diff --git a/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/file.py b/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/file.py
index 8713dd4f66..9baaeac465 100644
--- a/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/file.py
+++ b/src/ifcopenshell-python/ifcopenshell/file.py
@@ -893,12 +893,22 @@ class file_mixin:
                 unzipped_path.unlink()
         return
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def from_string(s: str) -> file:
-        return file(ifcopenshell_wrapper.read(s))
-
     def to_string(self) -> str:
         return self.to_string()
+    
+    @staticmethod
+    def _determine_schema_identifier(
+        schema: Optional[ifcopenshell.util.schema.IFC_SCHEMA] = None,
+        schema_version: Optional[tuple[int, int, int, int]] = None,
+    ):
+        if schema_version:
+            prefixes = ("IFC", "X", "_ADD", "_TC")
+            schema = "".join("".join(map(str, t)) if t[1] else "" for t in zip(prefixes, schema_version))
+        elif schema:
+            schema = {"IFC4X3": "IFC4X3_ADD2"}.get(schema, schema)
+        else:
+            schema = "IFC4"
+        return schema
 
     @property
     def storage(self) -> Optional[rocksdb_file_storage]:
diff --git a/src/ifcwrap/IfcParseWrapper.i b/src/ifcwrap/IfcParseWrapper.i
index d66561853a..2fbc43b079 100644
--- a/src/ifcwrap/IfcParseWrapper.i
+++ b/src/ifcwrap/IfcParseWrapper.i
@@ -326,13 +326,17 @@ private:
 	}
 
 	%pythoncode %{
+		@staticmethod
+		def from_string(s: str) -> 'file':
+			return read(s)
+
 		schema = property(schema_name)
 		header = property(header)
 		_registry = {}
 
 		_old_init = __init__
 		def __init__(self, schema=None, schema_version=None):
-			self._old_init(*filter(None, (schema, schema_version)))
+			self._old_init(self._determine_schema_identifier(schema=schema, schema_version=schema_version))
     
 		def __setattr__(self, k, v):
 			object.__setattr__(self, k, v)