diff --git a/doc/api.rst b/doc/api.rst
index 355ecfdb..0c3a54d3 100644
--- a/doc/api.rst
+++ b/doc/api.rst
@@ -183,7 +183,7 @@ output ``operator<<`` when one is defined for a user-defined type.
 Output iterator support
 -----------------------
 
-.. doxygenfunction:: fmt::format_to(OutputIt, const String&, const Args&...)
+.. doxygenfunction:: fmt::format_to(OutputIt, const S&, const Args&...)
 .. doxygenfunction:: fmt::format_to_n(OutputIt, std::size_t, string_view, const Args&...)
 .. doxygenstruct:: fmt::format_to_n_result
    :members:
@@ -200,6 +200,8 @@ The following user-defined literals are defined in ``fmt/format.h``.
 Utilities
 ---------
 
+.. doxygentypedef:: fmt::char_t
+
 .. doxygenfunction:: fmt::formatted_size(string_view, const Args&...)
 
 .. doxygenfunction:: fmt::to_string(const T&)
diff --git a/doc/build.py b/doc/build.py
index e95175f5..e44ad7c3 100755
--- a/doc/build.py
+++ b/doc/build.py
@@ -89,11 +89,11 @@ def build_docs(version='dev', **kwargs):
                           FMT_USE_VARIADIC_TEMPLATES=1 \
                           FMT_USE_RVALUE_REFERENCES=1 \
                           FMT_USE_USER_DEFINED_LITERALS=1 \
+                          FMT_USE_ALIAS_TEMPLATES=1 \
                           FMT_API= \
                           "FMT_BEGIN_NAMESPACE=namespace fmt {{" \
                           "FMT_END_NAMESPACE=}}" \
-                          "FMT_STRING_ALIAS=1" \
-                          "FMT_CHAR(S)=char_t<S>"
+                          "FMT_STRING_ALIAS=1"
       EXCLUDE_SYMBOLS   = fmt::internal::* StringValue write_str
     '''.format(include_dir, doxyxml_dir).encode('UTF-8'))
   if p.returncode != 0:
diff --git a/include/fmt/color.h b/include/fmt/color.h
index a1ee3b03..f5826bde 100644
--- a/include/fmt/color.h
+++ b/include/fmt/color.h
@@ -296,7 +296,7 @@ void vprint_rgb(rgb fd, rgb bg, const String &format,
     fmt::print(fmt::color::red, "Elapsed time: {0:.2f} seconds", 1.23);
  */
 template <typename String, typename... Args>
-typename std::enable_if<internal::is_format_string<String>::value>::type
+typename std::enable_if<internal::is_string<String>::value>::type
 print(rgb fd, const String &format_str, const Args & ... args) {
   internal::check_format_string<Args...>(format_str);
   typedef typename internal::format_string_traits<String>::char_type char_t;
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ print(rgb fd, const String &format_str, const Args & ... args) {
                "Elapsed time: {0:.2f} seconds", 1.23);
  */
 template <typename String, typename... Args>
-typename std::enable_if<internal::is_format_string<String>::value>::type
+typename std::enable_if<internal::is_string<String>::value>::type
 print(rgb fd, rgb bg, const String &format_str, const Args & ... args) {
   internal::check_format_string<Args...>(format_str);
   typedef typename internal::format_string_traits<String>::char_type char_t;
diff --git a/include/fmt/core.h b/include/fmt/core.h
index 32647c1b..c6c44e53 100644
--- a/include/fmt/core.h
+++ b/include/fmt/core.h
@@ -500,7 +500,7 @@ struct format_string_traits<
     format_string_traits_base<typename S::char_type> {};
 
 template <typename S>
-struct is_format_string : std::is_empty<format_string_traits<S>> {};
+struct is_string : std::is_empty<format_string_traits<S>> {};
 
 template <typename S>
 struct is_compile_string : std::is_base_of<compile_string, S> {};
@@ -1233,7 +1233,7 @@ class basic_format_args {
 
 /** An alias to ``basic_format_args<context>``. */
 // It is a separate type rather than a typedef to make symbols readable.
-struct format_args: basic_format_args<format_context> {
+struct format_args : basic_format_args<format_context> {
   template <typename ...Args>
   format_args(Args &&... arg)
   : basic_format_args<format_context>(std::forward<Args>(arg)...) {}
@@ -1244,12 +1244,23 @@ struct wformat_args : basic_format_args<wformat_context> {
   : basic_format_args<wformat_context>(std::forward<Args>(arg)...) {}
 };
 
