diff --git a/src/db/db/built-in-pymacros/pcell_declaration_helper.lym b/src/db/db/built-in-pymacros/pcell_declaration_helper.lym
index 81ea44c449..24c889f31d 100644
--- a/src/db/db/built-in-pymacros/pcell_declaration_helper.lym
+++ b/src/db/db/built-in-pymacros/pcell_declaration_helper.lym
@@ -563,6 +563,7 @@ for k in dir(pya.PCellParameterDeclaration):
 
 # Inject the PCellDeclarationHelper into pya module for consistency:
 setattr(pya, "PCellDeclarationHelper", _PCellDeclarationHelper)
+pya.__all__.append("PCellDeclarationHelper")
 
 </text>
 </klayout-macro>
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbCell.cc b/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
index 83acc11826..5c9780a189 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
@@ -92,7 +92,8 @@ Cell::box_type Cell::ms_empty_box = Cell::box_type ();
 
 Cell::Cell (cell_index_type ci, db::Layout &l) 
   : db::Object (l.manager ()), 
-    m_cell_index (ci), mp_layout (&l), m_instances (this), m_prop_id (0), m_hier_levels (0), m_bbox_needs_update (false), m_ghost_cell (false), 
+    m_cell_index (ci), mp_layout (&l), m_instances (this), m_prop_id (0), m_hier_levels (0),
+    m_bbox_needs_update (false), m_ghost_cell (false),
     mp_last (0), mp_next (0)
 {
   //  .. nothing yet 
@@ -700,7 +701,7 @@ Cell::clear_parent_insts (size_t sz)
 void 
 Cell::sort_child_insts ()
 {
-  m_instances.sort_child_insts ();
+  m_instances.sort_child_insts (false);
 }
 
 std::pair<bool, db::pcell_id_type> 
@@ -744,9 +745,9 @@ Cell::change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::vector<tl::V
 }
 
 void 
-Cell::sort_inst_tree ()
+Cell::sort_inst_tree (bool force)
 {
-  m_instances.sort_inst_tree (mp_layout);
+  m_instances.sort_inst_tree (mp_layout, force);
 
   //  update the number of hierarchy levels
   m_hier_levels = count_hier_levels ();
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbCell.h b/src/db/db/dbCell.h
index 2d04bc0ba2..0d74ae1abb 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbCell.h
+++ b/src/db/db/dbCell.h
@@ -1076,7 +1076,7 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Cell
   db::properties_id_type m_prop_id;
 
   // packed fields
-  unsigned int m_hier_levels : 29;
+  unsigned int m_hier_levels : 30;
   bool m_bbox_needs_update : 1;
   bool m_ghost_cell : 1;
 
@@ -1147,9 +1147,9 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Cell
    *  This will sort the cell instance list. As a prerequesite
    *  the cell's bounding boxes must have been computed.
    *
-   *  @param layers The maximum number of layers in the child cells
+   *  @param force Force sorting, even if not strictly needed
    */
-  void sort_inst_tree ();
+  void sort_inst_tree (bool force);
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbInstances.cc b/src/db/db/dbInstances.cc
index 22248152a3..1ed3aa44ff 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbInstances.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbInstances.cc
@@ -940,6 +940,9 @@ Instances::operator= (const Instances &d)
 
     m_parent_insts = d.m_parent_insts;
 
+    set_instance_by_cell_index_needs_made (true);
+    set_instance_tree_needs_sort (true);
+
   }
   return *this;
 }
@@ -947,13 +950,24 @@ Instances::operator= (const Instances &d)
 bool 
 Instances::is_editable () const
 {
-  return mp_cell && mp_cell->layout () ? mp_cell->layout ()->is_editable () : true;
+  return cell () && cell ()->layout () ? cell ()->layout ()->is_editable () : true;
 }
 
 db::Layout *
 Instances::layout () const
 {
-  return mp_cell ? mp_cell->layout () : 0;
+  return cell () ? cell ()->layout () : 0;
+}
+
+void
+Instances::invalidate_insts ()
+{
+  if (cell ()) {
+    cell ()->invalidate_insts ();
+  }
+
+  set_instance_by_cell_index_needs_made (true);
+  set_instance_tree_needs_sort (true);
 }
 
 template <class Tag, class ET, class I>
@@ -962,14 +976,15 @@ Instances::erase_positions (Tag tag, ET editable_tag, I first, I last)
 {
   typedef instances_editable_traits<ET> editable_traits;
 
-  if (mp_cell) { 
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();  //  HINT: must come before the change is done!
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  invalidate_insts ();  //  HINT: must come before the change is done!
+
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
       if (! is_editable ()) {
         throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("No undo/redo support for non-editable instance lists in 'erase_positions'")));
       }
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, first, last, true /*dummy*/));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, first, last, true /*dummy*/));
     }
   }
 
@@ -983,18 +998,19 @@ Instances::insert (const InstArray &inst)
 {
   bool editable = is_editable ();
 
