diff --git a/src/lib/commands/xdump.c b/src/lib/commands/xdump.c
index 8d10669e..72d6e713 100644
--- a/src/lib/commands/xdump.c
+++ b/src/lib/commands/xdump.c
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@
 #include "empobj.h"
 #include "news.h"
 #include "optlist.h"
+#include "product.h"
 #include "version.h"
 #include "xdump.h"
 
@@ -52,6 +53,7 @@ xdvisible(int type, void *p)
     struct lonstr *lp = p;
     struct natstr *natp;
     int tlev;
+    char *name;
 
     switch (type) {
     case EF_SECTOR:
@@ -84,19 +86,27 @@ xdvisible(int type, void *p)
     case EF_TRADE:
     case EF_COMM:
 	return gp->own != 0;
+    case EF_PRODUCT:
+	return ((struct pchrstr *)p)->p_sname[0] != 0;
     case EF_SHIP_CHR:
 	tlev = ((struct mchrstr *)p)->m_tech;
+	name = ((struct mchrstr *)p)->m_name;
 	goto tech;
     case EF_PLANE_CHR:
 	tlev = ((struct plchrstr *)p)->pl_tech;
+	name = ((struct plchrstr *)p)->pl_name;
 	goto tech;
     case EF_LAND_CHR:
 	tlev = ((struct lchrstr *)p)->l_tech;
+	name = ((struct lchrstr *)p)->l_name;
     tech:
 	natp = getnatp(player->cnum);
+	if (!name[0])
+	    return 0;
 	return player->god || tlev <= (int)(1.25 * natp->nat_level[NAT_TLEV]);
     case EF_NUKE_CHR:
 	tlev = ((struct nchrstr *)p)->n_tech;
+	name = ((struct nchrstr *)p)->n_name;
 	if (drnuke_const > MIN_DRNUKE_CONST) {
 	    natp = getnatp(player->cnum);
 	    if (tlev > (int)((int)(1.25 * natp->nat_level[NAT_RLEV])
diff --git a/src/lib/common/ef_verify.c b/src/lib/common/ef_verify.c
index c32b4403..34dfacaf 100644
--- a/src/lib/common/ef_verify.c
+++ b/src/lib/common/ef_verify.c
@@ -226,6 +226,8 @@ ef_verify(void)
 
     /* Special checks */
     for (i = 0; pchr[i].p_sname; i++) {
+	if (!pchr[i].p_sname[0])
+	    continue;
 	if ((pchr[i].p_type >= 0) == (pchr[i].p_level >= 0)) {
 	    fprintf(stderr,
 		"Config %s uid %d field level doesn't match field type\n",
diff --git a/src/lib/common/filetable.c b/src/lib/common/filetable.c
index b67366be..ba14072c 100644
--- a/src/lib/common/filetable.c
+++ b/src/lib/common/filetable.c
@@ -62,6 +62,11 @@ static void nuk_oninit(void *);
 static void nat_oninit(void *);
 static void realm_oninit(void *);
 static void game_oninit(void *);
+static void pchr_oninit(void *);
+static void mchr_oninit(void *);
+static void plchr_oninit(void *);
+static void lchr_oninit(void *);
+static void nchr_oninit(void *);
 
 /* Number of elements in ARRAY.  */
 #define SZ(array) (sizeof(array) / sizeof((array)[0]))
@@ -192,17 +197,17 @@ struct empfile empfile[] = {
     {EF_ITEM, "item", "item.config", ichr_ca, EF_BAD,
      ARRAY_CACHE(ichr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_PRODUCT, "product", "product.config", pchr_ca, EF_BAD,
-     ARRAY_CACHE(pchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
+     ARRAY_CACHE(pchr, EFF_CFG), pchr_oninit, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_SECTOR_CHR, "sect-chr", "sect.config", dchr_ca, EF_BAD,
      ARRAY_CACHE(dchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_SHIP_CHR, "ship-chr", "ship.config", mchr_ca, EF_BAD,
-     ARRAY_CACHE(mchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
+     ARRAY_CACHE(mchr, EFF_CFG), mchr_oninit, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_PLANE_CHR, "plane-chr", "plane.config", plchr_ca, EF_BAD,
-     ARRAY_CACHE(plchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
+     ARRAY_CACHE(plchr, EFF_CFG), plchr_oninit, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_LAND_CHR, "land-chr", "land.config", lchr_ca, EF_BAD,
-     ARRAY_CACHE(lchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
+     ARRAY_CACHE(lchr, EFF_CFG), lchr_oninit, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_NUKE_CHR, "nuke-chr", "nuke.config", nchr_ca, EF_BAD,
-     ARRAY_CACHE(nchr, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
+     ARRAY_CACHE(nchr, EFF_CFG), nchr_oninit, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_NEWS_CHR, "news-chr", NULL, rpt_ca, EF_BAD,
      ARRAY_TABLE(rpt, N_MAX_VERB + 1, EFF_CFG), NULL, NULL, NULL, NULL},
     {EF_INFRASTRUCTURE, "infrastructure", "infra.config", intrchr_ca, EF_BAD,
@@ -329,6 +334,36 @@ game_oninit(void *ptr)
     ((struct gamestr *)ptr)->game_turn = 1;
 }
 
