+#
+# sets a global var with name equal to $1
+# to the value of the configuration parameter $1
+# $2 is the default.
+#
+function getconf() {
+ CURRENT_PARAM=$1
+ ret=`@AWK@ -f $libdirectory/parseini S=$CURRENT_SECTION P=$CURRENT_PARAM $CURRENT_CONF_FILE`
+ # if nothing is returned, set the default
+ if [ "$ret" == "" -a "$2" != "" ]; then
+ ret="$2"
+ fi
+
+ # replace * with %, so that it is not globbed.
+ ret="${ret//\\*/__star__}"
+
+ # this is weird, but single quotes are needed to
+ # allow for returned values with spaces. $ret is still expanded
+ # because it is in an 'eval' statement.
+ eval $1='$ret'
+}