diff --git a/load/funcs.js b/load/funcs.js
index 25809db..937b87e 100644
--- a/load/funcs.js
+++ b/load/funcs.js
@@ -231,6 +231,11 @@ function atcode(field,length,pad,context) {
 
 		// Count of unread messages
 		case 'msg_area_new':
+			if (args.length === 1) {
+				context = new MsgArea();
+				context.code = args[0];
+			}
+
 			if (typeof context !== 'object') {
 				log(LOG_ERROR,'Unable to render ['+field+'], no context provided');
 				break;
diff --git a/load/msgbases.js b/load/msgbases.js
index b10c89c..8111f16 100644
--- a/load/msgbases.js
+++ b/load/msgbases.js
@@ -61,15 +61,23 @@ function MsgArea() {
 		set: function(code) {
 			this.msgbase = new MsgBase(code);
 
-			if (! this.msgbase.open()) {
-				writeln(code+' cannot be opened:'+this.msgbase.error);
-				exit(2);
+			try {
+				if (this.msgbase.open()) {
+					// @todo If there are more than 10,000, take only the last 10,000.
+					this.headers = this.msgbase.get_all_msg_headers(false,false) || [];
+					this.msgbase.close();
+
+				} else {
+					log(LOG_ERROR,code+' cannot be opened:'+this.msgbase.error);
+					this.headers = [];
+				}
+
+			} catch (e) {
+				log(LOG_ERROR,code+' cannot be opened:'+e.message);
+				this.headers = [];
 			}
 
-			this.headers = this.msgbase.get_all_msg_headers(false,false) || [];
-			// @todo If there are more than 10,000, take only the last 10,000.
-
-			this.msgbase.close();
+			log(LOG_DEBUG,'msgbase:'+JSON.stringify(this.msgbase));
 		}
 	});
 
@@ -259,7 +267,7 @@ MsgArea.prototype.getMessagePage = function(number) {
 }
 
 MsgArea.prototype.getUserStats = function() {
-	return msg_area.grp_list[this.msgbase.cfg.grp_number].sub_list[msg_area.sub[this.msgbase.cfg.code].index];
+	return this.msgbase.cfg ? msg_area.grp_list[this.msgbase.cfg.grp_number].sub_list[msg_area.sub[this.msgbase.cfg.code].index] : [];
 }
 
 /**