Index: configf.scm
==================================================================
--- configf.scm
+++ configf.scm
@@ -59,18 +59,21 @@
 		   (config:assoc-safe-add
 		    (hash-table-ref/default cfgdat section-name '())
 		    var value metadata: metadata)))
 
 (define (config:eval-string-in-environment str)
-  (handle-exceptions
-   exn
-   (begin
-     (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "problem evaluating \"" str "\" in the shell environment")
-     #f)
-   (let ((cmdres (process:cmd-run->list (conc "echo " str))))
-     (if (null? cmdres) ""
-	 (caar cmdres)))))
+  ;; (if (or (string-null? str)
+  ;;	  (equal? "!" (substring str 0 1))) ;; null string or starts with ! are preserved but NOT set in the environment
+      str
+      (handle-exceptions
+       exn
+       (begin
+	 (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "problem evaluating \"" str "\" in the shell environment")
+	 #f)
+       (let ((cmdres (process:cmd-run->list (conc "echo " str))))
+	 (if (null? cmdres) ""
+	     (caar cmdres))))) ;; )
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; Make the regexp's needed globally available
 ;;======================================================================
 
@@ -437,11 +440,13 @@
                                                               settings)
                                            curr-section-name key #f)))
                
 	       (configf:key-val-pr ( x key unk1 val unk2 )
                                    (let* ((alist   (hash-table-ref/default res curr-section-name '()))
-                                          (envar   (and environ-patt (string-search (regexp environ-patt) curr-section-name)))
+                                          (envar   (and environ-patt
+							(string-search (regexp environ-patt) curr-section-name) ;; does the section match the envionpatt?
+							(and (not (string-null? key))(equal? "!" (substring key 0 1))))) ;; ! as leading character is a signature to NOT export to the environment
                                           (realval (if envar
                                                        (config:eval-string-in-environment val)
                                                        val)))
                                      (debug:print-info 6 *default-log-port* "read-config env setting, envar: " envar " realval: " realval " val: " val " key: " key " curr-section-name: " curr-section-name)
                                      (if envar (safe-setenv key realval))