diff --git a/src/params/context_params.cpp b/src/params/context_params.cpp
index 80dac3c72..03f49c028 100644
--- a/src/params/context_params.cpp
+++ b/src/params/context_params.cpp
@@ -40,18 +40,11 @@ void context_params::set_bool(bool & opt, char const * param, char const * value
 }
 
 void context_params::set_uint(unsigned & opt, char const * param, char const * value) {
-    bool is_uint = true;
-    size_t sz = strlen(value);
-    for (unsigned i = 0; i < sz; i++) {
-        if (!(value[i] >= '0' && value[i] <= '9'))
-            is_uint = false;
-    }
+    char *endptr;
+    long val = strtol(value, &endptr, 10);
+    opt = static_cast<unsigned>(val);
 
-    if (is_uint) {
-        long val = strtol(value, nullptr, 10);
-        opt = static_cast<unsigned>(val);
-    }
-    else {
+    if (!*value || *endptr) {
         std::stringstream strm;
         strm << "invalid value '" << value << "' for unsigned int parameter '" << param << "'";
         throw default_exception(strm.str());
diff --git a/src/params/context_params.h b/src/params/context_params.h
index 37ff44480..b4c6e914c 100644
--- a/src/params/context_params.h
+++ b/src/params/context_params.h
@@ -28,19 +28,19 @@ class context_params {
     unsigned    m_rlimit { 0 };
 
 public:
+    unsigned    m_timeout { UINT_MAX } ;
+    std::string m_dot_proof_file;
+    std::string m_trace_file_name;
     bool        m_auto_config { true };
     bool        m_proof { false };
-    std::string m_dot_proof_file;
     bool        m_debug_ref_count { false };
     bool        m_trace { false };
-    std::string m_trace_file_name;
     bool        m_well_sorted_check { false };
     bool        m_model { true };
     bool        m_model_validate { false };
     bool        m_dump_models { false };
     bool        m_unsat_core { false };
     bool        m_smtlib2_compliant { false }; // it must be here because it enable/disable the use of coercions in the ast_manager.
-    unsigned    m_timeout { UINT_MAX } ;
     bool        m_statistics { false };
     bool        m_unicode { true };
 
@@ -71,5 +71,3 @@ public:
 
 
 };
-
-