Index: trunk/src/board.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/board.c	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/board.c	(revision 11512)
@@ -158,7 +158,6 @@
 {
 	/* copy default settings */
 	pcb_layer_colors_from_conf(pcb);
-
 	return 0;
 }
 
Index: trunk/src/conf_core.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/conf_core.c	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/conf_core.c	(revision 11512)
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@
 	return homedir;
 }
 
-static void conf_ro(const char *path)
+void pcb_conf_ro(const char *path)
 {
 	conf_native_t *n = conf_get_field(path);
 	if (n != NULL) {
@@ -49,11 +49,11 @@
 	conf_clamp(CFT_COORD, conf_core.design.max_width, PCB_MIN_SIZE, PCB_MAX_COORD);
 	conf_clamp(CFT_COORD, conf_core.design.max_height, PCB_MIN_SIZE, PCB_MAX_COORD);
 	conf_force_set_bool(conf_core.rc.have_regex, 1);
-	conf_ro("rc/have_regex");
+	pcb_conf_ro("rc/have_regex");
 
-	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.prefix, PCB_PREFIX);   conf_ro("rc/path/prefix");
-	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.lib, PCBLIBDIR);       conf_ro("rc/path/lib");
-	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.bin, BINDIR);          conf_ro("rc/path/bin");
-	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.share, PCBSHAREDIR);   conf_ro("rc/path/share");
-	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.home, get_homedir());  conf_ro("rc/path/home");
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.prefix, PCB_PREFIX);   pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/prefix");
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.lib, PCBLIBDIR);       pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/lib");
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.bin, BINDIR);          pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/bin");
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.share, PCBSHAREDIR);   pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/share");
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.home, get_homedir());  pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/home");
 }
Index: trunk/src/conf_core.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/conf_core.h	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/conf_core.h	(revision 11512)
@@ -124,6 +124,8 @@
 			CFT_STRING home;                 /* user's home dir, determined run-time */
 			
 			CFT_STRING exec_prefix;          /* exec prefix path (extracted from argv[0]) */
+
+			CFT_STRING design;               /* directory path of the current design, or <invalid> if the current design doesn't have a file name yet */
 		} path;
 	} rc;
 
@@ -222,4 +224,5 @@
 extern conf_core_t conf_core;
 void conf_core_init();
 void conf_core_postproc();
+void pcb_conf_ro(const char *path);
 #endif
Index: trunk/src/file_act.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/file_act.c	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/file_act.c	(revision 11512)
@@ -192,6 +192,7 @@
 		pcb_board_remove(PCB);
 		PCB = pcb_board_new(1);
 		pcb_board_new_postproc(PCB, 1);
+		pcb_set_design_dir(NULL);
 
 		/* setup the new name and reset some values to default */
 		free(PCB->Name);
Index: trunk/src/plug_io.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/plug_io.c	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/plug_io.c	(revision 11512)
@@ -103,6 +103,30 @@
 	}
 }
 
+void pcb_set_design_dir(const char *fn)
+{
+	char *end, *rlp = NULL;
+
+	if (fn != NULL)
+		rlp = pcb_lrealpath(fn);
+
+	if (conf_core.rc.path.design != NULL)
+		free(*((CFT_STRING *)(&conf_core.rc.path.design)));
+
+	if (rlp == NULL) {
+		conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.design, pcb_strdup("<invalid>"));
+		pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/design");
+		return;
+	}
+
+	end = strrchr(rlp, PCB_DIR_SEPARATOR_C);
+	if (end != NULL)
+		*end = '\0';
+
+	conf_force_set_str(conf_core.rc.path.design, rlp);
+	pcb_conf_ro("rc/path/design");
+}
+
 int pcb_parse_pcb(pcb_board_t *Ptr, const char *Filename, const char *fmt, int load_settings, int ignore_missing)
 {
 	int res = -1, len, n;
@@ -179,6 +203,9 @@
 	if ((res == 0) && (load_settings))
 		conf_load_project(NULL, Filename);
 
+	if (res == 0)
+		pcb_set_design_dir(Filename);
+
 	if (load_settings)
 		pcb_event(PCB_EVENT_LOAD_POST, "si", Filename, res);
 
@@ -362,6 +389,9 @@
 	if ((res == 0) && (newfmt))
 		PCB->Data->loader = p;
 
+	if (res == 0)
+		pcb_set_design_dir(new_filename);
+
 	plug_io_err(res, "write pcb", NULL);
 	return res;
 }
Index: trunk/src/plug_io.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/plug_io.h	(revision 11511)
+++ trunk/src/plug_io.h	(revision 11512)
@@ -131,6 +131,7 @@
 void pcb_set_some_route_style();
 int pcb_write_pcb_file(const char *Filename, pcb_bool thePcb, const char *fmt, pcb_bool emergency, pcb_bool elem_only);
 int pcb_write_pipe(const char *, pcb_bool, const char *fmt, pcb_bool elem_only);
+void pcb_set_design_dir(const char *fn);
 
 #ifndef HAS_ATEXIT
 void pcb_tmp_data_save(void);