@@ -1911,35 +1911,38 @@
 		      ((eq? (db:step-get-event_time a)(db:step-get-event_time b)) 
 		       (<   (db:step-get-id a)        (db:step-get-id b)))
 		      (else #f)))))
       res)))
 
-(define (db:get-compressed-steps test-id)
-  (let* ((comprsteps (open-run-close db:get-steps-table #f test-id)))
-    (map (lambda (x)
-	   ;; take advantage of the \n on time->string
-	   (vector
-	    (vector-ref x 0)
-	    (let ((s (vector-ref x 1)))
-	      (if (number? s)(seconds->time-string s) s))
-	    (let ((s (vector-ref x 2)))
-	      (if (number? s)(seconds->time-string s) s))
-	    (vector-ref x 3)    ;; status
-	    (vector-ref x 4)
-	    (vector-ref x 5)))  ;; time delta
-	 (sort (hash-table-values comprsteps)
-	       (lambda (a b)
-		 (let ((time-a (vector-ref a 1))
-		       (time-b (vector-ref b 1)))
-		   (if (and (number? time-a)(number? time-b))
-		       (if (< time-a time-b)
-			   #t
-			   (if (eq? time-a time-b)
-			       (string<? (conc (vector-ref a 2))
-					 (conc (vector-ref b 2)))
-			       #f))
-		       (string<? (conc time-a)(conc time-b)))))))))
+(define (db:get-compressed-steps test-id #!key (work-area #f))
+  (if (or (not work-area)
+	  (file-exists? (conc work-area "/testdat.db")))
+      (let* ((comprsteps (open-run-close db:get-steps-table #f test-id work-area: work-area)))
+	(map (lambda (x)
+	       ;; take advantage of the \n on time->string
+	       (vector
+		(vector-ref x 0)
+		(let ((s (vector-ref x 1)))
+		  (if (number? s)(seconds->time-string s) s))
+		(let ((s (vector-ref x 2)))
+		  (if (number? s)(seconds->time-string s) s))
+		(vector-ref x 3)    ;; status
+		(vector-ref x 4)
+		(vector-ref x 5)))  ;; time delta
+	     (sort (hash-table-values comprsteps)
+		   (lambda (a b)
+		     (let ((time-a (vector-ref a 1))
+			   (time-b (vector-ref b 1)))
+		       (if (and (number? time-a)(number? time-b))
+			   (if (< time-a time-b)
+			       #t
+			       (if (eq? time-a time-b)
+				   (string<? (conc (vector-ref a 2))
+					     (conc (vector-ref b 2)))
+				   #f))
+			   (string<? (conc time-a)(conc time-b))))))))
+      '()))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; M I S C   M A N A G E M E N T   I T E M S 
 ;;======================================================================