-#if FMT_HAS_FEATURE(cxx_alias_templates)
+#ifndef FMT_USE_ALIAS_TEMPLATES
+# define FMT_USE_ALIAS_TEMPLATES FMT_HAS_FEATURE(cxx_alias_templates)
+#endif
+#if FMT_USE_ALIAS_TEMPLATES
+/** String's character type. */
 template <typename S>
 using char_t = typename internal::format_string_traits<S>::char_type;
 #define FMT_CHAR(S) char_t<S>
+
+template <typename S, typename T>
+using enable_if_string_t =
+  typename std::enable_if<internal::is_string<S>::value, T>::type;
+#define FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, T) enable_if_string_t<S, T>
 #else
 #define FMT_CHAR(S) typename internal::format_string_traits<S>::char_type
+#define FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, T) \
+  typename std::enable_if<internal::is_string<S>::value, T>::type
 #endif
 
 namespace internal {
@@ -1258,7 +1269,8 @@ struct named_arg_base {
   basic_string_view<Char> name;
 
   // Serialized value<context>.
-  mutable char data[sizeof(basic_format_arg<typename buffer_context<Char>::type>)];
+  mutable char data[
+    sizeof(basic_format_arg<typename buffer_context<Char>::type>)];
 
   named_arg_base(basic_string_view<Char> nm) : name(nm) {}
 
@@ -1362,7 +1374,7 @@ typename std::enable_if<
 
 template <typename Container, typename S, typename... Args>
 inline typename std::enable_if<
-  is_contiguous<Container>::value && internal::is_format_string<S>::value,
+  is_contiguous<Container>::value && internal::is_string<S>::value,
   std::back_insert_iterator<Container>>::type
     format_to(std::back_insert_iterator<Container> out, const S &format_str,
               const Args &... args) {
@@ -1410,7 +1422,7 @@ FMT_API void vprint(std::FILE *f, wstring_view format_str, wformat_args args);
   \endrst
  */
 template <typename S, typename... Args>
-inline typename std::enable_if<internal::is_format_string<S>::value>::type
+inline FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, void)
     print(std::FILE *f, const S &format_str, const Args &... args) {
   vprint(f, internal::to_string_view(format_str),
          internal::checked_args<S, Args...>(format_str, args...));
@@ -1429,7 +1441,7 @@ FMT_API void vprint(wstring_view format_str, wformat_args args);
   \endrst
  */
 template <typename S, typename... Args>
-inline typename std::enable_if<internal::is_format_string<S>::value>::type
+inline FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, void)
     print(const S &format_str, const Args &... args) {
   vprint(internal::to_string_view(format_str),
          internal::checked_args<S, Args...>(format_str, args...));
diff --git a/include/fmt/format.h b/include/fmt/format.h
index 7c3d5719..49abeb03 100644
--- a/include/fmt/format.h
+++ b/include/fmt/format.h
@@ -3530,14 +3530,13 @@ inline OutputIt vformat_to(
    fmt::format_to(std::back_inserter(out), "{}", 42);
  \endrst
  */
-template <typename OutputIt, typename String, typename... Args>
-inline typename std::enable_if<
-  internal::is_format_string<String>::value, OutputIt>::type
-    format_to(OutputIt out, const String &format_str, const Args &... args) {
+template <typename OutputIt, typename S, typename... Args>
+inline FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, OutputIt)
+    format_to(OutputIt out, const S &format_str, const Args &... args) {
   internal::check_format_string<Args...>(format_str);
-  typedef typename format_context_t<OutputIt, FMT_CHAR(String)>::type context;
+  typedef typename format_context_t<OutputIt, FMT_CHAR(S)>::type context;
   format_arg_store<context, Args...> as{args...};
-  return vformat_to(out, basic_string_view<FMT_CHAR(String)>(format_str),
+  return vformat_to(out, basic_string_view<FMT_CHAR(S)>(format_str),
                     basic_format_args<context>(as));
 }
 
@@ -3580,15 +3579,13 @@ inline format_to_n_result<OutputIt> vformat_to_n(
  end of the output range.
  \endrst
  */
-template <typename OutputIt, typename String, typename... Args>
-inline typename std::enable_if<
-  internal::is_format_string<String>::value,
-  format_to_n_result<OutputIt>>::type format_to_n(
-    OutputIt out, std::size_t n, const String &format_str,
-    const Args &... args) {
+template <typename OutputIt, typename S, typename... Args>
+inline FMT_ENABLE_IF_STRING(S, format_to_n_result<OutputIt>)
+    format_to_n(OutputIt out, std::size_t n, const S &format_str,
+                const Args &... args) {
   internal::check_format_string<Args...>(format_str);
-  typedef FMT_CHAR(String) Char;
-  format_arg_store<format_to_n_context<OutputIt, Char>, Args...> as{ args... };
+  typedef FMT_CHAR(S) Char;
+  format_arg_store<format_to_n_context<OutputIt, Char>, Args...> as(args...);
   return vformat_to_n(out, n, internal::to_string_view(format_str),
                       format_to_n_args<OutputIt, Char>(as));
 }