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
       if (editable) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, inst));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, inst));
       } else {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, inst));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, inst));
       }
     }
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
   }
 
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
   // TODO: simplify this, i.e. through instance_from_pointer
   if (editable) {
     return instance_type (this, inst_tree (typename InstArray::tag (), InstancesEditableTag ()).insert (inst));
@@ -1010,14 +1026,14 @@ Instances::insert (I from, I to)
   typedef std::iterator_traits<I> it_traits;
   typedef typename it_traits::value_type value_type;
 
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<typename it_traits::value_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, from, to));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<typename it_traits::value_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, from, to));
     }
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
   }
 
+  invalidate_insts ();
   inst_tree (typename value_type::tag (), ET ()).insert (from, to);
 }
 
@@ -1061,20 +1077,21 @@ template <class InstArray>
 void 
 Instances::replace (const InstArray *replace, const InstArray &with)
 {
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
       if (is_editable ()) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (false /*not insert*/, *replace));
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, with));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (false /*not insert*/, *replace));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, with));
       } else {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (false /*not insert*/, *replace));
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, with));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (false /*not insert*/, *replace));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<InstArray, InstancesNonEditableTag> (true /*insert*/, with));
       }
     }
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
   }
 
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
   //  HINT: this only works because we know our box trees well:
   *((InstArray *)replace) = with;
 }
@@ -1150,11 +1167,12 @@ Instances::erase_inst_by_iter (Tag tag, ET editable_tag, I iter)
     throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("Trying to erase an object from a list that it does not belong to")));
   }
 
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, *iter));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, *iter));
     }
   }
 
@@ -1165,11 +1183,12 @@ template <class Tag, class ET>
 void 
 Instances::erase_inst_by_tag (Tag tag, ET editable_tag, const typename Tag::object_type &obj)
 {
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, obj));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<typename Tag::object_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, obj));
     }
   }
 
@@ -1197,16 +1216,17 @@ template <class ET>
 void
 Instances::clear_insts (ET editable_tag)
 {
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
       const Instances *const_this = this;
       if (! const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).empty ()) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
       }
       if (! const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).empty ()) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1227,9 +1247,7 @@ Instances::clear_insts ()
 void 
 Instances::clear (Instances::cell_inst_array_type::tag) 
 {
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-  }
+  invalidate_insts ();
 
   if (m_generic.any) {
     if (is_editable ()) {
@@ -1244,9 +1262,7 @@ Instances::clear (Instances::cell_inst_array_type::tag)
 void 
 Instances::clear (Instances::cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag) 
 {
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-  }
+  invalidate_insts ();
 
   if (m_generic_wp.any) {
     if (is_editable ()) {
@@ -1371,8 +1387,13 @@ struct cell_inst_compare_f
 };
 
 void 
-Instances::sort_child_insts () 
+Instances::sort_child_insts (bool force)
 {
+  if (! force && ! instance_by_cell_index_needs_made ()) {
+    return;
+  }
+  set_instance_by_cell_index_needs_made (false);
+
   m_insts_by_cell_index = sorted_inst_vector ();
   m_insts_by_cell_index.reserve (cell_instances ());
 
@@ -1406,15 +1427,20 @@ Instances::sort_child_insts ()
 }
 
 void 
-Instances::sort_inst_tree (const Layout *g)
+Instances::sort_inst_tree (const Layout *g, bool force)
 {
+  if (! force && ! instance_tree_needs_sort ()) {
+    return;
+  }
+  set_instance_tree_needs_sort (false);
+
   if (m_generic.any) {
     if (is_editable ()) {
       m_generic.stable_tree->sort (cell_inst_array_box_converter (*g));
     } else {
       m_generic.unstable_tree->sort (cell_inst_array_box_converter (*g));
       //  since we use unstable instance trees in non-editable mode, we need to resort the child instances in this case
-      sort_child_insts ();
+      sort_child_insts (true);
     }
   }
   if (m_generic_wp.any) {
@@ -1423,7 +1449,7 @@ Instances::sort_inst_tree (const Layout *g)
     } else {
       m_generic_wp.unstable_tree->sort (cell_inst_wp_array_box_converter (*g));
       //  since we use unstable instance trees in non-editable mode, we need to resort the child instances in this case
-      sort_child_insts ();
+      sort_child_insts (true);
     }
   }
 
@@ -1603,16 +1629,17 @@ void Instances::apply_op (const Op &op, ET editable_tag)
   bool has_insts = ! const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).empty ();
   bool has_wp_insts = ! const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).empty ();
 
