diff --git a/CHANGES b/CHANGES
index 7bed252f..988da18a 100644
--- a/CHANGES
+++ b/CHANGES
@@ -2,7 +2,8 @@
 
 * (nicm) send-prefix command. Bound to C-b by default.
 * (nicm) set status, status-fg, status-bg commands. fg and bg are as a number
-  from 0 to 7. status may be 0/1/on/off/yes/no.
+  from 0 to 8 or a string ("red", "blue", etc). status may be 1/0, on/off,
+  yes/no.
 * (nicm) Make status line mark window in yellow on bell.
 
 04 October 2007
@@ -125,5 +126,5 @@
   (including mutt, emacs). No status bar yet and no key remapping or other
   customisation.
 
-$Id: CHANGES,v 1.39 2007-10-12 13:03:58 nicm Exp $
+$Id: CHANGES,v 1.40 2007-10-12 13:51:44 nicm Exp $
 
diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index dd2ee049..631c2958 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -42,8 +42,7 @@
 - Nested sessions over the network, plug-in another tmux as a window/subsession
 - it would be nice to have multichar commands so you could have C-b K K for
   kill-window to limit accidental presses
-- status-fg/status-bg should be able to a) use strings for colours "red" etc
-  b) set attributes too ("bold-red"?)
+- status-fg/status-bg should be to set attributes: bold, etc
 
 -- For 0.1 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 - man page
diff --git a/cmd-set-option.c b/cmd-set-option.c
index a3a12fb8..4c776ab9 100644
--- a/cmd-set-option.c
+++ b/cmd-set-option.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: cmd-set-option.c,v 1.6 2007-10-12 12:11:40 nicm Exp $ */
+/* $Id: cmd-set-option.c,v 1.7 2007-10-12 13:51:44 nicm Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2007 Nicholas Marriott <nicm@users.sourceforge.net>
@@ -139,7 +139,8 @@ cmd_set_option_exec(void *ptr, unused struct cmd_ctx *ctx)
 			ctx->error(ctx, "invalid value");
 			return;
 		}
-		if (errstr != NULL || number > 7) {
+		number = screen_stringcolour(data->value);
+		if (number > 8) {
 			ctx->error(ctx, "bad colour: %s", data->value);
 			return;
 		}
@@ -157,7 +158,8 @@ cmd_set_option_exec(void *ptr, unused struct cmd_ctx *ctx)
 			ctx->error(ctx, "invalid value");
 			return;
 		}
-		if (errstr != NULL || number > 7) {
+		number = screen_stringcolour(data->value);
+		if (number > 8) {
 			ctx->error(ctx, "bad colour: %s", data->value);
 			return;
 		}
diff --git a/cmd.c b/cmd.c
index de07e3b4..c0bcd138 100644
--- a/cmd.c
+++ b/cmd.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: cmd.c,v 1.15 2007-10-12 13:03:58 nicm Exp $ */
+/* $Id: cmd.c,v 1.16 2007-10-12 13:51:44 nicm Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2007 Nicholas Marriott <nicm@users.sourceforge.net>
@@ -56,7 +56,8 @@ cmd_parse(int argc, char **argv, char **cause)
 
 	entry = NULL;
 	for (entryp = cmd_table; *entryp != NULL; entryp++) {
-		if (strcmp((*entryp)->alias, argv[0]) == 0) {
+		if ((*entryp)->alias != NULL && 
+		    strcmp((*entryp)->alias, argv[0]) == 0) {
 			entry = *entryp;
 			break;
 		}
diff --git a/screen.c b/screen.c
index dc4ccc2b..e9c66aa0 100644
--- a/screen.c
+++ b/screen.c
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: screen.c,v 1.22 2007-10-05 17:51:56 nicm Exp $ */
+/* $Id: screen.c,v 1.23 2007-10-12 13:51:44 nicm Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2007 Nicholas Marriott <nicm@users.sourceforge.net>
@@ -43,6 +43,58 @@ void	 screen_fill_lines(
 #define screen_offset_y(py, ny) ((py) + (ny) - 1)
 #define screen_offset_x(px, nx) ((px) + (nx) - 1)
 
+/* Colour to string. */
+const char *
+screen_colourstring(u_char c)
+{
+	switch (c) {
+	case 0:
+		return ("black");
+	case 1:
+		return ("red");
+	case 2:
+		return ("green");
+	case 3:
+		return ("yellow");
+	case 4:
+		return ("blue");
+	case 5:
+		return ("magenta");
+	case 6:
+		return ("cyan");
+	case 7:
+		return ("white");
+	case 8:
+		return ("default");
+	}
+	return (NULL);
+}
+
+/* String to colour. */
+u_char
+screen_stringcolour(const char *s)
+{
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "black") == 0 || (s[0] == '0' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (0);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "red") == 0 || (s[0] == '1' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (1);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "green") == 0 || (s[0] == '2' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (2);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "yellow") == 0 || (s[0] == '3' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (3);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "blue") == 0 || (s[0] == '4' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (4);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "magenta") == 0 || (s[0] == '5' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (5);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "cyan") == 0 || (s[0] == '6' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (6);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "white") == 0 || (s[0] == '7' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (7);
+	if (strcasecmp(s, "default") == 0 || (s[0] == '8' && s[1] == '\0'))
+		return (8);
+	return (255);
+}
+
 /* Create a new screen. */
 void
 screen_create(struct screen *s, u_int sx, u_int sy)
diff --git a/tmux.h b/tmux.h
index f5833e55..8dfc8824 100644
--- a/tmux.h
+++ b/tmux.h
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-/* $Id: tmux.h,v 1.56 2007-10-12 13:03:58 nicm Exp $ */
+/* $Id: tmux.h,v 1.57 2007-10-12 13:51:44 nicm Exp $ */
 
 /*
  * Copyright (c) 2007 Nicholas Marriott <nicm@users.sourceforge.net>
@@ -603,6 +603,8 @@ void	 input_store_two(struct buffer *, u_char, uint16_t, uint16_t);
 void	 input_translate_key(struct buffer *, int);
 
 /* screen.c */
+const char *screen_colourstring(u_char);
+u_char	 screen_stringcolour(const char *);
 void	 screen_create(struct screen *, u_int, u_int);
 void	 screen_destroy(struct screen *);
 void	 screen_resize(struct screen *, u_int, u_int);