Index: tests.scm
==================================================================
--- tests.scm
+++ tests.scm
@@ -53,10 +53,11 @@
 ;;   gets paths from configs and finds valid tests 
 ;;   returns hash of testname --> fullpath
 ;;
 (define (tests:get-all)
   (let* ((test-search-path   (tests:get-tests-search-path *configdat*)))
+    (debug:print 8 *default-log-port* "test-search-path: " test-search-path)
     (tests:get-valid-tests (make-hash-table) test-search-path)))
 
 (define (tests:get-tests-search-path cfgdat)
   (let ((paths (let ((section (if cfgdat
 				  (configf:get-section cfgdat "tests-paths")
@@ -1607,11 +1608,11 @@
                                        (and wait-a-minute (> tries-left 0))
                                        (thread-sleep! 10)
                                        (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: testconfig file does not exist: "test-configf" will retry in 10 seconds.  Tries left: "tries-left) ;; BB: this fires
                                        (loopa (sub1 tries-left)))
                                       (else
-                                       (debug:print 0 *default-log-port* "WARNING: testconfig file does not exist: "test-configf) ;; BB: this fires
+                                       (debug:print 2 *default-log-port* "WARNING: testconfig file does not exist: "test-configf) ;; BB: this fires
                                        #f))))
 		     (tcfg         (if testexists
 				       (read-config test-configf #f system-allowed
 						    environ-patt: (if system-allowed
 								      "pre-launch-env-vars"
@@ -1842,30 +1843,43 @@
 ;; refactoring this block into tests:get-full-data from line 263 of runs.scm
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; hed is the test name
 ;; test-records is a hash of test-name => test record
 (define (tests:get-full-data test-names test-records required-tests all-tests-registry)
-  (if (not (null? test-names))
+  (let ((missing-waitons (make-hash-table)))
+    (if (not (null? test-names))
       (let loop ((hed (car test-names))
 		 (tal (cdr test-names)))         ;; 'return-procs tells the config reader to prep running system but return a proc
 	(debug:print-info 4 *default-log-port* "hed=" hed " at top of loop")
         ;; don't know item-path at this time, let the testconfig get the top level testconfig
 	(let* ((config  (tests:get-testconfig hed #f all-tests-registry 'return-procs))
 	       (waitons (let ((instr (if config 
 					 (configf: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 \"" hed "\", grep through your testconfigs to find and remove or create the test. Discarding and continuing.")
-					     ""))))
+					 (begin ;; No config means this is a non-existent test
+                                           (let ((waiters '()))
+                                             ;; find the waiter(s) for this waiton.
+                                             (for-each 
+                                               (lambda(waiter)
+                                                 ;; (print "test-record = " (hash-table-ref test-records waiter))
+                                                 ;; (print "waitons = " (vector-ref (hash-table-ref test-records waiter) 2))
+                                                 (if (member hed (vector-ref (hash-table-ref test-records waiter) 2))
+                                                    (set! waiters (cons waiter waiters))
+                                                 )
+                                               )
+                                             (hash-table-keys test-records))
+                                             (hash-table-set! missing-waitons hed waiters)
+                                           )
+					   ""))))
 			  (debug:print-info 8 *default-log-port* "waitons string is " instr)
 			  (string-split (cond
 					 ((procedure? instr)
 					  (let ((res (instr)))
 					    (debug:print-info 8 *default-log-port* "waiton procedure results in string " res " for test " hed)
 					    res))
 					 ((string? instr)     instr)
 					 (else 
-					  ;; NOTE: This is actually the case of *no* waitons! ;; (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "something went wrong in processing waitons for test " hed)
+					  ;; NOTE: This is actually the case of *no* waitons! ;; 
 					  ""))))))
 	  (if (not config) ;; this is a non-existant test called in a waiton. 
 	      (if (null? tal)
 		  test-records
 		  (loop (car tal)(cdr tal)))
@@ -1910,21 +1924,28 @@
 						     (items:get-items-from-config config))
 						    (else #f)))                           ;; not iterated
 						 #f      ;; itemsdat 5
 						 #f      ;; spare - used for item-path
 						 )))
-		(for-each 
+                (for-each 
 		 (lambda (waiton)
-		   (if (and waiton (not (member waiton test-names)))
+		   (if (and waiton (not (string= "#f" waiton)) (not (member waiton test-names)))
 		       (begin
 			 (set! required-tests (cons waiton required-tests))
 			 (set! test-names (cons waiton test-names))))) ;; was an append, now a cons
 		 waitons)
 		(let ((remtests (delete-duplicates (append waitons tal))))
 		  (if (not (null? remtests))
 		      (loop (car remtests)(cdr remtests))
-		      test-records))))))))
+		      test-records)))))))
+      (for-each
+         (lambda (missing-waiton)
+            (debug:print-error 0 *default-log-port* "non-existent test \"" missing-waiton "\" is a waiton for tests " (hash-table-ref missing-waitons missing-waiton))
+         )
+         (hash-table-keys missing-waitons)
+      )
+))
 
 ;;======================================================================
 ;; test steps
 ;;======================================================================