-  if (mp_cell) {
-    mp_cell->invalidate_insts ();
-    if (mp_cell->manager () && mp_cell->manager ()->transacting ()) {
+  invalidate_insts ();
+
+  if (cell ()) {
+    if (cell ()->manager () && cell ()->manager ()->transacting ()) {
       check_is_editable_for_undo_redo (this);
       transacting = true;
       if (has_insts) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
       }
       if (has_wp_insts) {
-        mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+        cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (false /*not insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
       }
     }
   }
@@ -1637,10 +1664,10 @@ void Instances::apply_op (const Op &op, ET editable_tag)
 
   if (transacting) {
     if (has_insts) {
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_array_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
     }
     if (has_wp_insts) {
-      mp_cell->manager ()->queue (mp_cell, new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
+      cell ()->manager ()->queue (cell (), new db::InstOp<cell_inst_wp_array_type, ET> (true /*insert*/, const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).begin (), const_this->inst_tree (cell_inst_wp_array_type::tag (), editable_tag).end ()));
     }
   }
 }
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbInstances.h b/src/db/db/dbInstances.h
index 9a75759418..60c2a2a696 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbInstances.h
+++ b/src/db/db/dbInstances.h
@@ -1547,16 +1547,18 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Instances
 
   /**
    *  @brief Establish the instance index list giving the instances by cell index
+   *  If force is true, the instance tree is always sorted.
    */
-  void sort_child_insts ();
+  void sort_child_insts (bool force);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Sort the cell instance list
    *
-   *  This will sort the cell instance list. As a prerequesite
+   *  This will sort the cell instance list (quad tree sort). As a prerequesite
    *  the cell's bounding boxes must have been computed.
+   *  If force is true, the instance tree is always sorted.
    */
-  void sort_inst_tree (const layout_type *g);
+  void sort_inst_tree (const layout_type *g, bool force);
 
   /**
    *  @brief Update the child-parent relationships
@@ -1701,14 +1703,6 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Instances
     return m_parent_insts.end () == m_parent_insts.begin ();
   }
 
-  /**
-   *  @brief Gets the cell pointer the instance container is in
-   */
-  db::Cell *cell () const
-  {
-    return mp_cell;
-  }
-
   /**
    *  @brief Gets the layout the instances collection lives in
    */
@@ -1724,6 +1718,14 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Instances
    */
   bool is_editable () const;
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Gets the cell pointer
+   */
+  cell_type *cell () const
+  {
+    return reinterpret_cast<cell_type *> (size_t (mp_cell) & ~size_t (3));
+  }
+
   /**
    *  @brief Delegate for the undo method
    */
@@ -1735,6 +1737,7 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Instances
   void redo (db::Op *op);
 
 private:
+  friend class Instance;
   friend struct NormalInstanceIteratorTraits;
   friend struct TouchingInstanceIteratorTraits;
   friend struct OverlappingInstanceIteratorTraits;
@@ -1761,6 +1764,43 @@ class DB_PUBLIC Instances
   static stable_cell_inst_wp_tree_type ms_empty_stable_wp_tree;
   static stable_cell_inst_tree_type ms_empty_stable_tree;
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Sets a flag indicating that the instance tree needs sorting
+   */
+  void set_instance_tree_needs_sort (bool f)
+  {
+    mp_cell = reinterpret_cast<cell_type *> ((size_t (mp_cell) & ~size_t (1)) | size_t (f ? 1 : 0));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Sets a flag indicating that the instance tree needs sorting
+   */
+  bool instance_tree_needs_sort () const
+  {
+    return (size_t (mp_cell) & 1) != 0;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Sets a flag indicating that the instance by cell index cache needs made
+   */
+  void set_instance_by_cell_index_needs_made (bool f)
+  {
+    mp_cell = reinterpret_cast<cell_type *> ((size_t (mp_cell) & ~size_t (2)) | size_t (f ? 2 : 0));
+  }
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Sets a flag indicating that the instance tree needs sorting
+   */
+  bool instance_by_cell_index_needs_made () const
+  {
+    return (size_t (mp_cell) & 2) != 0;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Invalidates the instance information - called whenever something changes
+   */
+  void invalidate_insts ();
+
   /**
    *  @brief Get the non-editable instance tree by instance type
    */
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbLayout.cc b/src/db/db/dbLayout.cc
index 1790caadc6..a02ffa9498 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbLayout.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbLayout.cc
@@ -1097,15 +1097,17 @@ Layout::do_prune_cell_or_subcell (cell_index_type id, int levels, bool subcells)
   //  collect the called cells
   std::set <cell_index_type> called;
   cref.collect_called_cells (called, levels);
-  called.insert (id);
+  if (! subcells) {
+    called.insert (id);
+  }
 
   //  From these cells erase all cells that have parents outside the subtree of our cell.
   //  Make sure this is done recursively by doing this top-down.
   for (top_down_iterator c = begin_top_down (); c != end_top_down (); ++c) {
-    if (called.find (*c) != called.end () && *c != id) {
+    if (*c != id && called.find (*c) != called.end ()) {
       db::Cell &ccref = cell (*c);
       for (db::Cell::parent_cell_iterator pc = ccref.begin_parent_cells (); pc != ccref.end_parent_cells (); ++pc) {
-        if (called.find (*pc) == called.end ()) {
+        if (*pc != id && called.find (*pc) == called.end ()) {
           //  we have a parent outside the subset considered currently (either the cell was never in or
           //  it was removed itself already): remove this cell from the set of valid subcells.
           called.erase (*c);
@@ -1115,17 +1117,8 @@ Layout::do_prune_cell_or_subcell (cell_index_type id, int levels, bool subcells)
     }
   }
 
