--- a/scripts/path/__extractpath__.m	Wed Jan 16 19:27:21 2008 +0000
+++ b/scripts/path/__extractpath__.m	Thu Jan 17 07:50:33 2008 +0000
@@ -61,9 +61,9 @@
         filelines{linenum} = result;
         ## find the first and last lines if they exist in the file
         if (strcmp (result, beginstring))
-          startline = linenum;
+          startline = linenum+1;
         elseif (strcmp (result, endstring))
-          endline = linenum;
+          endline = linenum-1;
         endif
       endif
     endwhile

--- a/scripts/path/pathdef.m	Wed Jan 16 19:27:21 2008 +0000
+++ b/scripts/path/pathdef.m	Thu Jan 17 07:50:33 2008 +0000
@@ -25,72 +25,69 @@
 ## @enumerate
 ## @item @file{~/.octaverc}
 ## @item @file{<octave-home>/.../<version>/m/startup/octaverc}
-## @item Octave's path prior to changes by any octaverc.
+## @item Octave"s path prior to changes by any octaverc.
 ## @end enumerate
 ## @seealso{path, addpath, rmpath, genpath, savepath, pathsep}
 ## @end deftypefn
 
 function val = pathdef ()
 
-  ## Save the path present when called. This will be used to restore
-  ## path when done.
-  presentpath = path;
-
-  ## Use Octave's orignal path as the default default.
-  val = __pathorig__;
+  ## Use Octave"s orignal path as the default default.
+  val = __pathorig__ ();
 
   ## Locate the site octaverc file (is there a better way?).
-  prestr = [OCTAVE_HOME, filesep];
-  poststr = [filesep, version, filesep, 'm', filesep', 'startup'];
-  ncolon = [0, strfind(presentpath,':'), numel(presentpath)+1];
-  site_octaverc = '';
-  for nc = 1:(numel(ncolon)-1)
-    pathdir = presentpath((ncolon(nc)+1):(ncolon(nc+1)-1));
-    npre = strfind (pathdir, prestr);
-    npost = strfind (pathdir, poststr);
-    if (npre == 1 &&
-        npost > numel (prestr) &&
-        npost == numel (pathdir) - numel (poststr)+1)
-      site_octaverc = [pathdir, filesep, 'octaverc'];
-      break;
-    endif
-  endfor
-  if isempty (site_octaverc) || ~exist (site_octaverc, 'file')
-    regexp_octaverc = [prestr, '*', poststr, filesep, 'octaverc'];
-    warning (['pathdef: could not locate `',regexp_octaverc,'''.'])
-  endif
+  pathdir = octave_config_info ("localstartupfiledir");
+  site_octaverc = [pathdir, filesep, "octaverc"];
 
   ## locate the user ~\.octaverc file.
-  user_octaverc = tilde_expand ("~/.octaverc");
+  user_octaverc = ["~", filesep, ".octaverc"];
+  user_octaverc = sprintf ("~%s.octaverc", filesep);
 
-  ## Extract the specified paths from the site and user octaverc's.
+  ## Extract the specified paths from the site and user octaverc"s.
   site_pathscript = __extractpath__ (site_octaverc);
-  if exist (user_octaverc, 'file')
+  if exist (user_octaverc, "file")
     user_pathscript = __extractpath__ (user_octaverc);
   else
-    user_pathscript = '';
+    user_pathscript = "";
   endif
 
   ## A path definition in the user octaverc has precedence over the site
   if numel (user_pathscript)
     try
-      eval (user_pathscript);
-      val = path;
+      if (numel (user_pathscript) == 1)
+        n = strfind (user_pathscript{1},"'");
+        if (numel(n) == 1)
+          n = strfind (user_pathscript{1},"""");
+        endif
+        val = user_pathscript{1}(n(1):n(end));
+      else
+        presentpath = path;
+        eval (user_pathscript);
+        val = path;
+        path (presentpath);
+      endif
     catch
-      warning (['Path defined in ',user_octaverc,' produced an error'])
+      warning ("pathdef: Path defined in `%s' produced an error.",user_octaverc)
     end_try_catch
   elseif numel (site_pathscript)
     try
-      eval (site_pathscript);
-      val = path;
+      if (numel (site_pathscript) == 1)
+        n = strfind (site_pathscript{1},"'");
+        if (numel(n) == 1)
+          n = strfind (site_pathscript{1},"""");
+        endif
+        val = site_pathscript{1}(n(1):n(end));
+      else
+        presentpath = path;
+        eval (site_pathscript);
+        val = path;
+        path (presentpath);
+      endif
     catch
-      warning (['Path defined in ',site_octaverc,' produced an error'])
+      warning ("pathdef: Path defined in `%s' produced an error.",site_octaverc)
     end_try_catch
   endif
 
-  ## Restore the path
-  path (presentpath);
-
 endfunction
 
 

--- a/scripts/path/savepath.m	Wed Jan 16 19:27:21 2008 +0000
+++ b/scripts/path/savepath.m	Thu Jan 17 07:50:33 2008 +0000
@@ -36,7 +36,7 @@
   endstring   = "## End savepath auto-created section";
 
   if (nargin == 0)
-    savefile = tilde_expand ("~/.octaverc");
+    savefile = ["~", filesep, ".octaverc"];
   endif
 
   ## parse the file if it exists to see if we should replace a section
@@ -118,6 +118,8 @@
   closeread = fclose (fid);
   if (closeread < 0)
     error ("savepath: could not close savefile after writing, %s", savefile);
+  elseif (nargin == 0)
+    warning ("savepath: current path saved to %s",savefile)
   endif
 
   retval = 0;

--- a/scripts/startup/main-rcfile	Wed Jan 16 19:27:21 2008 +0000
+++ b/scripts/startup/main-rcfile	Thu Jan 17 07:50:33 2008 +0000
@@ -18,3 +18,6 @@
 ## will also skip automatic loading of packages.
 
 pkg ("load", "auto");
+
+atexit ('__finish__');
+

--- a/src/load-path.cc	Wed Jan 16 19:27:21 2008 +0000
+++ b/src/load-path.cc	Thu Jan 17 07:50:33 2008 +0000
@@ -1679,12 +1679,27 @@
   return retval;
 }
 
-DEFUN (pathdef, , ,
+DEFUN (restoredefaultpath, , ,
+    "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
+@deftypefn {Built-in Function} {} restoredefaultpath (@dots{})\n\
+Restore Octave's path to it's initial state at startup.\n\
+\n\
+@seealso{path, addpath, rmpath, genpath, pathdef, savepath, pathsep}\n\
+@end deftypefn")
+{
+  load_path::initialize (true);
+
+  return octave_value (load_path::system_path ());
+}
+
+DEFUN (__pathorig__, , ,
   "-*- texinfo -*-\n\
-@deftypefn {Built-in Function} {@var{val} =} pathdef ()\n\
-Return the default list of directories in which to search for function\n\
-files.\n\
-@seealso{path, addpath, rmpath, genpath, savepath, pathsep}\n\
+@deftypefn {Built-in Function} {@var{val} =} __pathorig__ ()\n\
+Return Octave's original default list of directories in which to search\n\
+for function files. This corresponds to the path that exists prior to\n\
+running the system's @file{octaverc}, or the users' @file{~/.octaverc}\n\
+@seealso{path, addpath, rmpath, genpath, savepath, pathsep, \n\
+restoredefaultpath}\n\
 @end deftypefn")
 {
   return octave_value (load_path::system_path ());