Index: configf.scm
==================================================================
--- configf.scm
+++ configf.scm
@@ -180,19 +180,20 @@
 	    (if (and (string? res)
 		     (not (equal? (hash-table-ref/default settings "trim-trailing-spaces" "no") "no")))
 		(string-substitute "\\s+$" "" res)
 		res))))))
 
-(define (configf:cfgdat->env-alist section cfgdat-ht)
+(define (configf:cfgdat->env-alist section cfgdat-ht allow-system)
   (filter
    (lambda (pair)
      (let* ((var (car pair))
             (val (cdr pair)))
        (cons var
              (cond
-              ((procedure? val)
+              ((and allow-system (procedure? val)) ;; if we decided to use something other than #t or #f for allow-system ('return-procs or 'return-string) , this may become problematic
                (val))
+              ((procedure? val) #f)
               ((string? val) val)
               (else "#f")))))
    (append
     (hash-table-ref/default cfgdat-ht "default" '())
     (if (equal? section "default") '() (hash-table-ref/default cfgdat-ht section '())))))
@@ -235,10 +236,15 @@
 
 ;; read a config file, returns hash table of alists
 
 ;; read a config file, returns hash table of alists
 ;; adds to ht if given (must be #f otherwise)
+;; allow-system:
+;;    #f - do not evaluate [system
+;;    #t - immediately evaluate [system and store result as string
+;;    'return-procs -- return a proc taking ht as an argument that may be evaulated at some future time
+;;    'return-string -- return a string representing a proc taking ht as an argument that may be evaulated at some future time
 ;; envion-patt is a regex spec that identifies sections that will be eval'd
 ;; in the environment on the fly
 ;; sections: #f => get all, else list of sections to gather
 ;; post-section-procs alist of section-pattern => proc, where: (proc section-name next-section-name ht curr-path)
 ;; apply-wildcards: #t/#f - apply vars from targets with % wildcards to all matching sections
@@ -327,11 +333,12 @@
                                   ;;    exn
                                   ;;    (begin
                                   ;;      (debug:print '(0 2 9) #f "INFO: include from script " include-script " failed.")
                                   ;;      (loop (configf:read-line inp res (calc-allow-system allow-system curr-section-name sections) settings) curr-section-name #f #f))
                                   (if (and (common:file-exists? include-script)(file-execute-access? include-script))
-                                      (let* ((env-delta  (configf:cfgdat->env-alist curr-section-name res))
+                                      (let* ((local-allow-system  (calc-allow-system allow-system curr-section-name sections))
+                                             (env-delta  (configf:cfgdat->env-alist curr-section-name res local-allow-system))
                                              (new-inp-port
                                               (common:with-env-vars
                                                env-delta
                                                (lambda ()
                                                  (open-input-pipe (conc include-script " " params))))))
@@ -368,11 +375,12 @@
 	       (configf:key-sys-pr ( x key cmd      )
                                    (if (calc-allow-system allow-system curr-section-name sections)
                                        (let ((alist    (hash-table-ref/default res curr-section-name '()))
                                              (val-proc (lambda ()
                                                          (let* ((start-time (current-seconds))
-                                                                (env-delta  (configf:cfgdat->env-alist curr-section-name res))
+                                                                (local-allow-system  (calc-allow-system allow-system curr-section-name sections))
+                                                                (env-delta  (configf:cfgdat->env-alist curr-section-name res local-allow-system))
                                                                 (cmdres     (process:cmd-run->list cmd delta-env-alist-or-hash-table: env-delta)) ;; BB: here is where [system is exec'd.  needs to have env from other vars!
                                                                 (delta      (- (current-seconds) start-time))
                                                                 (status     (cadr cmdres))
                                                                 (res        (car  cmdres)))
                                                            (debug:print-info 4 *default-log-port* "" inl "\n => " (string-intersperse res "\n"))

Index: megatest-version.scm
==================================================================
--- megatest-version.scm
+++ megatest-version.scm
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 ;; Always use two or four digit decimal
 ;; 1.01, 1.02...1.10,1.11,1.1101 ... 1.99,2.00..
 
 (declare (unit megatest-version))
 
-(define megatest-version 1.6434)
+(define megatest-version 1.6435)
 

Index: tests.scm
==================================================================
--- tests.scm
+++ tests.scm
@@ -146,11 +146,11 @@
 
 
 ;; returns waitons waitors tconfigdat
 ;;
 (define (tests:get-waitons test-name all-tests-registry)
-   (let* ((config  (tests:get-testconfig test-name #f all-tests-registry 'return-procs)))
+   (let* ((config  (tests:get-testconfig test-name #f all-tests-registry 'return-procs))) ;; assuming no problems with immediate evaluation, this could be simplified ('return-procs -> #t)
      (let ((instr (if config 
 		      (config-lookup config "requirements" "waiton")
 		      (begin ;; No config means this is a non-existant test
 			(debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "non-existent required test \"" test-name "\"")
 			(exit 1))))