-  //  order the called cells bottom-up 
-  std::vector <cell_index_type> cells_to_delete;
-  cells_to_delete.reserve (called.size ());
-  for (bottom_up_iterator c = begin_bottom_up (); c != end_bottom_up (); ++c) {
-    if (called.find (*c) != called.end () && (!subcells || *c != id)) {
-      cells_to_delete.push_back (*c);
-    }
-  }
-
-  //  and delete these cells
-  delete_cells (cells_to_delete.begin (), cells_to_delete.end ());
+  //  and delete the cells
+  delete_cells (called);
 
   //  erase all instances in the subcells case (because, by definition we don't have any more instances)
   if (subcells) {
@@ -1799,8 +1792,9 @@ Layout::do_update ()
       for (bottom_up_iterator c = begin_bottom_up (); c != end_bottom_up (); ++c) {
         ++*pr;
         cell_type &cp (cell (*c));
-        if (hier_dirty () || dirty_parents.find (*c) != dirty_parents.end ()) {
-          cp.sort_inst_tree ();
+        bool force_sort_inst_tree = dirty_parents.find (*c) != dirty_parents.end ();
+        if (hier_dirty () || force_sort_inst_tree) {
+          cp.sort_inst_tree (force_sort_inst_tree);
         }
         if (cp.layers () > layers) {
           layers = cp.layers ();
diff --git a/src/edt/edt/edtPCellParametersPage.cc b/src/edt/edt/edtPCellParametersPage.cc
index 173b72b93e..6605323bcb 100644
--- a/src/edt/edt/edtPCellParametersPage.cc
+++ b/src/edt/edt/edtPCellParametersPage.cc
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@
 #include "layQtTools.h"
 #include "layLayoutViewBase.h"
 #include "layDispatcher.h"
+#include "layBusy.h"
 #include "tlScriptError.h"
 
 #include <QFrame>
@@ -604,6 +605,10 @@ PCellParametersPage::parameter_changed ()
   if (! mp_view->cellview (m_cv_index).is_valid ()) {
     return;
   }
+  if (lay::BusySection::is_busy ()) {
+    //  ignore events for example during debugger execution
+    return;
+  }
 
   const std::vector<db::PCellParameterDeclaration> &pcp = mp_pcell_decl->parameter_declarations ();
   const db::PCellParameterDeclaration *pd = 0;
@@ -623,6 +628,7 @@ PCellParametersPage::parameter_changed ()
     //  This is just about providing the inputs for the callback.
     get_parameters_internal (states, edit_error);
 
+    //  Note: checking for is_busy prevents callbacks during debugger execution
     if (! edit_error) {
       mp_pcell_decl->callback (mp_view->cellview (m_cv_index)->layout (), pd ? pd->get_name () : std::string (), states);
       m_states = states;
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.cc b/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.cc
index b0980c3154..2cb13c178c 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.cc
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.cc
@@ -148,18 +148,18 @@ MacroEditorHighlighters::MacroEditorHighlighters (QObject *parent)
 
   for (std::vector<std::pair<std::string, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes> >::iterator a = m_attributes.begin (); a != m_attributes.end (); ++a) {
     //  Note: this loads and initializes the attributes
-    delete highlighter_for_scheme (parent, a->first, &a->second); 
+    delete highlighter_for_scheme (parent, a->first, &a->second, true);
   }
 }
 
 QSyntaxHighlighter *
-MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for (QObject *parent, lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name)
+MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for (QObject *parent, lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name, bool initialize)
 {
   std::string scheme = scheme_for (lang, dsl_name);
 
   for (std::vector<std::pair<std::string, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes> >::iterator a = m_attributes.begin (); a != m_attributes.end (); ++a) {
     if (a->first == scheme) {
-      return highlighter_for_scheme (parent, a->first, &a->second);
+      return highlighter_for_scheme (parent, a->first, &a->second, initialize);
     }
   }
 
@@ -167,7 +167,7 @@ MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for (QObject *parent, lym::Macro::Interpret
 }
 
 lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *
-MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for_scheme (QObject *parent, const std::string &scheme, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes)
+MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for_scheme (QObject *parent, const std::string &scheme, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes, bool initialize)
 {
   if (! scheme.empty ()) {
 
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ MacroEditorHighlighters::highlighter_for_scheme (QObject *parent, const std::str
 
