Index: openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/06-package-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/06-package-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.31.2.4 -r1.31.2.5
--- openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/06-package-procs.tcl	1 Jun 2016 10:46:56 -0000	1.31.2.4
+++ openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/06-package-procs.tcl	5 Jun 2016 12:50:51 -0000	1.31.2.5
@@ -253,7 +253,19 @@
       set value [$parameter_obj get -package_id $package_id]
       #ns_log notice "core: get_param for $attribute after GET: [$parameter_obj serialize] -> '$value'"
       #if {$value ne "" || [$parameter_obj set __success]} {return $value}
-      return $value
+      #
+      # The returned '$value' might be a value set for the actual
+      # package instance, or the default for the package_parameter as
+      # defined by the package parameter defintion in the xml file. If
+      # the value was not specified explicitly, and the provided
+      # default for this command is not empty, return the provided
+      # default.
+      #
+      if {![$parameter_obj set __success] && $value eq "" && $default ne ""} {
+        return $default
+      } else {
+        return $value
+      }
     }
     return [parameter::get_global_value \
                    -package_key [my set package_key] \
Index: openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/context-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/context-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.65.2.4 -r1.65.2.5
--- openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/context-procs.tcl	30 Dec 2015 18:09:14 -0000	1.65.2.4
+++ openacs-4/packages/xotcl-core/tcl/context-procs.tcl	5 Jun 2016 12:50:51 -0000	1.65.2.5
@@ -108,7 +108,10 @@
     }
     
     #my log "--cc calling parser eval [self] __parse $parse_args"
-    [self] __parse {*}$parse_args
+    if {[catch {[self] __parse {*}$parse_args} errorMsg]} {
+      ad_return_complaint 1 [ns_quotehtml $errorMsg]
+      ad_script_abort
+    }
     #my msg "--cc qp [array get queryparm] // $actual_query"
   }