Index: trunk/src/plug_io.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/plug_io.c	(revision 27318)
+++ trunk/src/plug_io.c	(revision 27319)
@@ -706,6 +706,36 @@
 	return real_load_pcb(PCB->hidlib.filename, NULL, pcb_true, pcb_true, 1);
 }
 
+int pcb_load_buffer(pcb_hidlib_t *hidlib, pcb_buffer_t *buff, const char *fn, const char *fmt)
+{
+	int res = -1, len, n;
+	pcb_find_io_t available[PCB_IO_MAX_FORMATS];
+	int accepts[PCB_IO_MAX_FORMATS]; /* test-parse output */
+	int accept_total = 0;
+	FILE *ft;
+
+	ft = pcb_fopen(hidlib, fn, "r");
+	len = pcb_test_parse_all(ft, fn, fmt, PCB_IOT_BUFFER, available, accepts, &accept_total, sizeof(available)/sizeof(available[0]), 0, 0);
+	if (ft != NULL)
+		fclose(ft);
+	if (len < 0)
+		return -1;
+
+	/* try all plugins that said it could handle the file */
+	for(n = 0; n < len; n++) {
+		if ((available[n].plug->parse_buffer == NULL) || (!accepts[n])) /* can't parse or doesn't want to parse this file */
+			continue;
+		res = available[n].plug->parse_buffer(available[n].plug, buff, fn);
+		if (res == 0)
+			break;
+	}
+
+	plug_io_err(hidlib, res, "load buffer", fn);
+	return res;
+
+}
+
+
 void pcb_print_quoted_string_(FILE * FP, const char *S)
 {
 	const char *start;
Index: trunk/src/plug_io.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/plug_io.h	(revision 27318)
+++ trunk/src/plug_io.h	(revision 27319)
@@ -77,7 +77,10 @@
 	/* Attempt to load fonts from a file. Return 0 on success. */
 	int (*parse_font)(pcb_plug_io_t *ctx, pcb_font_t *Ptr, const char *Filename);
 
+	/* Attempt to load a complete buffer from a file. Return 0 on success. */
+	int (*parse_buffer)(pcb_plug_io_t *ctx, pcb_buffer_t *buff, const char *filename);
 
+
 	/* Write the buffer to a file. Return 0 on success. */
 	int (*write_buffer)(pcb_plug_io_t *ctx, FILE *f, pcb_buffer_t *buff);
 
@@ -143,6 +146,7 @@
 void pcb_print_quoted_string(FILE *, const char *); /* with wrapping in "" */
 int pcb_write_pcb_file(const char *Filename, pcb_bool thePcb, const char *fmt, pcb_bool emergency, pcb_bool elem_only);
 void pcb_set_design_dir(const char *fn);
+int pcb_load_buffer(pcb_hidlib_t *hidlib, pcb_buffer_t *buff, const char *fn, const char *fmt);
 
 /********** helpers **********/