Index: config.c
===================================================================
--- config.c	(revision 8431)
+++ config.c	(working copy)
@@ -1088,4 +1076,24 @@ static struct ast_cli_entry config_comma
 int register_config_cli() 
 {
 	return ast_cli_register(&config_command_struct);
+}
+
+/*
+ * get values from config variables.
+ */
+int ast_get_time_t(const char *src, time_t *dst, time_t _default)
+{
+	long t;
+
+	if (dst == NULL)
+		return -1;
+	*dst = _default;
+	if (ast_strlen_zero(src))
+		return -1;
+	/* only integer at the moment, but one day we could accept more formats */
+	if (sscanf(src, "%ld", &t) == 1) {
+		*dst = t;
+		return 0;
+	}
+	return -1;
 }
Index: channels/chan_sip.c
===================================================================
--- channels/chan_sip.c	(revision 8431)
+++ channels/chan_sip.c	(working copy)
@@ -12116,15 +11786,12 @@ static struct sip_peer *build_peer(const
 	peer->capability = global_capability;
 	peer->rtptimeout = global_rtptimeout;
 	peer->rtpholdtimeout = global_rtpholdtimeout;
-	while(v) {
-		if (handle_common_options(&peerflags, &mask, v)) {
-			v = v->next;
+	for (; v; v = v->next) {
+		if (handle_common_options(&peerflags, &mask, v))
 			continue;
-		}
 
 		if (realtime && !strcasecmp(v->name, "regseconds")) {
-			if (sscanf(v->value, "%ld", (time_t *)&regseconds) != 1)
-				regseconds = 0;
+			ast_get_time_t(v->value, &regseconds, 0);
 		} else if (realtime && !strcasecmp(v->name, "ipaddr") && !ast_strlen_zero(v->value) ) {
 			inet_aton(v->value, &(peer->addr.sin_addr));
 		} else if (realtime && !strcasecmp(v->name, "name"))
@@ -12272,11 +11939,7 @@ static struct sip_peer *build_peer(const
 				ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Qualification of peer '%s' should be 'yes', 'no', or a number of milliseconds at line %d of sip.conf\n", peer->name, v->lineno);
 				peer->maxms = 0;
 			}
 		}
-		/* else if (strcasecmp(v->name,"type"))
-		 *	ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Ignoring %s\n", v->name);
-		 */
-		v=v->next;
 	}
 	if (!ast_test_flag((&global_flags_page2), SIP_PAGE2_IGNOREREGEXPIRE) && ast_test_flag(peer, SIP_DYNAMIC) && realtime) {
 		time_t nowtime;
Index: channels/chan_iax2.c
===================================================================
--- channels/chan_iax2.c	(revision 8431)
+++ channels/chan_iax2.c	(working copy)
@@ -2559,7 +2557,7 @@ static struct iax2_peer *realtime_peer(c
 	struct ast_variable *var;
 	struct ast_variable *tmp;
 	struct iax2_peer *peer=NULL;
-	time_t regseconds, nowtime;
+	time_t regseconds = 0, nowtime;
 	int dynamic=0;
 
 	if (peername)
@@ -2600,8 +2598,7 @@ static struct iax2_peer *realtime_peer(c
 				break;
 			} 
 		} else if (!strcasecmp(tmp->name, "regseconds")) {
-			if (sscanf(tmp->value, "%ld", (time_t *)&regseconds) != 1)
-				regseconds = 0;
+			ast_get_time_t(tmp->value, &regseconds, 0);
 		} else if (!strcasecmp(tmp->name, "ipaddr")) {
 			inet_aton(tmp->value, &(peer->addr.sin_addr));
 		} else if (!strcasecmp(tmp->name, "port")) {
Index: apps/app_voicemail.c
===================================================================
--- apps/app_voicemail.c	(revision 8431)
+++ apps/app_voicemail.c	(working copy)
@@ -3586,25 +3583,21 @@ static int play_message_datetime(struct 
 	int res = 0;
 	struct vm_zone *the_zone = NULL;
 	time_t t;
-	long tin;
 
-	if (sscanf(origtime,"%ld",&tin) < 1) {
+	if (ast_get_time_t(origtime, &t, 0)) {
 		ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "Couldn't find origtime in %s\n", filename);
 		return 0;
 	}
-	t = tin;
 
 	/* Does this user have a timezone specified? */
 	if (!ast_strlen_zero(vmu->zonetag)) {
 		/* Find the zone in the list */
 		struct vm_zone *z;
-		z = zones;
-		while (z) {
+		for (z = zones; z; z = z->next) {
 			if (!strcmp(z->name, vmu->zonetag)) {
 				the_zone = z;
 				break;
 			}
-			z = z->next;
 		}
 	}
 
Index: apps/app_sayunixtime.c
===================================================================
--- apps/app_sayunixtime.c	(revision 8431)
+++ apps/app_sayunixtime.c	(working copy)
@@ -76,45 +76,26 @@ static int sayunixtime_exec(struct ast_c
 	struct localuser *u;
 	char *s,*zone=NULL,*timec,*format;
 	time_t unixtime;
-	struct timeval tv;
 	
+	s = ast_strdupa(data);
+	if (!s)
+		return data ? -1 : 0;
 	LOCAL_USER_ADD(u);
 
-	tv = ast_tvnow();
-	unixtime = (time_t)tv.tv_sec;
+	format = "c";	/* default datetime */
 
