@@ -82,8 +82,6 @@ function merge_config_file {

     local matchgroup=$2

     local configfile=$3

-    [[ -r $configfile ]] || touch $configfile

-

     get_meta_section $file $matchgroup $configfile | \

     $CONFIG_AWK_CMD -v configfile=$configfile '

         BEGIN { section = "" }

@@ -114,7 +112,7 @@ function merge_config_group {

     for group in $matchgroups; do

         for configfile in $(get_meta_section_files $localfile $group); do

-            if [[ -d $(dirname $configfile) ]]; then

+            if [[ -d $(dirname $(eval "echo $configfile")) ]]; then

                 merge_config_file $localfile $group $configfile

             fi

         done

@@ -42,6 +42,17 @@ type=original

 EOF

 }

+function setup_test4 {

+    mkdir -p test-etc

+    cat >test-etc/test4.conf <<EOF

+[fff]

+# original comment

+type=original

+EOF

+    TEST4_DIR="test-etc"

+    TEST4_FILE="test4.conf"

+}

+

 cat >test.conf <<EOF

 [[test1|test1a.conf]]

 [default]

@@ -76,8 +87,11 @@ $TEST_1C_ADD

 attribute=value

 # the above line has a single space

-EOF

+[[test4|\$TEST4_DIR/\$TEST4_FILE]]

+[fff]

+type=new

+EOF

 echo -n "get_meta_section_files: test0 doesn't exist: "

 VAL=$(get_meta_section_files test.conf test0)

@@ -192,4 +206,24 @@ EXPECT_VAL="

 attribute = value"

 check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"

+echo -n "merge_config_group test4 variable filename: "

+setup_test4

+merge_config_group test.conf test4

+VAL=$(cat test-etc/test4.conf)

+EXPECT_VAL="[fff]

+# original comment

+type=new"

+check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"

+

+echo -n "merge_config_group test4 variable filename (not exist): "

+setup_test4

+rm test-etc/test4.conf

+merge_config_group test.conf test4

+VAL=$(cat test-etc/test4.conf)

+EXPECT_VAL="

+[fff]

+type = new"

+check_result "$VAL" "$EXPECT_VAL"

+

 rm -f test.conf test1c.conf test2a.conf test-space.conf

+rm -rf test-etc