     QBuffer input (&data);
     input.open (QIODevice::ReadOnly);
-    lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *hl = new GenericSyntaxHighlighter (parent, input, attributes);
+    lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *hl = new GenericSyntaxHighlighter (parent, input, attributes, initialize);
     input.close ();
 
     return hl;
@@ -1096,7 +1096,7 @@ void MacroEditorPage::connect_macro (lym::Macro *macro)
       mp_text->setPlainText (tl::to_qstring (mp_macro->text ()));
       mp_text->setReadOnly (macro->is_readonly ());
       mp_readonly_label->setVisible (macro->is_readonly ());
-      mp_highlighter = mp_highlighters->highlighter_for (mp_text, mp_macro->interpreter (), mp_macro->dsl_interpreter ());
+      mp_highlighter = mp_highlighters->highlighter_for (mp_text, mp_macro->interpreter (), mp_macro->dsl_interpreter (), false);
       if (mp_highlighter) {
         mp_highlighter->setDocument (mp_text->document ());
       }
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.h b/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.h
index 3e4e1fbf63..3305d159de 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.h
+++ b/src/lay/lay/layMacroEditorPage.h
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class MacroEditorHighlighters
 public:
   MacroEditorHighlighters (QObject *parent);
 
-  QSyntaxHighlighter *highlighter_for (QObject *parent, lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name);
+  QSyntaxHighlighter *highlighter_for (QObject *parent, lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name, bool initialize);
 
   GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes_for (lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name);
   GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *basic_attributes ();
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ class MacroEditorHighlighters
   std::vector<std::pair<std::string, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes> > m_attributes;
   GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes m_basic_attributes;
 
-  lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *highlighter_for_scheme (QObject *parent, const std::string &scheme, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes);
+  lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *highlighter_for_scheme (QObject *parent, const std::string &scheme, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes, bool initialize);
   std::string scheme_for (lym::Macro::Interpreter lang, const std::string &dsl_name);
 };
 
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample.lym b/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample.lym
index 5bd0725661..358945d32e 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample.lym
+++ b/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample.lym
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ module MyLib
       super
 
       # declare the parameters
-      param(:l, TypeLayer, "Layer", :default =&gt; LayerInfo::new(1, 0))
+      param(:l, TypeLayer, "Layer")
       param(:s, TypeShape, "", :default =&gt; DPoint::new(0, 0))
       param(:r, TypeDouble, "Radius", :default =&gt; 0.1)
       param(:n, TypeInt, "Number of points", :default =&gt; 64)     
@@ -100,18 +100,14 @@ module MyLib
     
       # This is the main part of the implementation: create the layout
 
-      # fetch the parameters
-      ru_dbu = ru / layout.dbu
-      
       # compute the circle
-      pts = []
       da = Math::PI * 2 / n
-      n.times do |i|
-        pts.push(Point.from_dpoint(DPoint.new(ru_dbu * Math::cos(i * da), ru_dbu * Math::sin(i * da))))
+      pts = n.times.collect do |i|
+        DPoint.new(ru * Math::cos(i * da), ru * Math::sin(i * da))
       end
       
       # create the shape
-      cell.shapes(l_layer).insert(Polygon.new(pts))
+      cell.shapes(l_layer).insert(DPolygon.new(pts))
       
     end
   
diff --git a/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample_python.lym b/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample_python.lym
index 42f9e524de..f2a60bdbca 100644
--- a/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample_python.lym
+++ b/src/lay/lay/macro_templates/pcell_sample_python.lym
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ class Circle(pya.PCellDeclarationHelper):
     super(Circle, self).__init__()
 
     # declare the parameters
-    self.param("l", self.TypeLayer, "Layer", default = pya.LayerInfo(1, 0))
+    self.param("l", self.TypeLayer, "Layer")
     self.param("s", self.TypeShape, "", default = pya.DPoint(0, 0))
     self.param("r", self.TypeDouble, "Radius", default = 0.1)
     self.param("n", self.TypeInt, "Number of points", default = 64)     
@@ -88,17 +88,12 @@ class Circle(pya.PCellDeclarationHelper):
   
     # This is the main part of the implementation: create the layout
 
-    # fetch the parameters
-    ru_dbu = self.ru / self.layout.dbu
-    
     # compute the circle
-    pts = []
     da = math.pi * 2 / self.n
-    for i in range(0, self.n):
-      pts.append(pya.Point.from_dpoint(pya.DPoint(ru_dbu * math.cos(i * da), ru_dbu * math.sin(i * da))))
+    pts = [ pya.DPoint(self.ru * math.cos(i * da), self.ru * math.sin(i * da)) for i in range(0, self.n) ]
     