-	if( !strcasecmp(chan->language, "da" ) ) {
-		format = "A dBY HMS";
-	} else if ( !strcasecmp(chan->language, "de" ) ) {
-		format = "A dBY HMS";
-	} else {
-		format = "ABdY 'digits/at' IMp";
-	} 
-
-	if (data) {
-		s = data;
-		if ((s = ast_strdupa(s))) {
-			timec = strsep(&s,"|");
-			if ((timec) && (*timec != '\0')) {
-				long timein;
-				if (sscanf(timec,"%ld",&timein) == 1) {
-					unixtime = (time_t)timein;
-				}
-			}
-			if (s) {
-				zone = strsep(&s,"|");
-				if (zone && (*zone == '\0'))
-					zone = NULL;
-				if (s) {
-					format = s;
-				}
-			}
-		}
+	timec = strsep(&s,"|");
+	ast_get_time_t(timec, &unixtime, time(NULL));
+	if (s) {
+		zone = strsep(&s,"|");
+		if (ast_strlen_zero(zone))
+			zone = NULL;
 	}
+	if (s)	/* override format */
+		format = s;
 
-	if (chan->_state != AST_STATE_UP) {
+	if (chan->_state != AST_STATE_UP)
 		res = ast_answer(chan);
-	}
 	if (!res)
 		res = ast_say_date_with_format(chan, unixtime, AST_DIGIT_ANY, chan->language, format, zone);
 
Index: include/asterisk/config.h
===================================================================
--- include/asterisk/config.h	(revision 8431)
+++ include/asterisk/config.h	(working copy)
@@ -186,6 +186,17 @@ int ast_variable_delete(struct ast_confi
 int config_text_file_save(const char *filename, const struct ast_config *cfg, const char *generator);
 
 struct ast_config *ast_config_internal_load(const char *configfile, struct ast_config *cfg);
+
+/*
+ * helper functions to load values from strings.
+ * In all cases, the return value is 0 on success, -1 on error.
+ */
+
+/*! \brief Set *dst to the value in the string, or to _default on error.
+ * Returns -1 on error, 0 on success.
+ * In the future the syntax may be extended to parse other time specifications.
+ */
+int ast_get_time_t(const char *src, time_t *dst, time_t _default);
 
 #if defined(__cplusplus) || defined(c_plusplus)
 }
Index: funcs/func_strings.c
===================================================================
--- funcs/func_strings.c	(revision 8431)
+++ funcs/func_strings.c	(working copy)
@@ -256,8 +256,8 @@ static char *acf_strftime(struct ast_cha
 		AST_APP_ARG(timezone);
 		AST_APP_ARG(format);
 	);
-	long epochi;
-	struct tm time;
+	time_t epochi;
+	struct tm tm;
 
 	buf[0] = '\0';
 
@@ -271,16 +271,14 @@ static char *acf_strftime(struct ast_cha
 	
 	AST_STANDARD_APP_ARGS(args, parse);
 
-	if (ast_strlen_zero(args.epoch) || !sscanf(args.epoch, "%ld", &epochi)) {
-		struct timeval tv = ast_tvnow();
-		epochi = tv.tv_sec;
-	}
+	ast_get_time_t(args.epoch, &epochi, time(NULL));
+	ast_localtime(&epochi, &tm, args.timezone);
 
-	ast_localtime(&epochi, &time, args.timezone);
+	if (!args.format)
+		args.format = "%c";
 
-	if (!strftime(buf, len, args.format?args.format:"%c", &time)) {
+	if (!strftime(buf, len, args.format, &tm))
 		ast_log(LOG_WARNING, "C function strftime() output nothing?!!\n");
-	}
 	buf[len - 1] = '\0';
 
 	return buf;
Index: res/res_agi.c
===================================================================
--- res/res_agi.c	(revision 8431)
+++ res/res_agi.c	(working copy)
@@ -741,16 +705,13 @@ static int handle_saytime(struct ast_cha
 	if (res == 1)
 		return RESULT_SUCCESS;
 	fdprintf(agi->fd, "200 result=%d\n", res);
-	if (res >= 0)
-		return RESULT_SUCCESS;
-	else
-		return RESULT_FAILURE;
+	return (res >= 0) ? RESULT_SUCCESS : RESULT_FAILURE;
 }
 
 static int handle_saydatetime(struct ast_channel *chan, AGI *agi, int argc, char *argv[])
 {
 	int res=0;
-	long unixtime;
+	time_t unixtime;
 	char *format, *zone=NULL;
 	
 	if (argc < 4)
@@ -769,19 +731,15 @@ static int handle_saydatetime(struct ast
 	if (argc > 5 && !ast_strlen_zero(argv[5]))
 		zone = argv[5];
 
-	if (sscanf(argv[2], "%ld", &unixtime) != 1)
+	if (ast_get_time_t(argv[2], &unixtime, 0))
 		return RESULT_SHOWUSAGE;
 
-	res = ast_say_date_with_format(chan, (time_t) unixtime, argv[3], chan->language, format, zone);
+	res = ast_say_date_with_format(chan, unixtime, argv[3], chan->language, format, zone);
 	if (res == 1)
 		return RESULT_SUCCESS;
 
 	fdprintf(agi->fd, "200 result=%d\n", res);
-
-	if (res >= 0)
-		return RESULT_SUCCESS;
-	else
-		return RESULT_FAILURE;
+	return (res >= 0) ? RESULT_SUCCESS : RESULT_FAILURE;
 }
 
 static int handle_sayphonetic(struct ast_channel *chan, AGI *agi, int argc, char *argv[])