diff --git a/src/frontend/ftesopt.c b/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
index 7aca8d4ee..ac711596d 100644
--- a/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
+++ b/src/frontend/ftesopt.c
@@ -56,16 +56,13 @@ getFTEstat(struct FTEparm *p, FTESTATistics *stat, struct variable *next)
 
     switch (p->id) {
     case FTEOPT_NLDECK:
-        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
-        var_set_num(v, stat->FTESTATdeckNumLines);
+        v = var_alloc_num(copy(p->description), stat->FTESTATdeckNumLines, next);
         return v;
     case FTEOPT_NLT:
-        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
-        var_set_real(v, stat->FTESTATnetLoadTime);
+        v = var_alloc_real(copy(p->description), stat->FTESTATnetLoadTime, next);
         return v;
     case FTEOPT_NPT:
-        v = var_alloc(copy(p->description), next);
-        var_set_real(v, stat->FTESTATnetParseTime);
+        v = var_alloc_real(copy(p->description), stat->FTESTATnetParseTime, next);
         return v;
     default:
         return NULL;
diff --git a/src/frontend/options.c b/src/frontend/options.c
index af31ee6e6..1091ca96e 100644
--- a/src/frontend/options.c
+++ b/src/frontend/options.c
@@ -52,8 +52,7 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
             double value = isreal(d)
                 ? d->v_realdata[0]
                 : realpart(d->v_compdata[0]);
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_real(vv, value);
+            vv = var_alloc_real(copy(word), value, NULL);
         } else {
             struct variable *list = NULL;
             int i;
@@ -62,12 +61,10 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
                     ? d->v_realdata[i]
                     : realpart(d->v_compdata[i]);
                 struct variable *tv;
-                tv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
-                var_set_real(tv, value);
+                tv = var_alloc_real(NULL, value, list);
                 list = tv;
             }
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_vlist(vv, list);
+            vv = var_alloc_vlist(copy(word), list, NULL);
         }
 
         if (d->v_link2)
@@ -82,28 +79,22 @@ cp_enqvar(char *word)
             if (eq(vv->va_name, word))
                 return (vv);
         if (eq(word, "curplotname")) {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_name));
+            vv = var_alloc_string(copy(word), copy(plot_cur->pl_name), NULL);
         } else if (eq(word, "curplottitle")) {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_title));
+            vv = var_alloc_string(copy(word), copy(plot_cur->pl_title), NULL);
         } else if (eq(word, "curplotdate")) {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_date));
+            vv = var_alloc_string(copy(word), copy(plot_cur->pl_date), NULL);
         } else if (eq(word, "curplot")) {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_string(vv, copy(plot_cur->pl_typename));
+            vv = var_alloc_string(copy(word), copy(plot_cur->pl_typename), NULL);
         } else if (eq(word, "plots")) {
             struct variable *list = NULL;
             struct plot *pl;
             for (pl = plot_list; pl; pl = pl->pl_next) {
                 struct variable *tv;
-                tv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
-                var_set_string(tv, copy(pl->pl_typename));
+                tv = var_alloc_string(NULL, copy(pl->pl_typename), list);
                 list = tv;
             }
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(word), NULL);
-            var_set_vlist(vv, list);
+            vv = var_alloc_vlist(copy(word), list, NULL);
         }
         if (vv)
             return (vv);
diff --git a/src/frontend/spiceif.c b/src/frontend/spiceif.c
index a44427e8c..f75581d60 100644
--- a/src/frontend/spiceif.c
+++ b/src/frontend/spiceif.c
@@ -964,33 +964,27 @@ parmtovar(IFvalue *pv, IFparm *opt)
 
     switch (opt->dataType & IF_VARTYPES) {
     case IF_INTEGER:
-        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
-        var_set_num(vv, pv->iValue);
+        vv = var_alloc_num(copy(opt->description), pv->iValue, NULL);
         return vv;
     case IF_REAL:
     case IF_COMPLEX:
-        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
-        var_set_real(vv, pv->rValue);
+        vv = var_alloc_real(copy(opt->description), pv->rValue, NULL);
         return vv;
     case IF_STRING:
-        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
-        var_set_string(vv, pv->sValue);
+        vv = var_alloc_string(copy(opt->description), pv->sValue, NULL);
         return vv;
     case IF_FLAG:
-        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
-        var_set_bool(vv, pv->iValue ? TRUE : FALSE);
+        vv = var_alloc_bool(copy(opt->description), pv->iValue ? TRUE : FALSE, NULL);
         return vv;
     case IF_REALVEC: {
         struct variable *list = NULL;
         int i;
         for (i = pv->v.numValue; --i >= 0;) {
             struct variable *nv;
-            nv = var_alloc(NULL, list);
-            var_set_real(nv, pv->v.vec.rVec[i]);
+            nv = var_alloc_real(NULL, pv->v.vec.rVec[i], list);
             list = nv;
         }
-        vv = var_alloc(copy(opt->description), NULL);
-        var_set_vlist(vv, list);
+        vv = var_alloc_vlist(copy(opt->description), list, NULL);
         return vv;
         /* It is a linked list where the first node is a variable
          * pointing to the different values of the variables.
diff --git a/src/frontend/variable.c b/src/frontend/variable.c
index c842660f6..241012a32 100644
--- a/src/frontend/variable.c
+++ b/src/frontend/variable.c
@@ -278,8 +278,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
 
         wl = wl->wl_next;
         if ((!wl || (*wl->wl_word != '=')) && !strchr(name, '=')) {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
-            var_set_bool(vv, TRUE);
+            vv = var_alloc_bool(copy(name), TRUE, vars);
             vars = vv;
             tfree(name);        /*DG: cp_unquote Memory leak*/
             continue;
@@ -342,11 +341,9 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
                 copyval = ss = cp_unquote(wl->wl_word);
                 td = ft_numparse(&ss, FALSE);
                 if (td) {
-                    vv = var_alloc(NULL, NULL);
-                    var_set_real(vv, *td);
+                    vv = var_alloc_real(NULL, *td, NULL);
                 } else {
-                    vv = var_alloc(NULL, NULL);
-                    var_set_string(vv, copy(ss));
+                    vv = var_alloc_string(NULL, copy(ss), NULL);
                 }
                 tfree(copyval); /*DG: must free ss any way to avoid cp_unquote memory leak*/
                 if (listv) {
@@ -365,8 +362,7 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
                 return (NULL);
             }
 
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
-            var_set_vlist(vv, listv);
+            vv = var_alloc_vlist(copy(name), listv, vars);
             vars = vv;
 
             wl = wl->wl_next;
@@ -377,12 +373,10 @@ cp_setparse(wordlist *wl)
         td = ft_numparse(&ss, FALSE);
         if (td) {
             /*** We should try to get CP_NUM's... */
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
-            var_set_real(vv, *td);
+            vv = var_alloc_real(copy(name), *td, vars);
             vars = vv;
         } else {
-            vv = var_alloc(copy(name), vars);
-            var_set_string(vv, copy(val));
+            vv = var_alloc_string(copy(name), copy(val), vars);
             vars = vv;
         }
         tfree(copyval); /*DG: must free ss any way to avoid cp_unquote memory leak */
@@ -447,8 +441,7 @@ cp_remvar(char *varname)
     }
     if (!v) {
         /* Gotta make up a var struct for cp_usrset()... */
-        v = var_alloc(copy(varname), NULL);
-        var_set_num(v, 0);
+        v = var_alloc_num(copy(varname), 0, NULL);
         found = FALSE;
     }