     # create the shape
-    self.cell.shapes(self.l_layer).insert(pya.Polygon(pts))
+    self.cell.shapes(self.l_layer).insert(pya.DPolygon(pts))
 
 
 class MyLib(pya.Library):
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.cc b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.cc
index 27ffa530b3..9f4fa5b47d 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.cc
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.cc
@@ -2777,8 +2777,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_screenshot ()
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Save screenshot")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
   
   return mp_canvas->screenshot ().to_image_copy ();
 }
@@ -2789,8 +2788,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_screenshot_pb ()
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Save screenshot")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   return mp_canvas->screenshot ();
 }
@@ -2828,9 +2826,8 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_screenshot (const std::string &fn)
     writer.setText (tl::to_qstring (i->first), tl::to_qstring (i->second));
   }
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
-  
+  refresh ();
+
   if (! writer.write (mp_canvas->screenshot ().to_image ())) {
     throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("Unable to write screenshot to file: %s (%s)")), fn, tl::to_string (writer.errorString ()));
   }
@@ -2843,8 +2840,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_screenshot (const std::string &fn)
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Save screenshot")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   tl::OutputStream stream (fn);
   tl::PixelBuffer img = mp_canvas->screenshot ();
@@ -2867,9 +2863,8 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_image (unsigned int width, unsigned int height)
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Get image")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
-  
+  refresh ();
+
   return mp_canvas->image (width, height).to_image_copy ();
 }
 #endif
@@ -2879,8 +2874,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_pixels (unsigned int width, unsigned int height)
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Get image")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   return mp_canvas->image (width, height);
 }
@@ -2892,9 +2886,8 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_image_with_options (unsigned int width, unsigned int height,
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Get image")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
-  
+  refresh ();
+
   if (monochrome) {
     return mp_canvas->image_with_options_mono (width, height, linewidth, background, foreground, active, target_box).to_image_copy ();
   } else {
@@ -2909,8 +2902,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_pixels_with_options (unsigned int width, unsigned int height
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Get image")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   return mp_canvas->image_with_options (width, height, linewidth, oversampling, resolution, background, foreground, active, target_box);
 }
@@ -2921,8 +2913,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::get_pixels_with_options_mono (unsigned int width, unsigned int h
 {
   tl::SelfTimer timer (tl::verbosity () >= 11, tl::to_string (tr ("Get image")));
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   return mp_canvas->image_with_options_mono (width, height, linewidth, background, foreground, active, target_box);
 }
@@ -2941,9 +2932,8 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_image (const std::string &fn, unsigned int width, unsigned
     writer.setText (tl::to_qstring (i->first), tl::to_qstring (i->second));
   }
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
-  
+  refresh ();
+
   if (! writer.write (mp_canvas->image (width, height).to_image ())) {
     throw tl::Exception (tl::to_string (tr ("Unable to write screenshot to file: %s (%s)")), fn, tl::to_string (writer.errorString ()));
   }
@@ -2958,8 +2948,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_image (const std::string &fn, unsigned int width, unsigned
 
   lay::Viewport vp (width, height, mp_canvas->viewport ().target_box ());
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   tl::OutputStream stream (fn);
   tl::PixelBuffer img = mp_canvas->image (width, height);
@@ -2993,8 +2982,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_image_with_options (const std::string &fn,
     writer.setText (tl::to_qstring (i->first), tl::to_qstring (i->second));
   }
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   if (monochrome) {
     if (! writer.write (mp_canvas->image_with_options_mono (width, height, linewidth, background, foreground, active, target_box).to_image ())) {
@@ -3019,8 +3007,7 @@ LayoutViewBase::save_image_with_options (const std::string &fn,
   lay::Viewport vp (width, height, mp_canvas->viewport ().target_box ());
   std::vector<std::pair<std::string, std::string> > texts = png_texts (this, vp.box ());
 
-  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
-  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+  refresh ();
 
   tl::OutputStream stream (fn);
   if (monochrome) {
@@ -3698,6 +3685,16 @@ LayoutViewBase::timer ()
   }
 }
 
+void
+LayoutViewBase::refresh ()
+{
+  //  Execute all deferred methods - ensure there are no pending tasks
+  tl::DeferredMethodScheduler::execute ();
+
+  //  Issue a "tick" to execute all other pending tasks
+  timer ();
+}
+
 void
 LayoutViewBase::force_update_content ()
 {
diff --git a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.h b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.h
index 5faf144a89..fe826a2e01 100644
--- a/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.h
+++ b/src/laybasic/laybasic/layLayoutViewBase.h
@@ -2917,6 +2917,8 @@ class LAYBASIC_PUBLIC LayoutViewBase :
   void init_layer_properties (LayerProperties &props, const LayerPropertiesList &lp_list) const;
   void merge_dither_pattern (lay::LayerPropertiesList &props);
 