+static void
+pchr_oninit(void *ptr)
+{
+    ((struct pchrstr *)ptr)->p_sname = "";
+}
+
+static void
+mchr_oninit(void *ptr)
+{
+    ((struct mchrstr *)ptr)->m_name = "";
+}
+
+static void
+plchr_oninit(void *ptr)
+{
+    ((struct plchrstr *)ptr)->pl_name = "";
+}
+
+static void
+lchr_oninit(void *ptr)
+{
+    ((struct lchrstr *)ptr)->l_name = "";
+}
+
+static void
+nchr_oninit(void *ptr)
+{
+    ((struct nchrstr *)ptr)->n_name = "";
+}
+
 static void
 ef_fix_size(struct empfile *ep, int n)
 {
diff --git a/src/lib/common/stmtch.c b/src/lib/common/stmtch.c
index 9b1074e0..10b59a79 100644
--- a/src/lib/common/stmtch.c
+++ b/src/lib/common/stmtch.c
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
  * several.
  * Each array element has a pointer to its name stored at offset OFFS.
  * Search stops when this name is a null pointer.
+ * It ignores elements with an empty name.
  * NEEDLE is compared to element names with mineq(NEEDLE, NAME).
  * SIZE gives the size of an array element.
  */
@@ -54,6 +55,8 @@ stmtch(char *needle, void *haystack, ptrdiff_t offs, size_t size)
 	name = *(char **)((char *)haystack + i * size + offs);
 	if (!name)
 	    break;
+	if (!*name)
+	    continue;
 	switch (mineq(needle, name)) {
 	case ME_MISMATCH:
 	    break;
diff --git a/src/lib/common/xundump.c b/src/lib/common/xundump.c
index 387c721c..d7f7930d 100644
--- a/src/lib/common/xundump.c
+++ b/src/lib/common/xundump.c
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@
  * - Normalize terminology: table/rows/columns or file/records/fields
  * - Loading tables with NSC_STRING elements more than once leaks memory
  * TODO:
- * - Check EFF_CFG tables are dense
  * - Symbolic array indexes
  * - Option to treat missing and unknown fields as warning, not error
  * TODO, but hardly worth the effort:
diff --git a/src/lib/global/init.c b/src/lib/global/init.c
index e0529607..b1c7e2e3 100644
--- a/src/lib/global/init.c
+++ b/src/lib/global/init.c
@@ -60,6 +60,8 @@ init_mchr(void)
     struct mchrstr *mp;
 
     for (mp = mchr; mp->m_name; mp++) {
+	if (!mp->m_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (mp->m_nplanes && !(mp->m_flags & M_MSL || mp->m_flags & M_FLY))
 	    mp->m_flags |= M_MSL;
     }
@@ -71,6 +73,8 @@ init_plchr(void)
     struct plchrstr *pp;
 
     for (pp = plchr; pp->pl_name; pp++) {
+	if (!pp->pl_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (pp->pl_flags & P_M)
 	    pp->pl_flags |= P_V;
     }
@@ -81,7 +85,9 @@ init_pchr(void)
 {
     struct pchrstr *p;
 
-    for (p = pchr; p->p_name; p++) {
+    for (p = pchr; p->p_sname; p++) {
+	if (!p->p_sname[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (opt_GO_RENEW) {
 	    if (p->p_type == I_DUST || p->p_type == I_OIL)
 		p->p_nrdep = 0;
diff --git a/src/lib/subs/show.c b/src/lib/subs/show.c
index 9225e674..0362f6d1 100644
--- a/src/lib/subs/show.c
+++ b/src/lib/subs/show.c
@@ -79,6 +79,8 @@ make_mchr_index(struct chr_index chridx[], int tlev)
 
     n = 0;
     for (i = 0; mchr[i].m_name; i++) {
+	if (!mchr[i].m_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (mchr[i].m_tech > tlev)
 	    continue;
 	if ((mchr[i].m_flags & M_TRADE) && !opt_TRADESHIPS)
@@ -100,6 +102,8 @@ make_plchr_index(struct chr_index chridx[], int tlev)
 
     n = 0;
     for (i = 0; plchr[i].pl_name; i++) {
+	if (!plchr[i].pl_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (plchr[i].pl_tech > tlev)
 	    continue;
 	chridx[n].type = i;
@@ -119,6 +123,8 @@ make_lchr_index(struct chr_index chridx[], int tlev)
 
     n = 0;
     for (i = 0; lchr[i].l_name; i++) {
+	if (!lchr[i].l_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (lchr[i].l_tech > tlev)
 	    continue;
 	if ((lchr[i].l_flags & L_SPY) && !opt_LANDSPIES)
@@ -140,6 +146,8 @@ make_nchr_index(struct chr_index chridx[], int tlev)
 
     n = 0;
     for (i = 0; nchr[i].n_name; i++) {
+	if (!nchr[i].n_name[0])
+	    continue;
 	if (nchr[i].n_tech > tlev)
 	    continue;
 	chridx[n].type = i;
@@ -506,6 +514,8 @@ show_product(int tlev)
     pr("product    cost  raw materials  reso dep  level p.e.\n");
 
     for (pp = pchr; pp->p_sname; pp++) {
+	if (!pp->p_sname[0])
+	    continue;
 	pr("%7.7s %c  $%-3d ",
 	   pp->p_sname,
 	   pp->p_type < 0 ? ' ' : ichr[pp->p_type].i_mnem,