diff --git a/src/actions.c b/src/actions.c
index 7cd58688..ac50a14d 100644
--- a/src/actions.c
+++ b/src/actions.c
@@ -216,17 +216,23 @@ int set_netlist_dir(int force, char *dir)
   }
   return 1;
 }
+/* wrapper to TCL function */
+/* remove parameter section of symbol generator before calculating abs path : xxx(a,b) -> xxx */
+const char *sanitized_abs_sym_path(const char *s, const char *ext)
+{   
+  char c[PATH_MAX+1000];
+      
+  my_snprintf(c, S(c), "abs_sym_path [regsub {\\(.*} {%s} {}] {%s}", s, ext);
+  tcleval(c);
+  return tclresult();
+}
 
 /* wrapper to TCL function */
 const char *abs_sym_path(const char *s, const char *ext)
 {
   char c[PATH_MAX+1000];
 
-  if(is_symgen(s)) {
-    my_snprintf(c, S(c), "abs_sym_path [regsub {\\(.*} {%s} {}] {%s}", s, ext);
-  } else {
-    my_snprintf(c, S(c), "abs_sym_path {%s} {%s}", s, ext);
-  }
+  my_snprintf(c, S(c), "abs_sym_path {%s} {%s}", s, ext);
   tcleval(c);
   return tclresult();
 }
@@ -1215,6 +1221,7 @@ const char *get_sym_name(int inst, int ext)
   } else {
     sym = skip_dir(xctx->inst[inst].name);
   }
+  dbg(1, "get_sym_name(): returning sym=%s\n", sym);
   return sym;
 }
 
@@ -1559,6 +1566,7 @@ void go_back(int confirm) /*  20171006 add confirm */
  int prev_sch_type;
 
  save_ok=1;
+ dbg(1,"go_back(): sch[xctx->currsch]=%s\n", xctx->sch[xctx->currsch]);
  prev_sch_type = xctx->netlist_type; /* if CAD_SYMBOL_ATTRS do not hilight_parent_pins */
  if(xctx->currsch>0)
  {
diff --git a/src/scheduler.c b/src/scheduler.c
index e1068ffd..ff6842ef 100644
--- a/src/scheduler.c
+++ b/src/scheduler.c
@@ -1094,6 +1094,25 @@ int xschem(ClientData clientdata, Tcl_Interp *interp, int argc, const char * arg
         } /* switch */
       }
     }
+
+    /* get_cell cell n_dirs
+     *   return result of get_cell function */
+    else if(!strcmp(argv[1], "get_cell") )
+    {
+      if(argc > 3) {
+        Tcl_SetResult(interp, (char *)get_cell(argv[2], atoi(argv[3])), TCL_VOLATILE);
+      }
+    }
+
+    /* get_cell_w_ext cell n_dirs
+     *   return result of get_cell_w_ext function */
+    else if(!strcmp(argv[1], "get_cell_w_ext") )
+    {
+      if(argc > 3) {
+        Tcl_SetResult(interp, (char *)get_cell_w_ext(argv[2], atoi(argv[3])), TCL_VOLATILE);
+      }
+    }
+
     /************ end xschem get subcommands *************/
     /* getprop instance|instance_pin|symbol|text ref 
      *
diff --git a/src/spice_netlist.c b/src/spice_netlist.c
index f1837418..461a2cc8 100644
--- a/src/spice_netlist.c
+++ b/src/spice_netlist.c
@@ -552,13 +552,15 @@ int spice_block_netlist(FILE *fd, int i)
   fprintf(fd, "\n* expanding   symbol:  %s # of pins=%d\n",
         xctx->sym[i].name,xctx->sym[i].rects[PINLAYER] );
   if(xctx->sym[i].base_name) fprintf(fd, "** sym_path: %s\n", abs_sym_path(xctx->sym[i].base_name, ""));
-  else fprintf(fd, "** sym_path: %s\n", abs_sym_path(xctx->sym[i].name, ""));
+  else fprintf(fd, "** sym_path: %s\n", sanitized_abs_sym_path(xctx->sym[i].name, ""));
   sym_def = get_tok_value(xctx->sym[i].prop_ptr,"spice_sym_def",0);
   if(sym_def[0]) {
     fprintf(fd, "%s\n", sym_def);
   } else {
+    char *s = sanitize(skip_dir(xctx->sym[i].name));
     fprintf(fd, "** sch_path: %s\n", filename);
-    fprintf(fd, ".subckt %s ",skip_dir(xctx->sym[i].name));
+    fprintf(fd, ".subckt %s ", s);
+    my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &s);
     print_spice_subckt_nodes(fd, i);
   
