but DaveC, if you have set default background for queries for example, and also a specific background for nickname "my_beloved", you have to do two checks, since if there's default entry reading "other_beloved" from mirc.ini's background section will result in $null
so you have to read every time "wquery" and the nickname itself

maybe I didn't made my self clear...
here's mIRC.ini:

[background]
@mdi=none
wchannel=C:\WINNT\ARCADE.BMP,5
#Gyuvetch=C:\WINNT\ARCHES.BMP,0

now, reading #test will result in $null for example, but you cannot read just "wchannel" since you'll miss #gyuvetch's specific settings
that's why I think it's better mIRC to do the job smile