Index: dbfile.scm
==================================================================
--- dbfile.scm
+++ dbfile.scm
@@ -204,12 +204,12 @@
 ;;    if db not open, open inmem, rundb and sync then return inmem
 ;;    inuse gets set automatically for rundb's
 ;;
 (define (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct run-id)
   (let* ((subdb (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct run-id)))
-    (if (or (not subdb) stack-empty? (dbr:subdb-dbstack subdb))
-	#f
+    (if (stack-empty? (dbr:subdb-dbstack subdb))
+	 #f
 	(stack-pop! (dbr:subdb-dbstack subdb)))))
 
 ;; return a previously opened db handle to the stack of available handles
 (define (dbfile:add-dbdat dbstruct run-id dbdat)
   (let* ((subdb (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct run-id)))
@@ -222,17 +222,15 @@
 	 (areapath  (dbr:dbstruct-areapath dbstruct))
 	 (tmppath   (dbr:dbstruct-tmppath  dbstruct))
 	 (mtdbpath  (dbfile:run-id->path areapath run-id))
 	 (tmpdbpath (dbfile:run-id->path tmppath run-id))
 	 (mtdbdat   (dbfile:open-sqlite3-db mtdbpath init-proc))
-	 (tmpdbdat  (dbfile:open-sqlite3-db tmpdbpath init-proc)) ;; push this on the stack
 	 (newsubdb  (make-dbr:subdb dbname:    dbname
 				    mtdbfile:  mtdbpath
 				    tmpdbfile: tmpdbpath
 				    mtdbdat:   mtdbdat)))
     (dbfile:set-subdb dbstruct run-id newsubdb)
-    (dbfile:add-dbdat dbstruct run-id tmpdbdat)
     newsubdb)) ;; return the new subdb - but shouldn't really use it
 
 ;; returns dbdat with dbh and dbfilepath
 ;;  1. if needed setup the subdb for the given run-id
 ;;  2. if there is no existing db handle in the stack
@@ -268,11 +266,11 @@
 	    (init-proc db))
 	  #;(dbfile:lock-create-open dbpath
 	  (lambda (db)
 	  (init-proc db))))
 	 (write-access (file-write-access? dbpath)))
-    (dbfile:print-err  "db:open-sqlite-db "dbpath)
+    (dbfile:print-err  "db:open-sqlite-db "dbpath " db: " db)
     #;(if (and dbexists (not write-access))
 	(set! *db-write-access* #f))
     ;; (cons db dbpath)))
     (make-dbr:dbdat dbfile: dbpath dbh: db read-only: (not write-access))))
 

Index: tests/simplerun/thebeginning.scm
==================================================================
--- tests/simplerun/thebeginning.scm
+++ tests/simplerun/thebeginning.scm
@@ -2,30 +2,36 @@
 (import dbfile)
 (trace-call-sites #t)
 
 (trace
  ;; dbfile:setup
- ;; dbfile:open-sqlite3-db
+ dbfile:open-sqlite3-db
  ;; dbfile:init-subdb
  ;; dbfile:add-dbdat
+ ;; db:initialize-main-db
  ;; dbfile:set-subdb
  ;; db:with-db
  ;; dbfile:get-subdb
  )
 
 (define tmpdir (common:get-db-tmp-area))
 (test #f #t (dbr:dbstruct? (dbfile:setup #t *toppath* tmpdir)))
 (test #f #t (dbr:dbstruct? (db:setup #t)))
 (define dbstruct *dbstruct-dbs*)
-(test #f #f (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct #f)) ;; get main.db (never opened yet)
-(test #f #f (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct 1))  ;; get 1.db
-(test #f #t (hash-table? (dbr:dbstruct-subdbs dbstruct)))
-(test #f #t (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:open-db *dbstruct-dbs* #f db:initialize-main-db)))
-(test #f '("SYSTEM" "RELEASE") (db:get-keys *dbstruct-dbs*))
-(test #f #f (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct 1))) ;; not open yet
-(test #f #f (sqlite3:database? (db:open-db dbstruct #f)))
-(test #f #f (sqlite3:database? (db:open-db dbstruct 1)))
-
-;; (test #f #t (stack? (dbr:subdb-dbstack subdb
-;; test #f #f (db:get-subdb dbstruct 1))
-;; 
-;; ; (test #f #f (stack? (dbr:subdb-dbstack subdb)))
+(test #f #t (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:open-db *dbstruct-dbs* #f db:initialize-main-db)))
+(define mydbdat (dbfile:open-db *dbstruct-dbs* #f db:initialize-main-db))
+(dbfile:add-dbdat dbstruct #f mydbdat)
+(test #f #t (dbr:subdb? (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct #f)))
+(test #f #t (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct #f)))
+(test #f #f (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct #f))) ;; stack empty so should fail.
+
+(test #f #t (hash-table? (dbr:dbstruct-subdbs dbstruct)))
+(test #f #t (stack? (dbr:subdb-dbstack (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct #f))))
+(test #f '("SYSTEM" "RELEASE") (db:get-keys *dbstruct-dbs*))
+
+
+(test #f #t (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:open-db dbstruct 1 db:initialize-main-db)))
+(define rundbdat (dbfile:open-db dbstruct 1 db:initialize-main-db))
+(dbfile:add-dbdat dbstruct 1 rundbdat)
+(test #f #t (dbr:subdb? (dbfile:get-subdb dbstruct 1)))
+(test #f #t (dbr:dbdat? (dbfile:get-dbdat dbstruct 1)))
+