diff --git a/data/examples/config/config.ct b/data/examples/config/config.ct
index f10e5330..10591dda 100644
--- a/data/examples/config/config.ct
+++ b/data/examples/config/config.ct
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ import win32;
 import cstdlib as libc;
 
 export struct StringView {
-    front: *char;
-    back: *char;
+    front: *const(char);
+    back: *const(char);
 }
 
 export struct ConfigEntry {
@@ -60,17 +60,36 @@ def readUntil(current: *char, terminator: char): StringView {
     };
 }
 
+const kGlobalSectionName = "global";
+
 export def openConfigFile(path: str): ConfigFile {
     var file = mapFileHandle(path);
     if file.fileView == libc::null {
         return .{ };
     }
 
-    var sections: [*]ConfigSection = libc::malloc(__sizeof(ConfigSection) * 4);
+    var sections: [*]ConfigSection = libc::malloc(__sizeof(ConfigSection) * 8);
     var entries: [*]ConfigEntry = libc::malloc(__sizeof(ConfigEntry) * 16);
 
-    var index: uint = 0;
+    file.sections = sections;
+    file.entries = entries;
+
+    const innerName = kGlobalSectionName;
 
+    const globalName: StringView = .{
+        front = kGlobalSectionName,
+        back = &kGlobalSectionName[6]
+    };
+
+    sections[0] = .{
+        name = globalName,
+        firstEntry = 0,
+        lastEntry = 0
+    };
+
+    file.sectionCount = 1;
+
+    var index: uint = 0;
     while index < file.fileSize {
         const letter = file.fileView[index];
         index = index + 1;
diff --git a/src/language/ctu/src/sema/expr.c b/src/language/ctu/src/sema/expr.c
index 316f7fd4..cfd275b1 100644
--- a/src/language/ctu/src/sema/expr.c
+++ b/src/language/ctu/src/sema/expr.c
@@ -215,6 +215,19 @@ static tree_t *sema_load(tree_t *sema, const ctu_t *expr, const tree_t *implicit
 
     tree_t *name = sema_decl_name(sema, expr->node, expr->path, &needs_load);
 
+    // TODO: this feels like a bit of a hack
+    // works around loading a string literal which turns into a char
+    // but we need to check if its a function first to prevent
+    // and assert from getting the type of a possibly unresolved function
+    if (!tree_is(name, eTreeDeclFunction))
+    {
+        const tree_t *type = tree_get_type(name);
+        if (tree_is(type, eTreeTypeString))
+        {
+            needs_load = false;
+        }
+    }
+
     if (needs_load)
     {
         name = tree_expr_load(expr->node, name);
@@ -614,22 +627,24 @@ static tree_t *sema_init(ctu_sema_t *sema, const ctu_t *expr, const tree_t *impl
     size_t len = vector_len(expr->inits);
     for (size_t i = 0; i < len; i++)
     {
-        ctu_t *init = vector_get(expr->inits, i);
-        CTASSERTF(init->kind == eCtuFieldInit, "invalid init kind %d", init->kind);
+        ctu_t *element = vector_get(expr->inits, i);
+        CTASSERTF(element->kind == eCtuFieldInit, "invalid init kind %d", element->kind);
 
-        tree_t *field = tree_ty_get_field(implicit_type, init->field);
+        tree_t *field = tree_ty_get_field(implicit_type, element->field);
         if (field == NULL)
         {
-            msg_notify(reports, &kEvent_FieldNotFound, init->node,
-                       "field `%s` not found in struct `%s`", init->field,
+            msg_notify(reports, &kEvent_FieldNotFound, element->node,
+                       "field `%s` not found in struct `%s`", element->field,
                        tree_to_string(implicit_type));
             continue;
         }
 
-        tree_t *value = ctu_sema_rvalue(sema, init->expr, tree_get_type(field));
-        tree_t *ref_type = tree_type_reference(init->node, "", tree_get_type(field));
-        tree_t *dst = tree_expr_field(init->node, ref_type, local, field);
-        tree_t *assign = tree_stmt_assign(init->node, dst, value);
+        const tree_t *field_type = tree_get_type(field);
+
+        tree_t *value = ctu_sema_rvalue(sema, element->expr, field_type);
+        tree_t *ref_type = tree_type_reference(element->node, "", field_type);
+        tree_t *dst = tree_expr_field(element->node, ref_type, local, field);
+        tree_t *assign = tree_stmt_assign(element->node, dst, value);
 
         vector_push(&sema->block, assign);
         set_add(fields, field);