--- loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2014/07/03 14:11:43	1.1264
+++ loncom/lonnet/perl/lonnet.pm	2014/07/29 05:49:32	1.1265
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # The LearningOnline Network
 # TCP networking package
 #
-# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.1264 2014/07/03 14:11:43 raeburn Exp $
+# $Id: lonnet.pm,v 1.1265 2014/07/29 05:49:32 raeburn Exp $
 #
 # Copyright Michigan State University Board of Trustees
 #
@@ -10856,14 +10856,10 @@ sub deversion {
 
 sub symbread {
     my ($thisfn,$donotrecurse)=@_;
-    my $cache_str;
-    if ($thisfn ne '') {
-        $cache_str='request.symbread.cached.'.$thisfn;
-        if ($env{$cache_str} ne '') {
-            return $env{$cache_str};
-        }
-    } else {
+    my $cache_str='request.symbread.cached.'.$thisfn;
+    if (defined($env{$cache_str})) { return $env{$cache_str}; }
 # no filename provided? try from environment
+    unless ($thisfn) {
         if ($env{'request.symb'}) {
 	    return $env{$cache_str}=&symbclean($env{'request.symb'});
 	}