+  void refresh ();
+
 protected:
   /**
    *  @brief Constructor for calling from a LayoutView
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layDialogs.cc b/src/layui/layui/layDialogs.cc
index dae96cc00d..b35d5bc11d 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layDialogs.cc
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layDialogs.cc
@@ -1095,7 +1095,7 @@ UserPropertiesForm::UserPropertiesForm (QWidget *parent)
   input.open (QIODevice::ReadOnly);
   mp_hl_basic_attributes.reset (new GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes ());
   mp_hl_attributes.reset (new GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes (mp_hl_basic_attributes.get ()));
-  lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *hl = new GenericSyntaxHighlighter (mp_ui->text_edit, input, mp_hl_attributes.get ());
+  lay::GenericSyntaxHighlighter *hl = new GenericSyntaxHighlighter (mp_ui->text_edit, input, mp_hl_attributes.get (), true);
   input.close ();
 
   hl->setDocument (mp_ui->text_edit->document ());
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.cc b/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.cc
index 8a8d9ff2df..3a3cd7e75a 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.cc
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.cc
@@ -975,6 +975,12 @@ GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes::assign (const GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttrib
   m_ids = other.m_ids;
 }
 
+bool
+GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes::has_attribute (const QString &name) const
+{
+  return m_ids.find (name) != m_ids.end ();
+}
+
 int 
 GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes::id (const QString &name)
 {
@@ -1467,9 +1473,15 @@ parse_context (QDomElement e, const std::map<QString, QDomElement> &contexts_by_
 }
 
 static void 
-parse_item_data (QDomElement e, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes &attributes)
+parse_item_data (QDomElement e, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes &attributes, bool initialize)
 {
   QString name = e.attributeNode (QString::fromUtf8 ("name")).value ();
+
+  //  skip attribute if already present so we don't overwrite specific settings
+  if (! initialize && attributes.has_attribute (name)) {
+    return;
+  }
+
   int attribute_id = attributes.id (name);
 
   def_style ds = dsNormal;
@@ -1532,7 +1544,7 @@ parse_item_data (QDomElement e, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes &attributes)
   attributes.set_styles (attribute_id, ds, format);
 }
 
-GenericSyntaxHighlighter::GenericSyntaxHighlighter (QObject *parent, QIODevice &input, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes)
+GenericSyntaxHighlighter::GenericSyntaxHighlighter (QObject *parent, QIODevice &input, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes, bool initialize_attributes)
   : QSyntaxHighlighter (parent), mp_attributes (attributes), m_generation_id (0)
 {
   QDomDocument d;
@@ -1593,7 +1605,7 @@ GenericSyntaxHighlighter::GenericSyntaxHighlighter (QObject *parent, QIODevice &
           if (nn.isElement()) {
             QDomElement ee = nn.toElement ();
             if (ee.tagName () == QString::fromUtf8 ("itemData")) {
-              parse_item_data (ee, *mp_attributes);
+              parse_item_data (ee, *mp_attributes, initialize_attributes);
             }
           }
         }
diff --git a/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.h b/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.h
index 037536df30..35fef725b9 100644
--- a/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.h
+++ b/src/layui/layui/layGenericSyntaxHighlighter.h
@@ -607,6 +607,11 @@ class LAYUI_PUBLIC GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes
     return m_ids.end ();
   }
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Gets a value indicating whether the given name is present already
+   */
+  bool has_attribute (const QString &name) const;
+
   /**
    *  @brief Get the attribute ID for a given name
    *
@@ -716,7 +721,14 @@ class LAYUI_PUBLIC GenericSyntaxHighlighter
   : public QSyntaxHighlighter
 {
 public: 
-  GenericSyntaxHighlighter (QObject *parent, QIODevice &input, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes);
+  /**
+   *  @brief Creates a GenericSyntaxHighlighter
+   *  @param parent The owner of the highlighter
+   *  @param input The stream from which to pull
+   *  @param attributes The attributes
+   *  @param initialize_attributes If true, the attributes are initialized from the itemData lines
+   */
+  GenericSyntaxHighlighter (QObject *parent, QIODevice &input, GenericSyntaxHighlighterAttributes *attributes, bool initialize_attributes);
   
   /**
    *  @brief Implementation of the highlighter
diff --git a/src/plugins/streamers/cif/db_plugin/dbCIFReader.cc b/src/plugins/streamers/cif/db_plugin/dbCIFReader.cc
index 2a9af45890..f24e04cdcb 100644
--- a/src/plugins/streamers/cif/db_plugin/dbCIFReader.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/streamers/cif/db_plugin/dbCIFReader.cc
@@ -164,6 +164,7 @@ CIFReader::get_char ()
     error ("Unexpected end of file");
     return 0;
   } else {
+    m_progress.set (m_stream.line_number ());
     return m_stream.get_char ();
   }
 }
@@ -823,6 +824,8 @@ void
 CIFReader::do_read (db::Layout &layout)
 {
   try {
+
+    db::LayoutLocker locker (&layout);
   
     double sf = 0.01 / m_dbu;
     layout.dbu (m_dbu);
diff --git a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbDEFImporter.cc b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbDEFImporter.cc
index c36f6a1148..3baced4f59 100644
--- a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbDEFImporter.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbDEFImporter.cc
@@ -1150,6 +1150,22 @@ DEFImporter::read_vias (db::Layout &layout, db::Cell & /*design*/, double scale)
   }
 }
 
