diff --git a/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.dmc.in.xml b/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.dmc.in.xml
index fe63162d6..9044b7f60 100644
--- a/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.dmc.in.xml
+++ b/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.dmc.in.xml
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
    <include href="O.q0.ptcl.xml"/>
 
    <!-- OPT_XML is from optimization, e.g. O.q0.opt.s008.opt.xml -->
-   <include href="O.q0.opt.s007.opt.xml"/>
+   <include href="OPT_XML"/>
 
    <hamiltonian name="h0" type="generic" target="e">
       <pairpot type="coulomb" name="ElecElec" source="e" target="e"/>
@@ -19,50 +19,22 @@
 
    <!-- fill in VWARMUP, VBLOCKS, VSTEPS, VTIMESTEP, DWALKERS -->
    <qmc method="vmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="walkers"             >    1          </parameter>
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    30         </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    20         </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >    10         </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >    0.3        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="samples"             >    2048       </parameter>
+      <parameter name="walkers"             >    1               </parameter>
+      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    VWARMUP         </parameter>
+      <parameter name="blocks"              >    VBLOCKS         </parameter>
+      <parameter name="steps"               >    VSTEPS          </parameter>
+      <parameter name="timestep"            >    VTIMESTEP       </parameter>
+      <parameter name="samples"             >    DWALKERS        </parameter>
    </qmc>
 
    <!-- fill in DWARMUP, DBLOCKS, DSTEPS, DTIMESTEP -->
    <!-- make multiple copies w/ different timesteps (largest first) -->
    <!--  (blocks*steps*timestep = const1, warmup*timestep = const2) -->
    <qmc method="dmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    100        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    400        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >      4        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >   0.04        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes        </parameter>
-   </qmc>
-   <qmc method="dmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >     40        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    400        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >      8        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >   0.02        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes        </parameter>
-   </qmc>
-   <qmc method="dmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >     80        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    400        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >     16        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >   0.01        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes        </parameter>
-   </qmc>
-   <qmc method="dmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    160        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    400        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >     32        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >   0.005       </parameter>
-      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes        </parameter>
-   </qmc>
-   <qmc method="dmc" move="pbyp">
-      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    320        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="blocks"              >    400        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="steps"               >     64        </parameter>
-      <parameter name="timestep"            >   0.0025      </parameter>
-      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes        </parameter>
+      <parameter name="warmupSteps"         >    DWARMUP         </parameter>
+      <parameter name="blocks"              >    DBLOCKS         </parameter>
+      <parameter name="steps"               >    DSTEPS          </parameter>
+      <parameter name="timestep"            >    DTIMESTEP       </parameter>
+      <parameter name="nonlocalmoves"       >    yes             </parameter>
    </qmc>
 </simulation>
diff --git a/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.opt.in.xml b/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.opt.in.xml
index beb546ce8..640154198 100644
--- a/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.opt.in.xml
+++ b/labs/lab2_qmc_basics/oxygen_atom/O.q0.opt.in.xml
@@ -8,11 +8,11 @@
 
 
    <!-- include simulationcell and particle information from pw2qmcpqack -->
-   <include href="O.q0.ptcl.xml"/>
+   <include href="PTCL_XML"/>
 
 
    <!-- include wavefunction information from pw2qmcpqack -->
-   <include href="O.q0.wfs.xml"/>
+   <include href="WFS_XML"/>
 
  
    <!-- many body Hamiltonian (kinetic energy is implicit) -->
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@
       <!-- electron-ion interactions (pseudopotentials) -->
       <pairpot type="pseudo" name="PseudoPot" source="ion0" wavefunction="psi0" format="xml">
          <!-- O pseudopotential read from "O.BFD.xml" -->
-         <pseudo elementType="O" href="O.BFD.xml"/>
+         <pseudo elementType="O" href="PP_XML"/>
       </pairpot>
    </hamiltonian>
 
@@ -37,13 +37,13 @@
    <!--  linear optimization method -->
    <!--    fill in MAX, ECOST, UVCOST, RVCOST, TS, SAMPLES    -->
    <!--    samples MUST be a multiple of # threads (512 on Vesta) -->
-   <loop max="12">  <!-- regenerate Monte Carlo samples and optimize MAX times -->
+   <loop max="MAX">  <!-- regenerate Monte Carlo samples and optimize MAX times -->
       <qmc method="linear" move="pbyp" checkpoint="-1">
-         <cost name="energy"              >  0.0   </cost>
-         <cost name="unreweightedvariance">  1.0  </cost>
-         <cost name="reweightedvariance"  >  0.0  </cost>
-         <parameter name="timestep"         >    0.3           </parameter>
-         <parameter name="samples"          >    51200         </parameter>
+         <cost name="energy"              >  ECOST   </cost>
+         <cost name="unreweightedvariance">  UVCOST  </cost>
+         <cost name="reweightedvariance"  >  RVCOST  </cost>
+         <parameter name="timestep"         >    TS            </parameter>
+         <parameter name="samples"          >    SAMPLES       </parameter>
          <parameter name="warmupSteps"      >    50            </parameter>
          <parameter name="blocks"           >    200           </parameter>
          <parameter name="subSteps"         >    1             </parameter>