diff --git a/ase/awk/Context.java b/ase/awk/Context.java
index 8e88d44a..45e38be2 100644
--- a/ase/awk/Context.java
+++ b/ase/awk/Context.java
@@ -1,11 +1,29 @@
 /*
- * $Id: Context.java,v 1.6 2007/10/17 14:38:28 bacon Exp $
+ * $Id: Context.java,v 1.7 2007/10/29 15:20:13 bacon Exp $
  */
 
 package ase.awk;
 
 public class Context
 {
+	public static int GLOBAL_ARGC = 0;
+	public static int GLOBAL_ARGV = 1;
+	public static int GLOBAL_CONVFMT = 2;
+	public static int GLOBAL_FILENAME = 3;
+	public static int GLOBAL_FNR = 4;
+	public static int GLOBAL_FS = 5;
+	public static int GLOBAL_IGNORECASE = 6;
+	public static int GLOBAL_NF = 7;
+	public static int GLOBAL_NR = 8;
+	public static int GLOBAL_OFILENAME = 9;
+	public static int GLOBAL_OFMT = 10;
+	public static int GLOBAL_OFS = 11;
+	public static int GLOBAL_ORS = 12;
+	public static int GLOBAL_RLENGTH = 13;
+	public static int GLOBAL_RS = 14;
+	public static int GLOBAL_RSTART = 15;
+	public static int GLOBAL_SUBSEP = 16;
+
 	private Awk awk;
 	private long runid;
 	private Object custom;
@@ -52,7 +70,21 @@ public class Context
 		stop (this.runid);
 	}
 
+	public void setGlobal (int id, Return ret) throws Exception
+	{
+		// regardless of the result, the value field
+		// of the return object is reset to 0 by setglobal.
+		setglobal (this.runid, id, ret);
+	}
+
+	/*
+	public void getGlobal (int id, Argument arg) throws Exception
+	{
+	}
+	*/
+
 	protected native void stop (long runid);
+	protected native void setglobal (long runid, int id, Return ret);
 
 	// TODO:
 	// setGlobal
diff --git a/ase/awk/Return.java b/ase/awk/Return.java
index 69b112c7..798b4d46 100644
--- a/ase/awk/Return.java
+++ b/ase/awk/Return.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * $Id: Return.java,v 1.4 2007/10/24 14:17:32 bacon Exp $
+ * $Id: Return.java,v 1.5 2007/10/29 15:20:13 bacon Exp $
  */
 
 package ase.awk;
@@ -14,6 +14,12 @@ public class Return
 	 * referenced that way, the setXXX methods may cause
 	 * JVM to crash */
 
+	public Return (Context ctx)
+	{
+		this.runid = ctx.getId();
+		this.valid = 0;
+	}
+	
 	Return (long runid, long valid)
 	{
 		this.runid = runid;
diff --git a/ase/awk/jni.c b/ase/awk/jni.c
index 3e864777..700ba576 100644
--- a/ase/awk/jni.c
+++ b/ase/awk/jni.c
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * $Id: jni.c,v 1.40 2007/10/24 14:17:32 bacon Exp $
+ * $Id: jni.c,v 1.41 2007/10/29 15:20:13 bacon Exp $
  *
  * {License}
  */
@@ -1788,9 +1788,11 @@ static int handle_bfn (
 	if (vi != 0)
 	{
 		ase_awk_setretval (run, (ase_awk_val_t*)vi);
+
+		/* invalidate the value field in return object */
 		ase_awk_refdownval (run, (ase_awk_val_t*)vi);
+		(*env)->SetLongField (env, ret, run_data->return_valid, (jlong)0);
 	}
-	(*env)->SetLongField (env, ret, run_data->return_valid, (jlong)0);
 	
 	(*env)->DeleteLocalRef (env, args);
 	(*env)->DeleteLocalRef (env, ret); 
@@ -2323,6 +2325,34 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_ase_awk_Context_stop (JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, jlon
 	ase_awk_stop ((ase_awk_run_t*)runid);
 }
 
+JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_ase_awk_Context_setglobal (JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, jlong runid, jint id, jobject ret)
+{
+	ase_awk_run_t* run = (ase_awk_run_t*)runid;
+	run_data_t* run_data;
+	jlong vi;
+
+	run_data = (run_data_t*)ase_awk_getruncustomdata (run);
+
+	vi = (*env)->GetLongField (env, ret, run_data->return_valid);
+	if (vi != 0)
+	{
+		if (ase_awk_setglobal(run, id, (ase_awk_val_t*)vi) == -1)
+		{
+			/* invalidate the value field in the return object 
+			 * even when an exception is thrown. otherwise,
+			 * the value might never be freed. */
+			ase_awk_refdownval (run, (ase_awk_val_t*)vi);
+			(*env)->SetLongField (env, ret, run_data->return_valid, (jlong)0);
+
+			THROW_RUN_EXCEPTION (env, run);
+			return;
+		}
+
+		/* invalidate the value field in the return object */
+		ase_awk_refdownval (run, (ase_awk_val_t*)vi);
+		(*env)->SetLongField (env, ret, run_data->return_valid, (jlong)0);
+	}
+}
 
 JNIEXPORT jlong JNICALL Java_ase_awk_Argument_getintval (JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, jlong runid, jlong valid)
 {
@@ -2879,7 +2909,6 @@ JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_ase_awk_Return_setindexedstrval (JNIEnv* env, jobjec
 	}
 }
 
-
 JNIEXPORT void JNICALL Java_ase_awk_Return_clearval (JNIEnv* env, jobject obj, jlong runid, jlong valid)
 {
 	ase_awk_run_t* run = (ase_awk_run_t*)runid;
diff --git a/ase/test/awk/AseAwkPanel.java b/ase/test/awk/AseAwkPanel.java
index 1d0a4109..06f48eed 100644
--- a/ase/test/awk/AseAwkPanel.java
+++ b/ase/test/awk/AseAwkPanel.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * $Id: AseAwkPanel.java,v 1.13 2007/10/28 15:03:22 bacon Exp $
+ * $Id: AseAwkPanel.java,v 1.14 2007/10/29 15:20:13 bacon Exp $
  */
 
 import java.awt.*;
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ public class AseAwkPanel extends Panel
 			setWord ("OFMT", "ofmt");
 		}
 	
-		public void sleep (Context ctx, String name, Return ret, Argument[] args)
+		public void sleep (Context ctx, String name, Return ret, Argument[] args) throws ase.awk.Exception
 		{
 			try { Thread.sleep (args[0].getIntValue() * 1000); }
 			catch (InterruptedException e) {}
@@ -111,6 +111,10 @@ public class AseAwkPanel extends Panel
 			ret.setIndexedStringValue (3, "3dk3kd");
 			ret.setIndexedIntValue (4, 444);
 			ret.setIndexedIntValue (5, 55555);
+
+			Return r = new Return (ctx);
+			r.setStringValue ("[[%.6f]]");
+			ctx.setGlobal (Context.GLOBAL_CONVFMT, ret);
 		}
 
 		protected int openSource (int mode)