     my_strdup(_ALLOC_ID_, &extra, get_tok_value(xctx->sym[i].prop_ptr,"extra",0) );
diff --git a/src/token.c b/src/token.c
index 544b33fc..c5fd6aa6 100644
--- a/src/token.c
+++ b/src/token.c
@@ -187,6 +187,17 @@ int is_symgen(const char *name)
   #endif
 }
 
+/* caller must free returned string
+ * cleanup syntax of symbol generators: xxx(a,b,c) --> xxx_a_b_c */
+char *sanitize(const char *name) 
+{
+  char *s = NULL;
+  tclvareval("regsub -all { *[(),] *} {", name, "} _", NULL);
+  tclvareval("regsub  {_$} {", tclresult(), "} {}", NULL);
+  my_strdup2(_ALLOC_ID_, &s, tclresult());
+  return s;
+}
+
 int match_symbol(const char *name)  /* never returns -1, if symbol not found load systemlib/missing.sym */
 {
  int i,found;
@@ -215,25 +226,34 @@ int match_symbol(const char *name)  /* never returns -1, if symbol not found loa
      const char *s;
      char *spc_idx;
      struct stat buf;
+     /* char *symgen_name = NULL; */
  
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): symgen=%s\n",name);
-     cmd = str_chars_replace(name, " (),", ' ');
+     cmd = str_chars_replace(name, " (),", ' '); /* transform name="xxx(a,b,c)" into ss="xxx a b c" */
      spc_idx = strchr(cmd, ' ');
      if(!spc_idx) goto end;
      *spc_idx = '\0';
      s = abs_sym_path(cmd, "");
-     if(stat(s, &buf)) {
+     if(stat(s, &buf)) { /* symbol generator not found, load 'name' (will probably lead to missing.sym) */
        load_sym_def(name, NULL, 0);
        goto end;
      }
      my_strdup(_ALLOC_ID_, &ss, s);
      *spc_idx = ' ';
      my_strcat(_ALLOC_ID_, &ss, spc_idx);
-     fp = popen(ss, "r");
+     fp = popen(ss, "r"); /* execute ss="xxx a b c" and pipe in the output */
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): fp=%p\n", fp);
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): s=%s\n", s);
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): ss=%s\n", ss);
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): is_symgen=%d\n", is_symgen(name));
+     /* 
+     tclvareval("regsub -all { *[(),] *} {", name, "} _", NULL);
+     tclvareval("regsub  {_$} {", tclresult(), "} {}", NULL);
+     my_strdup2(_ALLOC_ID_, &symgen_name, tclresult());
+     load_sym_def(symgen_name, fp, 1);
+     dbg(1, "match_symbol(): name=%s, regsub=%s\n", name, symgen_name);
+     my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &symgen_name);
+     */
      load_sym_def(name, fp, 1);
      dbg(1, "match_symbol(): symbol name%s\n", xctx->sym[xctx->symbols - 1].name);
      pclose(fp);
@@ -1861,11 +1881,12 @@ int print_spice_element(FILE *fd, int inst)
       }
       else if (strcmp(token,"@symname")==0) /* of course symname must not be present in attributes */
       {
-        const char *s = get_sym_name(inst, 0);
+        char *s = sanitize(get_sym_name(inst, 0));
         tmp = strlen(s) +100 ; /* always make room for some extra chars 
                                 * so 1-char writes to result do not need reallocs */
         STR_ALLOC(&result, tmp + result_pos, &size);
         result_pos += my_snprintf(result + result_pos, tmp, "%s", s);
+        my_free(_ALLOC_ID_, &s);
