Index: trunk/src/layer_grp.c
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/layer_grp.c	(revision 8642)
+++ trunk/src/layer_grp.c	(revision 8643)
@@ -611,7 +611,16 @@
 	return pcb_layergrp_rename_(grp, pcb_strdup(name));
 }
 
+pcb_layergrp_id_t pcb_layergrp_by_name(pcb_board_t *pcb, const char *name)
+{
+	pcb_layergrp_id_t n;
+	for (n = 0; n < pcb->LayerGroups.len; n++)
+		if (strcmp(PCB->LayerGroups.grp[n].name, name) == 0)
+			return n;
+	return -1;
+}
 
+
 static pcb_layergrp_id_t pcb_layergrp_get_cached(pcb_board_t *pcb, pcb_layer_id_t *cache, unsigned int loc, unsigned int typ)
 {
 	pcb_layer_group_t *g;
Index: trunk/src/layer_grp.h
===================================================================
--- trunk/src/layer_grp.h	(revision 8642)
+++ trunk/src/layer_grp.h	(revision 8643)
@@ -114,7 +114,10 @@
 /* changes the name of a layer; memory has to be already allocated */
 int pcb_layergrp_rename_(pcb_layer_group_t *grp, char *name);
 
+/* Slow linear search for a layer group by name */
+pcb_layergrp_id_t pcb_layergrp_by_name(pcb_board_t *pcb, const char *name);
 
+
 /********* OBSOLETE functions, do not use in new code *********/
 /* parses the group definition string which is a colon separated list of
    comma separated layer numbers (1,2,b:4,6,8,t); oldfmt is 0 or 1