Index: /branches/pap/psLib/src/types/psMetadata.c
===================================================================
--- /branches/pap/psLib/src/types/psMetadata.c	(revision 25258)
+++ /branches/pap/psLib/src/types/psMetadata.c	(revision 25259)
@@ -996,5 +996,4 @@
     if (metadataItem->type == PS_DATA_METADATA_MULTI) {
         // if multiple keys found, use the first.
-        //        metadataItem = (psMetadataItem*)((metadataItem->data.list)->head);
         metadataItem = (psMetadataItem*)(metadataItem->data.list->head->data);
         if (status) {
@@ -1082,5 +1081,4 @@
     } \
     \
-    /* psFree(metadataItem); currently, the lookup doesn't increment the ref count */ \
     return value; \
 }
@@ -1101,4 +1099,44 @@
 psMetadataLookupNumTYPE(VectorMaskType,VectorMask)
 psMetadataLookupNumTYPE(ImageMaskType,ImageMask)
+
+#define psMetadataLookupPtrTYPE(TYPENAME,NAME,TYPE,VAL) \
+TYPENAME psMetadataLookup##NAME(bool *status, const psMetadata *md, const char *key) \
+{ \
+    PS_ASSERT_METADATA_NON_NULL(md, NULL); \
+    PS_ASSERT_STRING_NON_EMPTY(key, NULL); \
+    psMetadataItem *item = psMetadataLookup((psMetadata*)md, key); /* The item of interest */ \
+    if (!item) { \
+        if (status) { \
+            *status = false; \
+        } else { \
+            psError(PS_ERR_IO, true, "Couldn't find %s in the metadata.\n", key); \
+        } \
+        return NULL; \
+    } \
+    \
+    if (item->type == PS_DATA_METADATA_MULTI) { \
+        /* if multiple keys found, use the first. */ \
+        item = item->data.list->head->data; \
+    } \
+    if (item->type != TYPE) { \
+        if (status) { \
+            *status = false; \
+        } else { \
+            psLogMsg(__func__, PS_LOG_DETAIL, "%s isn't of type PS_DATA_META, as expected.\n", key); \
+        } \
+        return NULL; \
+    } \
+    \
+    if (status) { \
+        *status = true; \
+    } \
+    return item->data.VAL; \
+}
+
+psMetadataLookupPtrTYPE(psMetadata*, Metadata, PS_DATA_METADATA, md)
+psMetadataLookupPtrTYPE(psString, Str, PS_DATA_STRING, str)
+psMetadataLookupPtrTYPE(psTime*, Time, PS_DATA_TIME, V)
+psMetadataLookupPtrTYPE(psVector*, Vector, PS_DATA_VECTOR, V)
+
 
 psMetadataItem* psMetadataGet(const psMetadata *md,
@@ -1257,105 +1295,7 @@
 }
 
-psMetadata *psMetadataLookupMetadata(bool *status,
-                                     const psMetadata *md,
-                                     const char *key)
-{
-    PS_ASSERT_METADATA_NON_NULL(md,NULL);
-    psMetadataItem *item = psMetadataLookup((psMetadata*)md, key); // The metadata with instruments
-    psMetadata *value = NULL;  // The value to return
-    if (!item) {
-        // The given key isn't in the metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psError(PS_ERR_IO, true, "Couldn't find %s in the metadata.\n", key);
-        }
-    } else if (item->type != PS_DATA_METADATA) {
-        // The value at the key isn't metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psLogMsg(__func__, PS_LOG_DETAIL, "%s isn't of type PS_DATA_META, as expected.\n", key);
-        }
-        //        value = NULL;
-    } else {
-        // We have the requested metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = true;
-        }
-        value = item->data.md; // The requested metadata
-    }
-    return value;
-}
-
-psTime *psMetadataLookupTime(bool *status,
-                             const psMetadata *md,
-                             const char *key)
-{
-    PS_ASSERT_METADATA_NON_NULL(md,NULL);
-
-    psMetadataItem *item = psMetadataLookup((psMetadata*)md, key);
-    if (!item) {
-        // The given key isn't in the metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psError(PS_ERR_IO, true, "Couldn't find %s in the metadata.\n", key);
-        }
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    if (item->type != PS_DATA_TIME) {
-        // The value at the key isn't metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psLogMsg(__func__, PS_LOG_DETAIL, "%s isn't of type PS_DATA_TIME, as expected.\n", key);
-        }
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    // We have the requested metadata
-    if (status) {
-        *status = true;
-    }
-
-    return item->data.V;
-}
-
-
-psString psMetadataLookupStr(bool *status,
-                             const psMetadata *md,
-                             const char *key)
-{
-    PS_ASSERT_METADATA_NON_NULL(md,NULL);
-
-    psMetadataItem *item = psMetadataLookup((psMetadata*)md, key); // The metadata with instruments
-    //    char *value = NULL;   // The value to return
-    psString value = NULL;
-    if (!item) {
-        // The given key isn't in the metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psError(PS_ERR_IO, true, "Couldn't find %s in the metadata.\n", key);
-        }
-    } else if (item->type != PS_DATA_STRING) {
-        // The value at the key isn't of the desired type
-        if (status) {
-            *status = false;
-        } else {
-            psLogMsg(__func__, PS_LOG_DETAIL, "%s isn't of type PS_DATA_STRING, as expected.\n", key);
-        }
-        //        value = NULL;
-    } else {
-        // We have the requested metadata
-        if (status) {
-            *status = true;
-        }
-        value = item->data.V;
-    }
-    return value;
-}
+
+
+
 
 psList *psMetadataKeys(psMetadata *md)