diff --git a/ChangeLog b/ChangeLog
index e36fe305d..517a1bfcb 100644
--- a/ChangeLog
+++ b/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2010-03-14 Holger Vogt
+ * inpcom.c: test for .end improved (comments are now allowed in .end line)
+ * xpressn.c: adding fcn sgn() to numparam function lib
+
 2010-03-07 Dietmar Warning
  * analysis/ninteg.c: limiting exp() in noise integration to prevent overflow and NAN 
   (ID: 2950943).
diff --git a/src/frontend/inpcom.c b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
index 49ea2cb4f..832b1b50f 100644
--- a/src/frontend/inpcom.c
+++ b/src/frontend/inpcom.c
@@ -1324,9 +1324,12 @@ inp_readall(FILE *fp, struct line **data, int call_depth, char *dir_name)
             *(s-1) = '\0';
       }
 
-      if (ciprefix(".end", buffer) && strlen(buffer) == 4 ) {
-         found_end = TRUE;
-         *buffer   = '*';
+/*      find the true .end command out of .endc, .ends, .endl, .end (comments may follow) */
+      if (ciprefix(".end", buffer)) {
+          if ((*(buffer+4) == '\0') || ( isspace(*(buffer+4))))  {
+             found_end = TRUE;
+             *buffer   = '*';
+          }
       }
 
  /* removed  because code changes .global to *global before it will be
diff --git a/src/frontend/numparam/xpressn.c b/src/frontend/numparam/xpressn.c
index 8dc123514..e5e6fbf44 100644
--- a/src/frontend/numparam/xpressn.c
+++ b/src/frontend/numparam/xpressn.c
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@ initkeys (void)
             "and or not div mod if else end while macro funct defined"
             " include for to downto is var");
   scopy_up (&fmathS,
-            "sqr sqrt sin cos exp ln arctan abs pow pwr max min int log sinh cosh tanh ternary_fcn v agauss");
+            "sqr sqrt sin cos exp ln arctan abs pow pwr max min int log sinh cosh tanh ternary_fcn v agauss sgn");
 }
 
 static double
@@ -121,6 +121,11 @@ mathfunction (int f, double z, double x)
     case 17: 
         y=sinh(x)/cosh(x);
         break;
+    case 21:
+        if (x>0) y=1.;
+        else if (x == 0) y=0.;
+        else y = -1.; 
+        break;
     default:
         y = x;
         break;