--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2000/10/11 18:15:16	1.43
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2000/10/11 21:12:32	1.44
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@
 # varval(name)       : value of a variable
 # refreshstate()     : refresh the state information string
 # symblist(map,hash) : Updates symbolic storage links
-# symbread(filename) : returns the data handle
+# symbread([filename]) : returns the data handle (filename optional)
 # rndseed()          : returns a random seed  
 # getfile(filename)  : returns the contents of filename, or a -1 if it can't
 #                      be found, replicates and subscribes to the file
@@ -431,7 +431,7 @@ sub log {
 sub store {
     my %storehash=@_;
     my $symb;
-    unless ($symb=escape(&symbread($ENV{'request.filename'}))) { return ''; }
+    unless ($symb=escape(&symbread())) { return ''; }
     my $namespace;
     unless ($namespace=$ENV{'request.course.id'}) { return ''; }
     my $namevalue='';
@@ -448,7 +448,7 @@ sub store {
 
 sub restore {
     my $symb;
-    unless ($symb=escape(&symbread($ENV{'request.filename'}))) { return ''; }
+    unless ($symb=escape(&symbread())) { return ''; }
     my $namespace;
     unless ($namespace=$ENV{'request.course.id'}) { return ''; }
     my $answer=reply(
@@ -1029,7 +1029,11 @@ sub symblist {
 # ------------------------------------------------------ Return symb list entry
 
 sub symbread {
-    my $thisfn=declutter(shift);
+    my $thisfn=shift;
+    unless ($thisfn) {
+	$thisfn=$ENV{'request.filename'};
+    }
+    $thisfn=declutter($thisfn);
     my %hash;
     my %bighash;
     my $syval='';
@@ -1043,6 +1047,7 @@ sub symbread {
         if ($syval) {
            unless ($syval=~/\_\d+$/) {
 	       unless ($ENV{'form.request.prefix'}=~/\.(\d+)\_$/) {
+                  &appenv('request.ambiguous' => $thisfn);
                   return '';
                }    
                $syval.=$1;
@@ -1082,6 +1087,7 @@ sub symbread {
         }
         if ($syval) { return $syval.'___'.$thisfn; }
     }
+    &appenv('request.ambiguous' => $thisfn);
     return '';
 }
 
@@ -1101,7 +1107,7 @@ sub numval {
 
 sub rndseed {
     my $symb;
-    unless ($symb=&symbread($ENV{'request.filename'})) { return time; }
+    unless ($symb=&symbread()) { return time; }
     my $symbchck=unpack("%32C*",$symb);
     my $symbseed=numval($symb)%$symbchck;
     my $namechck=unpack("%32C*",$ENV{'user.name'});