diff --git a/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts b/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
index 4083ea09d..c91825e0b 100644
--- a/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
+++ b/apps/tests/xml-declaration/xml-declaration-tests.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import observable = require("data/observable");
 import stackLayoutModule = require("ui/layouts/stack-layout");
 import {Label} from "ui/label";
 import {Page} from "ui/page";
+import {Button} from "ui/button";
 import myCustomControlWithoutXml = require("./mymodule/MyControl");
 import listViewModule = require("ui/list-view");
 import helper = require("../ui/helper");
@@ -692,6 +693,91 @@ export function test_parse_NestedRepeaters() {
     }
 }
 
+export function test_parseSpansDirectlyOnLabel() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" navigatedTo="pageNavigated"><StackLayout><Label id="testLabel"><Span text="We are" fontSize="10"/><Span text="Awesome" fontAttributes="Bold"/></Label></StackLayout></Page>');
+    function testAction(views: Array<viewModule.View>) {
+        var page = <Page>views[0];
+        var testLabel = <Label>page.getViewById("testLabel");
+        TKUnit.assertEqual(testLabel.formattedText + "", "We areAwesome", "Formatted string should be set");
+    }
+
+    helper.navigate(function () { return p; });
+    try {
+        testAction([p]);
+    }
+    finally {
+        helper.goBack();
+    }
+}
+
+export function test_parseSpansDirectlyOnButton() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" navigatedTo="pageNavigated"><StackLayout><Button id="testButton"><Span text="We are" fontSize="10"/><Span text="Awesome" fontAttributes="Bold"/></Button></StackLayout></Page>');
+    function testAction(views: Array<viewModule.View>) {
+        var page = <Page>views[0];
+        var testButton = <Button>page.getViewById("testButton");
+        TKUnit.assertEqual(testButton.formattedText + "", "We areAwesome", "Formatted string should be set");
+    }
+
+    helper.navigate(function () { return p; });
+    try {
+        testAction([p]);
+    }
+    finally {
+        helper.goBack();
+    }
+}
+
+export function test_parseFormattedStringWithoutFormattedText() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" navigatedTo="pageNavigated"><StackLayout><Button id="testButton"><FormattedString><FormattedString.spans><Span text="author"/><Span text=" num_comments"/></FormattedString.spans></FormattedString></Button></StackLayout></Page>');
+    function testAction(views: Array<viewModule.View>) {
+        var page = <Page>views[0];
+        var testButton = <Button>page.getViewById("testButton");
+        TKUnit.assertEqual(testButton.formattedText + "", "author num_comments", "Formatted string should be set");
+    }
+
+    helper.navigate(function () { return p; });
+    try {
+        testAction([p]);
+    }
+    finally {
+        helper.goBack();
+    }
+}
+
+export function test_parseFormattedStringFullSyntax() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" navigatedTo="pageNavigated"><StackLayout><Button id="testButton"><Button.formattedText><FormattedString><FormattedString.spans><Span text="author"/><Span text=" num_comments"/></FormattedString.spans></FormattedString></Button.formattedText></Button></StackLayout></Page>');
+    function testAction(views: Array<viewModule.View>) {
+        var page = <Page>views[0];
+        var testButton = <Button>page.getViewById("testButton");
+        TKUnit.assertEqual(testButton.formattedText + "", "author num_comments", "Formatted string should be set");
+    }
+
+    helper.navigate(function () { return p; });
+    try {
+        testAction([p]);
+    }
+    finally {
+        helper.goBack();
+    }
+}
+
+export function test_parseSpansDirectlyToFormattedString() {
+    var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page xmlns="http://www.nativescript.org/tns.xsd" navigatedTo="pageNavigated"><StackLayout><Button id="testButton"><FormattedString><Span text="author"/><Span text=" num_comments"/></FormattedString></Button></StackLayout></Page>');
+    function testAction(views: Array<viewModule.View>) {
+        var page = <Page>views[0];
+        var testButton = <Button>page.getViewById("testButton");
+        TKUnit.assertEqual(testButton.formattedText + "", "author num_comments", "Formatted string should be set");
+    }
+
+    helper.navigate(function () { return p; });
+    try {
+        testAction([p]);
+    }
+    finally {
+        helper.goBack();
+    }
+}
+
 export function test_searchbar_donotcrash_whentext_isempty() {
     var p = <Page>builder.parse('<Page><SearchBar text="" hint="Search" /></Page>');
     var sb = <searchBarModule.SearchBar>p.content;
diff --git a/text/formatted-string-common.ts b/text/formatted-string-common.ts
index f185e0482..f9b2db12e 100644
--- a/text/formatted-string-common.ts
+++ b/text/formatted-string-common.ts
@@ -10,6 +10,10 @@ export module knownCollections {
     export var spans = "spans";
 }
 