+//  issue #1470
+static std::string fix_pin_name (const std::string &pin_name)
+{
+  auto pos = pin_name.find (".extra");
+  if (pos == std::string::npos) {
+    return pin_name;
+  } else {
+    //  TODO: do we need to be more specific?
+    //  Formally, the allowed specs are:
+    //    pinname.extraN
+    //    pinname.extraN[n]
+    //    pinname.extraN[n][m]...
+    return std::string (pin_name.begin (), pin_name.begin () + pos);
+  }
+}
+
 void
 DEFImporter::read_pins (db::Layout &layout, db::Cell &design, double scale)
 {
@@ -1282,7 +1298,7 @@ DEFImporter::read_pins (db::Layout &layout, db::Cell &design, double scale)
       if (flush || ! peek ("+")) {
 
         //  TODO: put a label on every single object?
-        std::string label = pin_name;
+        std::string label = fix_pin_name (pin_name);
         /* don't add the direction currently, a name is sufficient
         if (! dir.empty ()) {
           label += ":";
@@ -1541,6 +1557,20 @@ DEFImporter::read_components (db::Layout &layout, std::list<std::pair<std::strin
         d = pt - m->second.bbox.transformed (ft).lower_left ();
         is_placed = true;
 
+      } else if (test ("UNPLACED")) {
+
+        //  invalid "UNPLACED", but yet it appears to be existing (#1307)
+        if (test ("(")) {
+
+          db::Point pt = get_point (scale);
+          test (")");
+
+          ft = get_orient (false /*mandatory*/);
+          d = pt - m->second.bbox.transformed (ft).lower_left ();
+          is_placed = true;
+
+        }
+
       } else if (test ("MASKSHIFT")) {
 
         maskshift = get ();
diff --git a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbLEFImporter.cc b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbLEFImporter.cc
index 92a8046ff3..277bd9861d 100644
--- a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbLEFImporter.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/db_plugin/dbLEFImporter.cc
@@ -968,7 +968,7 @@ LEFImporter::read_macro (Layout &layout)
         foreign_name = cn;
 
         if (foreign_name != mn) {
-          warn (tl::to_string (tr ("FOREIGN name differs from MACRO name in macro: ")) + mn);
+          warn (tl::to_string (tl::sprintf (tl::to_string (tr ("FOREIGN name %s differs from MACRO %s")), foreign_name, mn)));
         }
 
       }
diff --git a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/unit_tests/dbLEFDEFImportTests.cc b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/unit_tests/dbLEFDEFImportTests.cc
index a6c99e04df..deabd9dbcf 100644
--- a/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/unit_tests/dbLEFDEFImportTests.cc
+++ b/src/plugins/streamers/lefdef/unit_tests/dbLEFDEFImportTests.cc
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@ TEST(def2)
 {
   db::LEFDEFReaderOptions options = default_options ();
   options.set_cell_outline_layer ("OUTLINE (10/0)");
-  run_test (_this, "def2", "lef:0.lef+lef:1.lef+def:in.def.gz", "au_2.oas.gz", options);
+  run_test (_this, "def2", "lef:0.lef+lef:1.lef+def:in.def.gz", "au_3.oas.gz", options);
 }
 
 TEST(def3)
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@ TEST(def16)
   //  (complete example)
   db::LEFDEFReaderOptions opt = default_options ();
   opt.set_macro_resolution_mode (1);
-  run_test (_this, "def16", "lef:a.lef+lef:tech.lef+def:a.def", "au_2.oas.gz", opt);
+  run_test (_this, "def16", "lef:a.lef+lef:tech.lef+def:a.def", "au_3.oas.gz", opt);
 }
 
 TEST(100)
diff --git a/testdata/lefdef/mapfile/in.def b/testdata/lefdef/mapfile/in.def
index f24be607b0..5c6012aab7 100644
--- a/testdata/lefdef/mapfile/in.def
+++ b/testdata/lefdef/mapfile/in.def
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ UNITS DISTANCE MICRONS 1000 ;
 DIEAREA ( 0 0 ) ( 1000 2000 ) ;
 
 COMPONENTS 3 ;
- - macro1 macro1 + PLACED ( 0 0 ) N ;
+ - macro1 macro1 + UNPLACED ( 0 0 ) N ;
 END COMPONENTS
 
 SPECIALNETS 1 ;
diff --git a/testdata/python/dbPCells.py b/testdata/python/dbPCells.py
index 88f3f6f366..e51c648fd3 100644
--- a/testdata/python/dbPCells.py
+++ b/testdata/python/dbPCells.py
@@ -163,6 +163,12 @@ def nh(h):
 
 class DBPCellTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
+  def test_0(self):
+
+    # PCellDeclarationHelper is inside "pya.__all__"
+    if hasattr(pya, "__all__"):
+      self.assertEqual("PCellDeclarationHelper" in pya.__all__, True)
+
   def test_1(self):
 
     # instantiate and register the library