diff --git a/tconfpy.py b/tconfpy.py
index 13d20a6..88bde63 100755
--- a/tconfpy.py
+++ b/tconfpy.py
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
 # Program Information
 
 PROGNAME = "tconfpy"
-RCSID = "$Id: tconfpy.py,v 1.167 2004/04/08 22:56:37 tundra Exp $"
+RCSID = "$Id: tconfpy.py,v 1.168 2004/04/13 21:40:07 tundra Exp $"
 VERSION = RCSID.split()[2]
 
 # Copyright Information
@@ -262,10 +262,11 @@
 
 # Messages
 
-Messages["dLINEIGNORE"] = FILENUM + "  '%s' " + PTR + "%s\n"
+Messages["dLINEIGNORE"] = FILENUM + "  '%s'" + PTR + "%s\n"
 Messages["dNAMESPACE"]  = FILENUM + "Setting Current Namespace To: '%s'"
 Messages["dNUMLINES"]   = "Processing File '%s' Resulted In %d Total Lines Parsed"
 Messages["dPARSEDLINE"] = FILENUM + "  '%s'" + PTR + "'%s'\n"
+Messages["dVARREF"]     = FILENUM + "Variable Dereference: '%s'" + PTR + "'%s'"
 
 
 ###########
@@ -306,11 +307,11 @@
 Messages["eVALSMALL"]     = FILENUM + "%s Is Smaller Than The Minimum Allowed, %s, For Variable '%s'"
 Messages["eVARNAMESPC"]   = FILENUM + "Variable Names May Not Contain Whitespace"
 Messages["eVARHASDELIM"]  = FILENUM + "Variable Names May Not Include The '%s' Or '%s' Characters" % (DELIML, DELIMR)
+Messages["eVARILLEGAL"]   = FILENUM + "'%s' Is An Illegal Variable Name Here.  Begins With '%s' Symbol"
 Messages["eVARNEW"]       = FILENUM + "New Variable Creation Not Permitted"
 Messages["eVARNONAME"]    = FILENUM + "Variable Name Evaluates To Null String.  Not Permitted"
 Messages["eVARREADONLY"]  = FILENUM + "Variable '%s' Is Read-Only.  Cannot Change Its Value"
 Messages["eVARREFNEST"]   = FILENUM + "Nested Variable References Are Not Permitted"
-Messages["eVARRESERVED"]  = FILENUM + "Variable Name Cannot Begin With The '%s' Symbol"
 Messages["eVARUNDEF"]     = FILENUM + "Attempt To Reference Undefined Variable '%s'"
 
 
@@ -608,25 +609,41 @@
             return line, ref_ok
         
         # By default, all variable names assumed to be relative to
-        # current namespace context unless escaped with NSSEP
-        
-        # Look for an escape
-        
-        if sym and sym[0] == NSSEP:
-            sym = sym[1:]
+        # current namespace unless escaped with NSSEP.
+        # However, environment variables and predefined variables
+        # are always presumed to be relative to the top-level
+        # namespace and are left untouched here.
 
-        # Prepend the current namespace for all but the top level
+        if sym not in Predefined and sym[0] != ENVIRO:
+        
+            # Look for an escape.  This makes the variable
+            # reference "absolute" (relative to the top-level namespace).
 
-        elif SymTable[NAMESPACE].Value:
-            sym = "%s%s%s" % (SymTable[NAMESPACE].Value, NSSEP, sym)
+            if sym and sym[0] == NSSEP:
+                sym = sym[1:]
+
+            # Prepend the current namespace unless we are in the top-level
+            # namespace. 
+
+            elif SymTable[NAMESPACE].Value:
+                sym = "%s%s%s" % (SymTable[NAMESPACE].Value, NSSEP, sym)
 
         # Handle environment variables
         if sym and sym[0] == ENVIRO and sym[1:] in os.environ:
-            line = line.replace(var, os.getenv(sym[1:]))
+            envvar = os.getenv(sym[1:])
+            line = line.replace(var, envvar)
 
+            if DEBUG:
+                DebugMsg("dVARREF", (cfgfile, linenum, var, envvar))
+            
         # Handle variables in symbol table
         elif sym in SymTable:
-            line = line.replace(var, str(SymTable[sym].Value))
+            symval = str(SymTable[sym].Value)
+            line = line.replace(var, symval)
+
+            if DEBUG:
+                DebugMsg("dVARREF", (cfgfile, linenum, var, symval))
+            
 
         # Reference to undefined variable
         else:
@@ -1088,14 +1105,20 @@
             elif l.count(DELIML) or l.count(DELIMR):
                 ErrorMsg("eVARHASDELIM", (cfgfile, linenum))
                     
-            # Suppress attempts to set variables named starting
-            # with certain reserved symbols because dereferencing
-            # such variable names is impossible
-
-            elif l[0] in (COMMENT, ENVIRO):
-                ErrorMsg("eVARRESERVED", (cfgfile, linenum, l[0]))
-
             # Suppress any attempt to change a RO variable
+            
+            #                 ***NOTE*** 
+            #
+            # This test needs to happen here before any of the
+            # namespace stuff below.  Doing it here guarantees we
+            # catch an attempt to modify one of the Predefined or
+            # Reserved variables, which are always marked RO and are
+            # always relative to the top-level namespace.  This way,
+            # we don't have to put in an explicit check to ignore
+            # Predefined and Reserved variables in the namespace
+            # munging below.  IOW, Don't move this test down into the
+            # body of the variable name processing where namespace
+            # fiddling takes place.
 
             elif l in SymTable and not SymTable[l].Writeable:
                 ErrorMsg("eVARREADONLY", (cfgfile, linenum, l))
@@ -1142,7 +1165,10 @@
                     ns =  SymTable[NAMESPACE].Value
 
                     # Top level namespace variables don't need separator
-                    if ns:
+                    # Also, make sure the variable name does not begin with ENVIRO introducer.
+                    # If it does, do nothing, and we'll catch the error below.
+                        
+                    if ns and l[0] != ENVIRO:
                         l = "%s%s%s" % (ns, NSSEP, l)
 
                 d = VarDescriptor()
@@ -1153,8 +1179,12 @@
 
                 if l not in SymTable:
 
+                    # Make sure the variable name does not begin with ENVIRO introducer
+                    if l[0] == ENVIRO:
+                        ErrorMsg("eVARILLEGAL", (cfgfile, linenum, l, ENVIRO))
+
                     # Only do this if new variable creation allowed
-                    if ALLOWNEWVAR:
+                    elif ALLOWNEWVAR:
                         d.Default = r
                         d.Value = r
                         SymTable[l] = d