+var CHILD_SPAN = "Span";
+var CHILD_FORMATTED_TEXT = "formattedText";
+var CHILD_FORMATTED_STRING = "FormattedString";
+
 export class FormattedString extends observable.Observable implements definition.FormattedString, view.AddArrayFromBuilder {
     private _spans: observableArray.ObservableArray<spanModule.Span>;
     public _formattedText: any;
@@ -212,4 +216,22 @@ export class FormattedString extends observable.Observable implements definition
             span.bindingContext = newBindingContext;
         }
     }
+
+    public _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void {
+        if(name === CHILD_SPAN) {
+            this.spans.push(value);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public static addFormattedStringToView(view: definition.FormattedStringView, name: string, value: any): void {
+        if(name === CHILD_SPAN) {
+            if (!view.formattedText) {
+                view.formattedText = new definition.FormattedString();
+            }
+            view.formattedText.spans.push(value);
+        }
+        else if (name === CHILD_FORMATTED_TEXT || name === CHILD_FORMATTED_STRING) {
+            view.formattedText = value;
+        }
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/text/formatted-string.d.ts b/text/formatted-string.d.ts
index 19b7ef2cd..f6711c365 100644
--- a/text/formatted-string.d.ts
+++ b/text/formatted-string.d.ts
@@ -8,10 +8,17 @@ declare module "text/formatted-string" {
     import colorModule = require("color");
     import view = require("ui/core/view");
 
