diff --git a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/JavaMatchingVisitor.java b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/JavaMatchingVisitor.java
index cae2675f92df..56eef25791e2 100644
--- a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/JavaMatchingVisitor.java
+++ b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/JavaMatchingVisitor.java
@@ -1147,7 +1147,7 @@ public class JavaMatchingVisitor extends JavaElementVisitor {
         int length = const2.getTextLength();
         final String text = const2.getText();
 
-        if (length > 2 && text.charAt(0) == '"' && text.charAt(length - 1) == '"') {
+        if (StringUtil.isQuotedString(text)) {
           length--;
           offset++;
         }
@@ -1158,7 +1158,18 @@ public class JavaMatchingVisitor extends JavaElementVisitor {
       myMatchingVisitor.setResult(handler.match(const1, const2, myMatchingVisitor.getMatchContext()));
     }
     else {
-      myMatchingVisitor.setResult(myMatchingVisitor.matchText(const1, const2));
+      final Object value1 = const1.getValue();
+      final Object value2 = const2.getValue();
+      if ((value1 instanceof String || value1 instanceof Character) && (value2 instanceof String || value2 instanceof Character)) {
+        myMatchingVisitor.setResult(myMatchingVisitor.matchText(value1.toString(), value2.toString()));
+      }
+      else if (value1 != null && value2 != null) {
+        myMatchingVisitor.setResult(value1.equals(value2));
+      }
+      else {
+        // matches null literals
+        myMatchingVisitor.setResult(myMatchingVisitor.matchText(const1, const2));
+      }
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/JavaCompilingVisitor.java b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/JavaCompilingVisitor.java
index 0b832a8cf52e..6660be912ae7 100644
--- a/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/JavaCompilingVisitor.java
+++ b/java/structuralsearch-java/src/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/compiler/JavaCompilingVisitor.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package com.intellij.structuralsearch.impl.matcher.compiler;
 
 import com.intellij.dupLocator.iterators.NodeIterator;
 import com.intellij.openapi.project.Project;
+import com.intellij.openapi.util.text.StringUtil;
 import com.intellij.psi.*;
 import com.intellij.psi.javadoc.PsiDocComment;
 import com.intellij.psi.javadoc.PsiDocTag;
@@ -229,16 +230,25 @@ public class JavaCompilingVisitor extends JavaRecursiveElementWalkingVisitor {
 
   @Override
   public void visitLiteralExpression(PsiLiteralExpression expression) {
-    String value = expression.getText();
+    String text = expression.getText();
 
-    if (value.length() > 2 && value.charAt(0) == '"' && value.charAt(value.length() - 1) == '"') {
+    if (StringUtil.isQuotedString(text)) {
       @Nullable MatchingHandler handler =
-        myCompilingVisitor.processPatternStringWithFragments(value, GlobalCompilingVisitor.OccurenceKind.LITERAL);
+        myCompilingVisitor.processPatternStringWithFragments(text, GlobalCompilingVisitor.OccurenceKind.LITERAL);
 
+      if (PsiType.CHAR.equals(expression.getType()) &&
+          (handler instanceof LiteralWithSubstitutionHandler || handler == null && expression.getValue() == null)) {
+        throw new MalformedPatternException("Bad character literal");
+      }
       if (handler != null) {
         expression.putUserData(CompiledPattern.HANDLER_KEY, handler);
       }
     }
+    else {
+      if (!PsiType.NULL.equals(expression.getType()) && expression.getValue() == null) {
+        throw new MalformedPatternException("Bad literal");
+      }
+    }
     super.visitLiteralExpression(expression);
   }
 
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/GlobalMatchingVisitor.java b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/GlobalMatchingVisitor.java
index 3ac35e49de76..01d292042a8e 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/GlobalMatchingVisitor.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/source/com/intellij/structuralsearch/impl/matcher/GlobalMatchingVisitor.java
@@ -294,15 +294,11 @@ public class GlobalMatchingVisitor extends AbstractMatchingVisitor {
   }
 
   public boolean matchText(@Nullable PsiElement left, @Nullable PsiElement right) {
-    if (left == null) {
-      return right == null;
-    }
-    else if (right == null) {
-      return false;
-    }
-    final boolean caseSensitiveMatch = matchContext.getOptions().isCaseSensitiveMatch();
-    final String leftText = left.getText();
-    final String rightText = right.getText();
-    return caseSensitiveMatch ? leftText.equals(rightText) : leftText.equalsIgnoreCase(rightText);
+    if (left == null) return right == null;
+    return right != null && matchText(left.getText(), right.getText());
+  }
+
+  public boolean matchText(String left, String right) {
+    return matchContext.getOptions().isCaseSensitiveMatch() ? left.equals(right) : left.equalsIgnoreCase(right);
   }
 }
diff --git a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
index b5bc04a47217..69d1251aef9e 100644
--- a/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
+++ b/platform/structuralsearch/testSource/com/intellij/structuralsearch/StructuralSearchTest.java
@@ -456,6 +456,15 @@ public class StructuralSearchTest extends StructuralSearchTestCase {
     assertEquals("match literal contents", 1, findMatchesCount(s2, "\"'String:[regex( alpha )]\""));
     assertEquals("negate match literal contents", 2, findMatchesCount(s2, "\"'String:[!regex( alpha )]\""));
     assertEquals("match literal contents and all types", 1, findMatchesCount(s2, "\"'String:[regex( alpha ) && exprtype( .* )]\""));
+
+    String s3 = "class A {" +
+                "  int i = 0x20;" +
+                "  char c = 'a';" +
+                "  char d = 'A';" +
+                "  char e = 'z'" +
+                "}";
+    assertEquals("match literal by value", 1, findMatchesCount(s3, "32"));
+    assertEquals("match char with substitution", 3, findMatchesCount(s3, "\\''_x\\'"));
   }
 
   public void testCovariantArraySearch() {
@@ -2323,6 +2332,21 @@ public class StructuralSearchTest extends StructuralSearchTestCase {
       fail("malformed pattern warning expected");
     } catch (MalformedPatternException ignored) {}
 
+    try {
+      findMatchesCount(source, "\\'aa\\'");
+      fail("malformed pattern warning expected");
+    } catch (MalformedPatternException ignored) {}
+
+    try {
+      findMatchesCount(source, "\\'$var$ \\'");
+      fail("malformed pattern warning expected");
+    } catch (MalformedPatternException ignored) {}
+
+    try {
+      findMatchesCount(s4, "0x100000000");
+      fail("malformed pattern warning expected");
+    } catch (MalformedPatternException ignored) {}
+
     findMatchesCount(source, "'_ReturnType '_Method*('_ParameterType '_Parameter);");
   }