/src/IFunction.cpp
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ std::string IFunction::asString()const
   {
     std::string attName = attr[i];
     std::string attValue = this->getAttribute(attr[i]).value();
-    if (!attValue.empty())
+    if (!attValue.empty() && attValue != "\"\"" )
     {
       ostr<<','<<attName<<'='<<attValue;
     }
@@ -415,6 +415,9 @@ std::string IFunction::Attribute::asQuotedString()const
     throw std::runtime_error("Trying to access a "+type()+" attribute "
       "as string");
   }
+
+  if ( attr.empty() ) return "\"\"";
+
   std::string quoted(attr);
   if( *(attr.begin()) != '\"' ) quoted = "\"" + attr;
   if( *(quoted.end() - 1) != '\"' ) quoted += "\"";
@@ -1092,6 +1095,29 @@ bool IFunction::hasAttribute(const std::string& name)const
     return m_attrs.find(name) != m_attrs.end();
 }
 
+/**
+  * Overload for const char* values.
+  * @param attName :: Attribute name
+  * @param value :: New attribute value to set
+  */
+void IFunction::setAttributeValue(const std::string &attName, const char *value)
+{
+    std::string str(value);
+    setAttributeValue( attName, str );
+}
+
+/**
+  * Set string attribute by value. Make sure that quoted style doesn't change.
+  * @param attName :: Attribute name
+  * @param value :: New attribute value to set
+  */
+void IFunction::setAttributeValue(const std::string &attName, const std::string &value)
+{
+    Attribute att = getAttribute(attName);
+    att.setString(value);
+    setAttribute( attName, att );
+}
+
 /// Returns a list of attribute names
 std::vector<std::string> IFunction::getAttributeNames() const
 {
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/test/FunctionAttributeTest.h b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/test/FunctionAttributeTest.h
index 366abc7a2525..8cb273a50a9a 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/test/FunctionAttributeTest.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/API/test/FunctionAttributeTest.h
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ class IFT_Funct: public ParamFunction, public IFunction1D
       declareAttribute("IAttr", Attribute(0));
       declareAttribute("BAttr", Attribute(false));
       declareAttribute("SAttr", Attribute(""));
+      declareAttribute("SQAttr", Attribute("",true));
       declareAttribute("VAttr", Attribute(std::vector<double>()));
       std::vector<double> v(3);
       v[0] = 1;
@@ -152,6 +153,30 @@ class FunctionAttributeTest : public CxxTest::TestSuite
 
     }
 
+    void test_quoted_string_attribute()
+    {
+      IFT_Funct f;
+      IFunction::Attribute att = f.getAttribute("SQAttr");
+
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( att.asString(), "\"\"" );
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( att.type(), "std::string" );
+
+      att.setString( "text" );
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( att.asString(), "\"text\"" );
+
+      att.fromString("25");
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( att.asString(), "\"25\"" );
+
+      f.setAttribute("SQAttr", IFunction::Attribute("Hello",true));
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f.getAttribute("SQAttr").asString(), "\"Hello\"" );
+
+      f.setAttributeValue("SQAttr", "World");
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f.getAttribute("SQAttr").asString(), "\"World\"" );
+
+      TS_ASSERT( f.getAttribute("SQAttr").value() == "\"World\"" );
+
+    }
+
     void test_vector_attribute()
     {
       IFT_Funct f;
@@ -231,19 +256,26 @@ class FunctionAttributeTest : public CxxTest::TestSuite
     void test_factory_creation()
     {
         auto f = Mantid::API::FunctionFactory::Instance().createInitialized(
-                    "name=IFT_Funct,DAttr=12.0,IAttr=777,BAttr=true, SAttr= \"Hello world!\",VAttr=(4,5,6)");
+                    "name=IFT_Funct,DAttr=12.0,IAttr=777,BAttr=true, SAttr= \"Hello world!\", SQAttr= \"Hello world!\",VAttr=(4,5,6)");
         TS_ASSERT( f );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->getAttribute("DAttr").asDouble(), 12.0 );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->getAttribute("IAttr").asInt(), 777 );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->getAttribute("BAttr").asBool(), true );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->getAttribute("SAttr").asString(), "Hello world!" );
+        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->getAttribute("SQAttr").asString(), "\"Hello world!\"" );
         std::vector<double> v = f->getAttribute("VAttr").asVector();
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( v.size(), 3 );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( v[0], 4 );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( v[1], 5 );
         TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( v[2], 6 );
 
-        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->asString(), "name=IFT_Funct,BAttr=true,DAttr=12,IAttr=777,SAttr=Hello world!,VAttr=(4,5,6),VAttr1=(1,2,3)" );
+        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f->asString(), "name=IFT_Funct,BAttr=true,DAttr=12,IAttr=777,SAttr=Hello world!,SQAttr=\"Hello world!\",VAttr=(4,5,6),VAttr1=(1,2,3)" );
+    }
+
+    void test_empty_string_attributes_do_not_show_by_asString()
+    {
+        IFT_Funct f;
+        TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( f.asString(), "name=IFT_Funct,BAttr=false,DAttr=0,IAttr=0,VAttr=(),VAttr1=(1,2,3)" );
     }
 
 };
diff --git a/Code/Mantid/Framework/CurveFitting/test/TabulatedFunctionTest.h b/Code/Mantid/Framework/CurveFitting/test/TabulatedFunctionTest.h
index e53faba3138e..ccc3d05fbd7e 100644
--- a/Code/Mantid/Framework/CurveFitting/test/TabulatedFunctionTest.h
+++ b/Code/Mantid/Framework/CurveFitting/test/TabulatedFunctionTest.h
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 #include "MantidAPI/AlgorithmFactory.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/AnalysisDataService.h"
 #include "MantidAPI/FileFinder.h"
+#include "MantidAPI/FunctionFactory.h"
 
 #include "MantidTestHelpers/WorkspaceCreationHelper.h"
 
@@ -233,6 +234,31 @@ class TabulatedFunctionTest : public CxxTest::TestSuite
     TS_ASSERT( fun.hasAttribute("WorkspaceIndex") );
   }
 
+  void test_factory_create_from_file()
+  {
+      std::string inif = "name=TabulatedFunction,FileName=\"" + m_nexusFileName + "\",WorkspaceIndex=17,Scaling=2";
+      auto funf = Mantid::API::FunctionFactory::Instance().createInitialized(inif);
+      TS_ASSERT( funf );
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("Workspace").asString(), "");
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("WorkspaceIndex").asInt(), 17);
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("FileName").asUnquotedString(), m_nexusFileName);
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getParameter("Scaling"), 2.0);
+  }
+
+  void test_factory_create_from_workspace()
+  {
+      auto ws = WorkspaceCreationHelper::Create2DWorkspaceFromFunction(Fun(),1,-5.0,5.0,0.1,false);
+      AnalysisDataService::Instance().add( "TABULATEDFUNCTIONTEST_WS", ws );
+      std::string inif = "name=TabulatedFunction,Workspace=TABULATEDFUNCTIONTEST_WS,WorkspaceIndex=71,Scaling=3.14";
+      auto funf = Mantid::API::FunctionFactory::Instance().createInitialized(inif);
+      TS_ASSERT( funf );
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("Workspace").asString(), "TABULATEDFUNCTIONTEST_WS");
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("WorkspaceIndex").asInt(), 71);
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getAttribute("FileName").asUnquotedString(), "");
+      TS_ASSERT_EQUALS( funf->getParameter("Scaling"), 3.14);
+      AnalysisDataService::Instance().clear();
+  }
+
 private:
   const std::string m_asciiFileName;
   const std::string m_nexusFileName;