+    /**
+     * Interface that specifies View that have formattedText property (like TextBase and Button).
+     */
+    export interface FormattedStringView {
+        formattedText: FormattedString;
+    }
+
     /**
      * A class used to create a formatted (rich text) string.
      */
-    class FormattedString extends observable.Observable {
+    class FormattedString extends observable.Observable implements view.AddArrayFromBuilder, view.AddChildFromBuilder {
         /**
          * An observable collection of Span objects used to define common text properties.
          */
@@ -72,5 +79,24 @@ declare module "text/formatted-string" {
          * Gets the parent view of the formatted string.
          */
         public parent: view.View;
+
+        /**
+         * A function that is called when an array declaration is found in xml.
+         * @param name - Name of the array.
+         * @param value - The actual value of the array.
+         */
+        public _addArrayFromBuilder(name: string, value: Array<any>): void;
+
+        /**
+         * Called for every child element declared in xml.
+         * @param name - Name of the element.
+         * @param value - Value of the element.
+         */
+        public _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void;
+
+        /**
+         * A static method used to add child elements of the FormattedString class to a View declared in xml.
+         */
+        public static addFormattedStringToView(view: FormattedStringView, name: string, value: any): void; 
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/builder/builder.ts b/ui/builder/builder.ts
index e1dc9f3c7..f292c4ae6 100644
--- a/ui/builder/builder.ts
+++ b/ui/builder/builder.ts
@@ -136,6 +136,8 @@ function parseInternal(value: string, context: any): componentBuilder.ComponentM
                         } else if (complexProperty) {
                             // Add component to complex property of parent component.
                             addToComplexProperty(parent, complexProperty, componentModule);
+                        } else if ((<any>parent.component)._addChildFromBuilder) {
+                            (<any>parent.component)._addChildFromBuilder(args.elementName, componentModule.component);
                         }
                     } else if (parents.length === 0) {
                         // Set root component.
@@ -300,7 +302,7 @@ function addToComplexProperty(parent: componentBuilder.ComponentModule, complexP
     if (isKnownCollection(complexProperty.name, parent.exports)) {
         complexProperty.items.push(elementModule.component);
     } else if (parentComponent._addChildFromBuilder) {
-        parentComponent._addChildFromBuilder("", elementModule.component);
+        parentComponent._addChildFromBuilder(complexProperty.name, elementModule.component);
     } else {
         // Or simply assign the value;
         parentComponent[complexProperty.name] = elementModule.component;
diff --git a/ui/button/button-common.ts b/ui/button/button-common.ts
index 47922c008..3c7823e3d 100644
--- a/ui/button/button-common.ts
+++ b/ui/button/button-common.ts
@@ -104,4 +104,8 @@ export class Button extends view.View implements definition.Button {
         }
         this.setFormattedTextPropertyToNative(data.newValue);
     }
+
+    public _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void {
+        formattedString.FormattedString.addFormattedStringToView(this, name, value);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/button/button.d.ts b/ui/button/button.d.ts
index 82763f106..925c46bfd 100644
--- a/ui/button/button.d.ts
+++ b/ui/button/button.d.ts
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ declare module "ui/button" {
     /**
      * Represents a standard Button widget.
      */
-    export class Button extends view.View {
+    export class Button extends view.View implements formattedString.FormattedStringView, view.AddChildFromBuilder {
         /**
          * Represents the observable property backing the text property of each Button instance.
          */
@@ -53,5 +53,13 @@ declare module "ui/button" {
          * Raised when a tap event occurs.
          */
         on(event: "tap", callback: (args: observable.EventData) => void, thisArg?: any);
+
+        /**
+         * Called for every child element declared in xml.
+         * This method will add a child element (value) to current element.
+         * @param name - Name of the element.
+         * @param value - Value of the element.
+         */
+        _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void;
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/ui/core/view.d.ts b/ui/core/view.d.ts
index 45ef47bd2..36fdb0157 100644
--- a/ui/core/view.d.ts
+++ b/ui/core/view.d.ts
@@ -536,7 +536,7 @@ declare module "ui/core/view" {
     interface AddChildFromBuilder {
         /**
          * Called for every child element declared in xml.
-         * This function will create an instance of declared child element.
+         * This method will add a child element (value) to current element.
          * @param name - Name of the element.
          * @param value - Value of the element.
          */
diff --git a/ui/text-base/text-base.d.ts b/ui/text-base/text-base.d.ts
index 6df8155d5..191423b2e 100644
--- a/ui/text-base/text-base.d.ts
+++ b/ui/text-base/text-base.d.ts
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
     /**
      * Represents the base class for all text views.
      */
-    export class TextBase extends view.View {
+    export class TextBase extends view.View implements view.AddChildFromBuilder, formattedString.FormattedStringView {
 
         /**
          * Dependency property used to support binding operations for the text of the current text-base instance.
@@ -41,6 +41,14 @@
         formattedText: formattedString.FormattedString;
 
         _onTextPropertyChanged(data: dependencyObservable.PropertyChangeData);
+
+        /**
+         * Called for every child element declared in xml.
+         * This method will add a child element (value) to current element.
+         * @param name - Name of the element.
+         * @param value - Value of the element.
+         */
+        _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void;
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/ui/text-base/text-base.ts b/ui/text-base/text-base.ts
index 7bff7c225..028016406 100644
--- a/ui/text-base/text-base.ts
+++ b/ui/text-base/text-base.ts
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ function onFormattedTextPropertyChanged(data: dependencyObservable.PropertyChang
 
 (<proxy.PropertyMetadata>formattedTextProperty.metadata).onSetNativeValue = onFormattedTextPropertyChanged;
 
-export class TextBase extends view.View implements definition.TextBase {
+export class TextBase extends view.View implements definition.TextBase, formattedString.FormattedStringView {
     public static textProperty = textProperty;
     public static formattedTextProperty = formattedTextProperty;
 
@@ -113,4 +113,8 @@ export class TextBase extends view.View implements definition.TextBase {
         }
         this.setFormattedTextPropertyToNative(data.newValue);
     }
+
+    public _addChildFromBuilder(name: string, value: any): void {
+        formattedString.FormattedString.addFormattedStringToView(this, name, value);
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file