diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -1,204 +1,204 @@
 ## Process this file with autoconf to produce a configure script.
 
 AC_PREREQ(2.59)
-AC_INIT([YODA],[1.7.2],[yoda@projects.hepforge.org],[YODA])
+AC_INIT([YODA],[1.7.3-pre],[yoda@projects.hepforge.org],[YODA])
 
 ## Check and block installation into the src/build dir
 if test "$prefix" = "$PWD"; then
   AC_MSG_ERROR([Installation into the build directory is not supported: use a different --prefix argument])
 fi
 ## Force default prefix to have a path value rather than NONE
 if test "$prefix" = "NONE"; then
    prefix=/usr/local
 fi
 
 AC_CONFIG_SRCDIR([src/Counter.cc])
 AM_INIT_AUTOMAKE([subdir-objects -Wall dist-bzip2 1.10])
 m4_ifdef([AM_SILENT_RULES], [AM_SILENT_RULES([yes])])
 m4_ifdef([AM_PROG_AR], [AM_PROG_AR])
 AC_CONFIG_MACRO_DIR([m4])
 
 AC_CONFIG_HEADERS([include/YODA/Config/DummyConfig.h include/YODA/Config/YodaConfig.h include/YODA/Config/BuildConfig.h])
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(YODA_VERSION, "$PACKAGE_VERSION", "YODA version string")
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(YODA_NAME, "$PACKAGE_NAME", "YODA name string")
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(YODA_STRING, "$PACKAGE_STRING", "YODA name and version string")
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(YODA_TARNAME, "$PACKAGE_TARNAME", "YODA short name string")
 AC_DEFINE_UNQUOTED(YODA_BUGREPORT, "$PACKAGE_BUGREPORT", "YODA contact email address")
 
 ## OS X
 AC_CEDAR_OSX
 
 ## Set default compiler flags
 if test "x$CXXFLAGS" = "x"; then CXXFLAGS="-O3"; fi
 
 ## Compiler setup
 AC_LANG(C++)
 AC_PROG_CXX
 AX_CXX_COMPILE_STDCXX([11], [noext], [mandatory])
 
 AC_PROG_INSTALL
 AC_PROG_LN_S
 AC_DISABLE_STATIC
 AC_LIBTOOL_DLOPEN
 AC_PROG_LIBTOOL
 
 ## Work out library suffix for the build
 LIB_SUFFIX=\\\"$shrext_cmds\\\"
 AC_SUBST([LIB_SUFFIX])
 
 ## Set default build flags
 AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-pedantic], [AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -pedantic"])
 AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-Wall], [AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -Wall -Wno-format"])
 dnl AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-std=c++98], [AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -std=c++98"])
 dnl AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-Wno-unused-variable], [AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -Wno-unused-variable"])
 
 ## Debug flag (default=none)
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([debug], [AC_HELP_STRING(--enable-debug, [build with debugging symbols  @<:@default=no@:>@])], [], [enable_debug=no])
 if test x$enable_debug = xyes; then
   [AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -g"]
 fi
 
 
 ## Optional zlib support for gzip-compressed data streams/files
 AX_CHECK_ZLIB
 
 ## Optional ROOT compatibility
 AC_ARG_ENABLE([root], [AC_HELP_STRING(--disable-root,
   [don't try to build YODA interface to PyROOT (needs root-config) @<:@default=yes@:>@])], [], [enable_root=yes])
 if test "x$enable_root" = "xyes"; then
   AC_PATH_PROG(ROOTCONFIG, [root-config])
   if test "x$ROOTCONFIG" = "x"; then
     AC_MSG_WARN([root-config not found -- not building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
     enable_root=no;
   else
     AC_MSG_CHECKING([ROOT version])
     ROOT_VERSION=`$ROOTCONFIG --version`
     ROOT_MAJOR_VERSION=`echo $ROOT_VERSION | cut -d. -f1`
     ROOT_MINOR_VERSION=`echo $ROOT_VERSION | cut -d. -f2 | cut -d/ -f1`
     ROOT_MICRO_VERSION=`echo $ROOT_VERSION | cut -d. -f2 | cut -d/ -f2`
     AC_MSG_RESULT([$ROOT_VERSION ($ROOT_MAJOR_VERSION,$ROOT_MINOR_VERSION,$ROOT_MICRO_VERSION)])
     if test "$ROOT_MAJOR_VERSION" -lt 5; then
       enable_root=no;
       AC_MSG_WARN([ROOT major version is < 5 -- not building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
     elif test "$ROOT_MAJOR_VERSION" -eq 5; then
       if test "$ROOT_MINOR_VERSION" -lt 33; then
         enable_root=no;
         AC_MSG_WARN([ROOT version is less than 5.33 -- not building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
       elif test "$ROOT_MINOR_VERSION" -eq 33 && test "$ROOT_MICRO_VERSION" -lt 2; then
         enable_root=no;
         AC_MSG_WARN([ROOT version is less than 5.33/02 -- not building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
       fi
     fi
     # TODO: Test for existence of TPython, instance_from_void API, etc.
     #AM_CXXFLAGS="$AM_CXXFLAGS -Wno-long-long"
     ROOT_CXXFLAGS=`$ROOTCONFIG --cflags`
     ROOT_LDFLAGS=`$ROOTCONFIG --ldflags`
     ROOT_LIBS=`$ROOTCONFIG --libs`
     AC_SUBST(ROOT_CXXFLAGS)
     AC_SUBST(ROOT_LDFLAGS)
     AC_SUBST(ROOT_LIBS)
   fi
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_ROOT, [test x$enable_root = xyes])
 if test x$enable_root = xyes; then
   AC_MSG_NOTICE([Building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
 else
   AC_MSG_NOTICE([Not building extra ROOT compatibility tools])
 fi
 
