--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2000/10/06 21:00:05	1.37
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2000/10/06 22:43:34	1.38
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
 # restore            : returns hash for this url
 # eget(namesp,array) : returns hash with keys from array filled in from namesp
 # get(namesp,array)  : returns hash with keys from array filled in from namesp
-# del(namesp,array)  : deletes keys out of arry from namesp
+# del(namesp,array)  : deletes keys out of array from namesp
 # put(namesp,hash)   : stores hash in namesp
 # dump(namesp)       : dumps the complete namespace into a hash
 # ssi(url,hash)      : does a complete request cycle on url to localhost, posts
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 # varval(name)       : value of a variable
 # refreshstate()     : refresh the state information string
 # symblist(map,hash) : Updates symbolic storage links
+# symbread(filename) : returns the data handle
 # rndseed()          : returns a random seed  
 # getfile(filename)  : returns the contents of filename, or a -1 if it can't
 #                      be found, replicates and subscribes to the file
@@ -487,7 +488,7 @@ sub coursedescription {
            } split(/\&/,$rep);
            $returnhash{'url'}='/res/'.declutter($returnhash{'url'});
            $returnhash{'fn'}=$perlvar{'lonDaemons'}.'/tmp/'.
-	       $ENV{'user.name.'}.'_'.$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
+	       $ENV{'user.name'}.'_'.$cdomain.'_'.$cnum;
 	   put ('coursedescriptions',%cachehash);
            return %returnhash;
        }
@@ -1053,7 +1054,7 @@ sub symbread {
               untie(%bighash)
            } 
         }
-        return $syval.'___'.$thisfn;
+        if ($syval) { return $syval.'___'.$thisfn; }
     }
     return '';
 }