diff --git a/gramps2/test/.cvsignore b/gramps2/test/.cvsignore
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fe2e5865d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/gramps2/test/.cvsignore
@@ -0,0 +1,2 @@
+data
+reports
diff --git a/gramps2/test/impex.sh b/gramps2/test/impex.sh
index 51b7a4386..d44e712e3 100755
--- a/gramps2/test/impex.sh
+++ b/gramps2/test/impex.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,8 @@
 #! /bin/sh
+#
+# Import/export test for GRAMPS: Import example XML data and create GRDB,
+# check data for integrity, output in all formats, check resulting XML for
+# well-formedness and validate it against DTD and RelaxNG schema.
 
 # $Id$
 
@@ -7,30 +11,35 @@ TEST_DIR=$TOP_DIR/test
 SRC_DIR=$TOP_DIR/src
 PRG="python gramps.py"
 EXAMPLE_XML=$TOP_DIR/example/gramps/example.gramps
+
 OUT_FMT="gedcom gramps-xml gramps-pkg wft geneweb"
+DATA_DIR=$TEST_DIR/data
+mkdir -p $DATA_DIR
+if [ -f $DATA_DIR/example.grdb ]; then
+    rm $DATA_DIR/example.grdb
+fi
 
 echo ""
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 echo "| Import XML, write GRDB"
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
-rm $TEST_DIR/example.grdb
-OPTS="-i $EXAMPLE_XML -o $TEST_DIR/example.grdb"
+OPTS="-i $EXAMPLE_XML -o $DATA_DIR/example.grdb"
 (cd $SRC_DIR; $PRG $OPTS)
 
 echo ""
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 echo "| Check GRDB for errors"
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
-OPTS="-O $TEST_DIR/example.grdb -a tool -p name=check"
+OPTS="-O $DATA_DIR/example.grdb -a tool -p name=check"
 (cd $SRC_DIR; $PRG $OPTS)
 
 echo ""
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 echo "| Open GRDB, write all other formats"
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
-OPTS="-O $TEST_DIR/example.grdb"
+OPTS="-O $DATA_DIR/example.grdb"
 for fmt in $OUT_FMT; do
-    OPTS="$OPTS -o $TEST_DIR/example.$fmt -f $fmt"
+    OPTS="$OPTS -o $DATA_DIR/example.$fmt -f $fmt"
 done
 (cd $SRC_DIR; $PRG $OPTS)
 
@@ -39,8 +48,8 @@ echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 echo "| Validate produced XML"
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 echo "* Regular well-formedness and DTD validation"
-xmllint --noout --valid example.gramps-xml
+xmllint --noout --valid $DATA_DIR/example.gramps-xml
 echo "* Post-parsing DTD validation"
-xmllint --noout --postvalid example.gramps-xml
+xmllint --noout --postvalid $DATA_DIR/example.gramps-xml
 echo "* Validate against RelaxNG schema"
-xmllint --noout --relaxng ../doc/grampsxml.rng example.gramps-xml
+xmllint --noout --relaxng $TOP_DIR/doc/grampsxml.rng $DATA_DIR/example.gramps-xml
diff --git a/gramps2/test/runtest.sh b/gramps2/test/runtest.sh
index 448e48ddb..59f4ec5cb 100755
--- a/gramps2/test/runtest.sh
+++ b/gramps2/test/runtest.sh
@@ -1,11 +1,24 @@
 #! /bin/sh
+#
+# Report test for GRAMPS: Generate every report in every format.
+#
+# The results of this test set depend on what options were used
+# previously with the reports, because this test set is not
+# specifying all possible options and their combinations. 
+# Instead, this is a general test for all formats.
 
 # $Id$
 
-GDIR=`dirname $PWD`
-TDIR=$GDIR/test
-OPTS="-i $GDIR/example/gramps/example.gramps -f gramps-xml"
+TOP_DIR=`dirname $PWD`
+TEST_DIR=$TOP_DIR/test
+SRC_DIR=$TOP_DIR/src
 PRG="python gramps.py"
+EXAMPLE_XML=$TOP_DIR/example/gramps/example.gramps
+
+REP_DIR=$TEST_DIR/reports
+mkdir -p $REP_DIR
+
+OPTS="-i $EXAMPLE_XML"
 
 GRPH_FMT="sxw ps pdf svg"
 TEXT_FMT="sxw pdf kwd abw rtf txt"
@@ -16,31 +29,27 @@ TEXT_REP="ancestor_report ancestors_report descend_report det_ancestor_report de
 # Single run with all graphical reports in all formats
 echo ""
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
-echo "| Reports:"
-echo "|          "$GRPH_REP
-echo "| Formats:"
-echo "|          "$GRPH_FMT
+echo "| Graphical Reports: "$GRPH_REP
+echo "| Graphical Formats: "$GRPH_FMT
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 action=
 for report in $GRPH_REP; do
     for fmt in $GRPH_FMT; do
-	action="$action -a report -p name=$report,id=I44,off=$fmt,of=$TDIR/$report.$fmt"
+	action="$action -a report -p name=$report,id=I44,off=$fmt,of=$REP_DIR/$report.$fmt"
     done
 done
-(cd $GDIR/src; $PRG $OPTS $action)
+(cd $SRC_DIR; $PRG $OPTS $action)
 
 # Single run with all textual reports in all formats
 echo ""
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
-echo "| Reports:"
-echo "|          "$TEXT_REP
-echo "| Formats:"
-echo "|          "$TEXT_FMT
+echo "| Text Reports: "$TEXT_REP
+echo "| Text Formats: "$TEXT_FMT
 echo "+--------------------------------------------------------------"
 action=
 for report in $TEXT_REP; do
     for fmt in $TEXT_FMT; do
-	action="$action -a report -p name=$report,id=I44,off=$fmt,of=$TDIR/$report.$fmt"
+	action="$action -a report -p name=$report,id=I44,off=$fmt,of=$REP_DIR/$report.$fmt"
     done
 done
-(cd $GDIR/src; $PRG $OPTS $action)
+(cd $SRC_DIR; $PRG $OPTS $action)