 
 ## Python extension
 AC_ARG_ENABLE(pyext, [AC_HELP_STRING(--disable-pyext,
   [don't build Python module (default=build)])],
   [], [enable_pyext=yes])
 ## Basic Python checks
 if test x$enable_pyext = xyes; then
   AX_PYTHON_DEVEL([>= '2.7.3'])
   AC_SUBST(PYTHON_VERSION)
   YODA_PYTHONPATH=`$PYTHON -c "from __future__ import print_function; import distutils.sysconfig; print(distutils.sysconfig.get_python_lib(prefix='$prefix', plat_specific=True));"`
   AC_SUBST(YODA_PYTHONPATH)
   if test -z "$PYTHON"; then
     AC_MSG_ERROR([Can't build Python extension since python can't be found])
     enable_pyext=no
   fi
   if test -z "$PYTHON_CPPFLAGS"; then
     AC_MSG_ERROR([Can't build Python extension since Python.h header file cannot be found])
     enable_pyext=no
   fi
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(ENABLE_PYEXT, [test x$enable_pyext == xyes])
 
 
 ## Cython checks
 if test x$enable_pyext == xyes; then
   AM_CHECK_CYTHON([0.23.5], [:], [:])
   if test x$CYTHON_FOUND = xyes; then
 
     AC_MSG_NOTICE([Cython >= 0.23.5 found: Python extension source can be rebuilt (for developers)])
 
   fi
 
   AC_CHECK_FILE([pyext/yoda/core.cpp],
                 [],
                 [if test "x$CYTHON_FOUND" != "xyes"; then
                   AC_MSG_ERROR([Cython is required for --enable-pyext, no pre-built core.cpp was found.])
                 fi])
 
   ## Set extra Python extension build flags (to cope with Cython output code oddities)
   PYEXT_CXXFLAGS=$CXXFLAGS
   AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-Wno-unused-but-set-variable], [PYEXT_CXXFLAGS="$PYEXT_CXXFLAGS -Wno-unused-but-set-variable"])
   AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-Wno-sign-compare], [PYEXT_CXXFLAGS="$PYEXT_CXXFLAGS -Wno-sign-compare"])
   AC_CEDAR_CHECKCXXFLAG([-Wno-strict-prototypes], [PYEXT_CXXFLAGS="$PYEXT_CXXFLAGS -Wno-strict-prototypes"])
   AC_SUBST(PYEXT_CXXFLAGS)
   AC_MSG_NOTICE([All Python build checks successful: 'yoda' Python extension will be built])
 fi
 AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_CYTHON, [test x$CYTHON_FOUND = xyes])
 
 
 ## Extend and substitute the default build flags after lib testing
 AM_CPPFLAGS="-I\$(top_srcdir)/include -I\$(top_builddir)/include"
 AC_SUBST(AM_CPPFLAGS)
 AC_SUBST(AM_CXXFLAGS)
 
 dnl
 dnl setup.py puts its build artifacts into a labelled path
 dnl this helps the test scripts to find them locally instead of
 dnl having to install first
 dnl
 YODA_SETUP_PY_PATH=$(${PYTHON} -c 'from __future__ import print_function; import distutils.util as u, sys; vi=sys.version_info; print("lib.%s-%s.%s" % (u.get_platform(),vi.major, vi.minor))')
 AC_SUBST(YODA_SETUP_PY_PATH)
 
 ## Build Doxygen if possible
 AC_PATH_PROG(DOXYGEN, doxygen)
 AM_CONDITIONAL(WITH_DOXYGEN, test "$DOXYGEN")
 
 
 ## Build file output
 AC_EMPTY_SUBST
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([Makefile Doxyfile])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([include/Makefile include/YODA/Makefile])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([src/Makefile
                  src/tinyxml/Makefile
                  src/yamlcpp/Makefile
 ])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([tests/Makefile])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([pyext/Makefile
                  pyext/setup.py
                  pyext/yoda/Makefile
                  ])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([bin/Makefile bin/yoda-config])
 AC_CONFIG_FILES([yodaenv.sh yoda.pc])
 
 AC_OUTPUT
 
 if test x$enable_pyext == xyes; then
    cat <<EOF
 
 ************************************************************
 YODA CONFIGURED!
 
 Now build and install (to the $prefix tree) with e.g.
 make -j2 && make -j2 install
 ************************************************************
 EOF
 fi