diff --git a/configfile.c b/configfile.c
index e828a3b..c30fdb4 100644
--- a/configfile.c
+++ b/configfile.c
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 #include "containers/stringarray.h"
 #include "containers/sectionarray.h"
+#include "containers/linearray.h"
 #include <proto/exec.h>
 #include <proto/dos.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -193,7 +194,7 @@ StringArray ConfigFileGetAll(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR comp
 	return result;
 }
 
-VOID ConfigFileAdd(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue)
+VOID ConfigFileAddVariable(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue)
 {
 	struct ConfigFile* configFile = (struct ConfigFile*)abstractConfigFile;
 	if( configFile != NULL )
@@ -218,15 +219,40 @@ VOID ConfigFileAdd(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, C
 	}
 }
 
-VOID ConfigFileSet(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue)
+BOOL ConfigFileSet(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue)
 {
+	BOOL result = FALSE;
 	struct ConfigFile* configFile = (struct ConfigFile*)abstractConfigFile;
 	if( configFile != NULL )
 	{
-		StringArray parts = ConfigFileSplitKeyCompletely(compoundKey);
-		
+		StringArray parts = ConfigFileSplitKeyForVar(compoundKey);
+		LineArray lines = SectionStoreFindLines(configFile->sectionStore, StringArrayValues(parts)[0], StringArrayValues(parts)[1]);
+		if( SizeOfArray(lines) == 0 )
+		{
+			ConfigFileAddVariable(abstractConfigFile, compoundKey, stringValue);
+			result = TRUE;
+		}
+		else if( SizeOfArray(lines) == 1 )
+		{
+			LINEPTR line = (LINEPTR)ArrayBackValue(LINEPTR, lines);
+			if( line )
+			{
+  				VARIABLEPTR var = VariableCreate(StringArrayValues(parts)[1], stringValue);
+  				if( var )
+  				{
+  					LineSetVariable(line, var);
+  					result = TRUE;
+  				}
+			}
+		}
+		else // more than one line, we error. 
+		{
+			result = FALSE;
+		}
 		StringArrayFree(parts, TRUE);
+		LineArrayFree(lines, FALSE);
 	}
+	return result;
 }
 
 VOID ConfigFileReplaceAll(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue)
diff --git a/configfile.h b/configfile.h
index a21d3bf..f04e9dc 100644
--- a/configfile.h
+++ b/configfile.h
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ VOID ConfigFileFree(CONFIGFILEPTR configFile);
 
 StringArray ConfigFileGetAll(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey);
 STRPTR ConfigFileGet(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey);
-VOID ConfigFileSet(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue);
+BOOL ConfigFileSet(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue);
 
 // --add
-VOID ConfigFileAdd(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue);
+VOID ConfigFileAddVariable(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue);
 
 // --replace-all
 VOID ConfigFileReplaceAll(CONFIGFILEPTR abstractConfigFile, CONST_STRPTR compoundKey, CONST_STRPTR stringValue);
diff --git a/configmodel.c b/configmodel.c
index 3b4951e..e2c5022 100644
--- a/configmodel.c
+++ b/configmodel.c
@@ -149,18 +149,19 @@ VOID LineSetVariable(LINEPTR abstractLine, VARIABLEPTR abstractVariable)
 	struct Line* line = (struct Line*)abstractLine;
 	if( line != NULL )
 	{
-		if( line->rawText != NULL )
-		{
-			// if we change the variable we remove any original text
-			FreeVec(line->rawText);
-			line->rawText = NULL;
-		}
 		// we take ownership of the variable
 		if( line->variable != NULL )
 		{
 			VariableFree(line->variable);
 		}
 		line->variable = abstractVariable;
+
+		if( line->rawText != NULL )
+		{
+			// if we change the variable we remove any original text
+			FreeVec(line->rawText);
+		}
+		line->rawText = (STRPTR)VariableSerialize(line->variable);
 	}
 }
 
@@ -508,11 +509,11 @@ CONST_STRPTR VariableSerialize(VARIABLEPTR abstractVariable)
 {
 	STRPTR result = NULL;
 	struct Variable* variable = (struct Variable*)abstractVariable;
-	if( variable != NULL && variable->key != NULL && variable->value.stringValue != NULL )
+	if( variable != NULL && variable->normalizedKey != NULL && variable->value.stringValue != NULL )
 	{
-		ULONG size = strlen(variable->key) + 3 + strlen(variable->value.stringValue) + 1;
+		ULONG size = strlen(variable->normalizedKey) + 3 + strlen(variable->value.stringValue) + 1;
 		result = AllocVec(size, MEMF_CLEAR);
-		sprintf(result, "\t%s = %s\n", variable->key, variable->value.stringValue);
+		sprintf(result, "\t%s = %s\n", variable->normalizedKey, variable->value.stringValue);
 	}
 	return (CONST_STRPTR)result;
 }
diff --git a/main.c b/main.c
index 26b98ac..c8b9ab7 100644
--- a/main.c
+++ b/main.c
@@ -28,17 +28,18 @@ WORD DoTheWork(STRPTR filename)
  			StringArray values = NULL;
  			STRPTR var = NULL;
  			
- 			values = ConfigFileGetAll(config, "branch.main.remote");
+// 			values = ConfigFileGetAll(config, "branch.main.remote");
 //			StringArrayForEach(values, Printf("main %s\n", aString););
-			StringArrayFree(values, TRUE);			
+//			StringArrayFree(values, TRUE);			
 
- 			var = ConfigFileGet(config, "branch.config-file-parsing-from-book.remote");
+// 			var = ConfigFileGet(config, "branch.config-file-parsing-from-book.remote");
 // 			Printf("parse %s\n\n\n", var);
- 			FreeVec(var);
+ //			FreeVec(var);
  			
  	//		ConfigFileDump(config);
-			ConfigFileAdd(config, "branch.main.foob", "bar");
-			ConfigFileAdd(config, "branch.alan.foob", "bar");
+//			ConfigFileSet(config, "branch.main.foob", "bar");
+	//		ConfigFileSet(config, "branch.alan.foob", "bar");
+			ConfigFileSet(config, "branch.main.remote", "testing");
  			ConfigFileDump(config);
 			
 			ConfigFileFree(config);