diff --git a/ase/cmd/awk/awk.c b/ase/cmd/awk/awk.c
index 5bb3628d..ba60b440 100644
--- a/ase/cmd/awk/awk.c
+++ b/ase/cmd/awk/awk.c
@@ -1052,27 +1052,35 @@ static int handle_args (int argc, ase_char_t* argv[], struct awk_src_io* src_io)
 		{ ASE_T("pablock"),     ASE_OPT_OPTIONAL, ASE_NULL, 0 },
 
 		{ ASE_T("help"),        ASE_OPT_NONE,     ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('h')},
-		{ ASE_T("main"),        ASE_OPT_REQUIRED, ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('m')}
+		{ ASE_T("main"),        ASE_OPT_REQUIRED, ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('m') },
+		{ ASE_T("file"),        ASE_OPT_REQUIRED, ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('f') },
+		{ ASE_T("field-separator"), ASE_OPT_REQUIRED, ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('F') },
+		{ ASE_T("assign"), ASE_OPT_REQUIRED, ASE_NULL,  ASE_T('v') }
+
 	};
 
 	static ase_opt_t opt = 
 	{
-		ASE_T("hf:m:i:"),
+		ASE_T("hm:f:F:v:"),
 		lng
 	};
 
 
-ase_printf (ASE_T("111111111111111111\n"));
 	while ((c = ase_getopt (argc, argv, &opt)) != ASE_CHAR_EOF)
 	{
 		switch (c)
 		{
+			case 0:
+				ase_printf (ASE_T("%d\n"), opt.lngind);
+				break;
+
 			case ASE_T('h'):
 				print_usage (argv[0]);
 				return -1;
 
 
 			case ASE_T('f'):
+				ase_printf  (ASE_T("ffffffffffff\n"));
 				src_io->input_file = opt.arg;
 				break;
 
@@ -1086,11 +1094,20 @@ ase_printf (ASE_T("111111111111111111\n"));
 				print_usage (argv[0]);
 				return -1;
 
-			case 0:
-				break;
+			default:
+				return -1;
 		}
 	}
 
+	if (src_io->input_file == ASE_NULL)
+	{
+		/*  the first is the source code... */	
+	}
+	else
+	{
+		/* the remainings are data file names */		
+	}
+
 	if (opt.ind < argc)
 	{
 		ase_printf (ASE_T("Error: redundant argument - %s\n"), argv[opt.ind]);
@@ -1098,7 +1115,6 @@ ase_printf (ASE_T("111111111111111111\n"));
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-ase_printf (ASE_T("1xx11111111111111111\n"));
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/ase/lib/utl/getopt.c b/ase/lib/utl/getopt.c
index e5ef9924..36a1843b 100644
--- a/ase/lib/utl/getopt.c
+++ b/ase/lib/utl/getopt.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * $Id: getopt.c 287 2008-07-24 14:08:37Z baconevi $
+ * $Id: getopt.c 288 2008-07-25 15:01:27Z baconevi $
  * 
  * {License}
  */
@@ -135,15 +135,16 @@ ase_cint_t ase_getopt (int argc, ase_char_t* const* argv, ase_opt_t* opt)
 	if (opt->ind == 0) opt->ind = 1;
 
 //again:
-	if (opt->ind > argc || !argv[opt->ind] || 
+	if (opt->ind >= argc /*|| !argv[opt->ind] */|| 
 	    argv[opt->ind][0] != ASE_T('-') || 
-	    argv[opt->ind][1] == ASE_T('\0')) return -1;
+	    argv[opt->ind][1] == ASE_T('\0')) return ASE_CHAR_EOF;
 
 	if (argv[opt->ind][1] == ASE_T('-') && 
 	    argv[opt->ind][2] == ASE_T('\0')) 
 	{
+		/* -- */
 		++opt->ind;
-		return -1;
+		return ASE_CHAR_EOF;
 	}
 
 	// TODO: how to handle when lng is off? is this correct?