diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 1b8161dda8..fabe4250fb 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -254,7 +254,7 @@ include(ExternalProject)
 include(cdat_pkg)
 # CONDA Options
 set(CONDA_ENVIRONMENT_NAME ${cdat_VERSION} CACHE STRING "Name of conda environment we want to build CDAT in")
-set(CONDA_CHANNEL_UVCDAT uvcdat CACHE STRING "channels to use (if more than one use '-c' between channels e.g. uvcdat/label/nightly -c uvcdat)")
+set(CONDA_CHANNEL_UVCDAT "conda-forge -c uvcdat" CACHE STRING "channels to use (if more than one use '-c' between channels e.g. uvcdat/label/nightly -c uvcdat)")
 
 execute_process(COMMAND
     "${GIT_EXECUTABLE}" symbolic-ref --short HEAD
diff --git a/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt b/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
index 6065f75135..9d8608cd0a 100644
--- a/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/testing/vcs/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1197,6 +1197,12 @@ cdat_add_test(test_vcs_textextents
   ${BASELINE_DIR}/test_textextents.png
 )
 
+cdat_add_test(test_script_for_py
+  "${PYTHON_EXECUTABLE}"
+  ${cdat_SOURCE_DIR}/testing/vcs/test_script_for_py.py
+)
+
+
 
 
 add_subdirectory(vtk_ui)
diff --git a/testing/vcs/test_script_for_py.py b/testing/vcs/test_script_for_py.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..28ea1df823
--- /dev/null
+++ b/testing/vcs/test_script_for_py.py
@@ -0,0 +1,117 @@
+import vcs, sys, os
+
+def attrCompare(old_dict, new_dict):
+    if old_dict.keys() != new_dict.keys():
+        return (False, "keys mismatch")
+    for key in old_dict.keys():
+        if old_dict[key] == new_dict[key]:
+            continue
+        elif type(old_dict[key]) is tuple:
+            l = list(old_dict[key])
+            if l == new_dict[key]:
+                continue
+            else:
+                return (False, key + "not equal.")
+    return (True, "All values equal")
+
+# graphics method list
+gms = ["boxfill", "meshfill", "isofill", "vector", "isoline", "1d", "taylordiagram", "3d_scalar", "3d_dual_scalar",
+       "3d_vector"]
+for obj in gms:
+    s = vcs.creategraphicsmethod(obj, 'default', 'test_%s' % obj)
+    s_dict = vcs.dumpToDict(s)[0]
+    scr = obj + "_script.py"
+    try:
+        s.script(scr)
+    except:
+        print "Python script creation broke on " + obj + ".script()"
+        sys.exit(1)
+    else:
+        # script was written successfully, now test for accuracy when it's run
+        # remove the object, or scriptrun() will just use the same thing
+        vcs.removeobject(s)
+        try:
+            vcs.scriptrun(scr) # test to see that scriptrun actually runs
+        except:
+            print "Scriptrun broke on " + obj
+            os.remove(scr)
+            sys.exit(1)
+        else:
+            # script has both written and run without failure, just need to check for accuracy
+            try:
+                new_s = vcs.getgraphicsmethod(obj, "test_%s" % obj)
+            except:
+                print "Scriptrun failed: test_%s does not exist" %obj
+                sys.exit(1)
+            else:
+                new_s_dict = vcs.dumpToDict(new_s)[0]
+                comp = attrCompare(s_dict, new_s_dict)
+                if not comp[0]:
+                    print "Scriptrun failed: " + comp[1]
+                    sys.exit(1)
+    if os.path.exists(scr):
+        os.remove(scr)
+
+
+# text objects
+tt = vcs.createtexttable('test_tt')
+to = vcs.createtextorientation('test_tto')
+tcs = vcs.listelements('textcombined')
+if len(tcs) == 0:
+    tc = vcs.createtext(Tt_name="testtext", Tt_source=tt.name, To_name="testtext", To_source=to.name)
+else:
+    tc = vcs.gettext(tcs[0])
+
+# other secondaries
+fa = vcs.createfillarea('test_fillarea')
+ma = vcs.createmarker('test_marker')
+li = vcs.createline('test_line')
+secondaries = [tt, to, tc, fa, ma, li]
+for sec in secondaries:
+    scr = sec.s_name + '_script.py'
+    old_dict = vcs.dumpToDict(sec)[0]
+    try:
+        sec.script(scr)
+    except:
+        print "Python script creation broke on " + sec.s_name + ".script()"
+        sys.exit(1)
+    else:
+        vcs.removeobject(sec)
+        try:
+            vcs.scriptrun(scr) # test to see that scriptrun actually runs
+        except:
+            print "Scriptrun broke on " + sec.s_name
+            os.remove(scr)
+            sys.exit(1)
+        else:
+            if sec.s_name == 'To':
+                getfunc = vcs.gettextorientation
+            elif sec.s_name == 'Tt':
+                getfunc = vcs.gettexttable
+            elif sec.s_name == 'Tc':
+                getfunc = (vcs.gettext, "testtext", "testtext")
+            elif sec.s_name == 'Tm':
+                getfunc = vcs.getmarker
+            elif sec.s_name == 'Tf':
+                getfunc = vcs.getfillarea
+            else:
+                getfunc = vcs.getline
+            # script has both written and run without failure, just need to check for accuracy
+            try:
+                if type(getfunc) is tuple:
+                    new_sec = getfunc[0](getfunc[1], getfunc[2])
+                else:
+                    new_sec = getfunc(sec.name)
+            except:
+                print "Scriptrun failed: %s does not exist" % sec.name
+                sys.exit(1)
+            else:
+                new_dict = vcs.dumpToDict(new_sec)[0]
+                comp = attrCompare(old_dict, new_dict)
+                if comp[0]:
+                    print comp[1] + " for " + sec.s_name
+                else:
+                    print "Scriptrun failed: " + comp[1]
+                    sys.exit(1)
+    if os.path.exists(scr):
+        os.remove(scr)