         /* fputs(s,fd); */
       }
       else if (strcmp(token,"@symname_ext")==0) /* of course symname must not be present in attributes */
diff --git a/src/xschem.h b/src/xschem.h
index 2feb9c7b..cb2801b8 100644
--- a/src/xschem.h
+++ b/src/xschem.h
@@ -1157,6 +1157,8 @@ extern const char *get_cell(const char *str, int no_of_dir);
 extern const char *get_cell_w_ext(const char *str, int no_of_dir);
 extern const char *rel_sym_path(const char *s);
 extern const char *abs_sym_path(const char *s, const char *ext);
+extern const char *sanitized_abs_sym_path(const char *s, const char *ext);
+extern char *sanitize(const char *name);
 extern const char *add_ext(const char *f, const char *ext);
 extern void make_symbol(void);
 /* sort based on pinnumber pin attribute if present */
diff --git a/xschem_library/ngspice/and3_ngspice.sch b/xschem_library/ngspice/and3_ngspice.sch
index 8e87002c..5e647f30 100644
--- a/xschem_library/ngspice/and3_ngspice.sch
+++ b/xschem_library/ngspice/and3_ngspice.sch
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ C {bsource.sym} 480 -330 0 1 {name=B1 VAR=V FUNC="'VCC/2*(1+tanh((min(V(C1),min(
 C {lab_pin.sym} 310 -400 0 0 {name=l2 sig_type=std_logic lab=A1}
 C {lab_pin.sym} 480 -250 0 0 {name=l3 sig_type=std_logic lab=0}
 C {res.sym} 580 -400 1 0 {name=R1
-value=ROUT
+value='ROUT'
 footprint=1206
 device=resistor
 m=1}
diff --git a/xschem_library/ngspice/and_ngspice.sch b/xschem_library/ngspice/and_ngspice.sch
index 8006e262..3572cbee 100644
--- a/xschem_library/ngspice/and_ngspice.sch
+++ b/xschem_library/ngspice/and_ngspice.sch
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ C {bsource.sym} 480 -330 0 1 {name=B1 VAR=V FUNC="'VCC/2*(1+tanh((min(V(A1),V(B1
 C {lab_pin.sym} 330 -400 0 0 {name=l2 sig_type=std_logic lab=A1}
 C {lab_pin.sym} 480 -250 0 0 {name=l3 sig_type=std_logic lab=0}
 C {res.sym} 580 -400 1 0 {name=R1
-value=ROUT
+value='ROUT'
 footprint=1206
 device=resistor
 m=1}
diff --git a/xschem_library/ngspice/buf_ngspice.sch b/xschem_library/ngspice/buf_ngspice.sch
index f06a7926..7c3a2cac 100644
--- a/xschem_library/ngspice/buf_ngspice.sch
+++ b/xschem_library/ngspice/buf_ngspice.sch
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ C {bsource.sym} 470 -400 0 1 {name=B1 VAR=V FUNC="'VCC/2*(1+tanh((V(A1)-VCC/2)*1
 C {lab_pin.sym} 320 -470 0 0 {name=l2 sig_type=std_logic lab=A1}
 C {lab_pin.sym} 470 -320 0 0 {name=l3 sig_type=std_logic lab=0}
 C {res.sym} 570 -470 1 0 {name=R1
-value=ROUT
+value='ROUT'
 footprint=1206
 device=resistor
 m=1}
diff --git a/xschem_library/ngspice/inv_ngspice.sch b/xschem_library/ngspice/inv_ngspice.sch
index 34033e8c..14820883 100644
--- a/xschem_library/ngspice/inv_ngspice.sch
+++ b/xschem_library/ngspice/inv_ngspice.sch
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ C {bsource.sym} 470 -400 0 1 {name=B1 VAR=V FUNC="'VCC/2*(1-tanh((V(A1)-VCC/2)*1
 C {lab_pin.sym} 320 -470 0 0 {name=l2 sig_type=std_logic lab=A1}
 C {lab_pin.sym} 470 -320 0 0 {name=l3 sig_type=std_logic lab=0}
 C {res.sym} 570 -470 1 0 {name=R1
-value=ROUT
+value='ROUT'
 footprint=1206
 device=resistor
 m=1}