diff --git a/scripts/base/frameworks/input/main.bro b/scripts/base/frameworks/input/main.bro
index 66b13743b8..c76eba80b9 100644
--- a/scripts/base/frameworks/input/main.bro
+++ b/scripts/base/frameworks/input/main.bro
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 module Input;
 
 export {
+	redef enum Input::ID += { TABLE_READ };
+	
 	## The default input reader used. Defaults to `READER_ASCII`.
 	const default_reader = READER_ASCII &redef;
 
@@ -27,7 +29,8 @@ export {
 		## Record that defines the values used as the index of the table
 		idx: any;
 		## Record that defines the values used as the values of the table
-		val: any;
+		## If val is undefined, destination has to be a set.
+		val: any &optional;
 		## Defines if the value of the table is a record (default), or a single value.
 		## Val can only contain one element when this is set to false.
 		want_record: bool &default=T;
@@ -102,6 +105,14 @@ export {
 	## name: the name of the filter to be removed.
 	global remove_eventfilter: function(id: Input::ID, name: string) : bool;
 	#global get_filter: function(id: ID, name: string) : Filter;
+	
+	## Convenience function for reading a specific input source exactly once using 
+	## exactly one tablefilter
+	##
+	## id: `Input::ID` enum value identifying the stream
+	## description: `StreamDescription` record describing the source.
+	## filter: the `TableFilter` record describing the filter.	
+	global read_table: function(description: Input::StreamDescription, filter: Input::TableFilter) : bool;
 
 }
 
@@ -151,6 +162,27 @@ function remove_eventfilter(id: Input::ID, name: string) : bool
 	return __remove_eventfilter(id, name);
 	}
 
+function read_table(description: Input::StreamDescription, filter: Input::TableFilter) : bool {
+	local ok: bool = T;
+	# since we create and delete it ourselves this should be ok... at least for singlethreaded operation
+	local id: Input::ID = Input::TABLE_READ;
+
+	ok = create_stream(id, description);
+	if ( ok ) {
+		ok = add_tablefilter(id, filter);
+	}
+	if ( ok ) {
+		ok = force_update(id);
+	}
+	if ( ok ) {
+		ok = remove_stream(id);
+	} else {
+		remove_stream(id);
+	}
+
+	return ok;
+}
+
 #function get_filter(id: ID, name: string) : Filter
 #	{
 #	if ( [id, name] in filters )
diff --git a/src/InputMgr.cc b/src/InputMgr.cc
index 0df11ea359..7ec5974199 100644
--- a/src/InputMgr.cc
+++ b/src/InputMgr.cc
@@ -86,7 +86,8 @@ InputMgr::Filter::~Filter() {
 InputMgr::TableFilter::~TableFilter() {
 	Unref(tab);
 	Unref(itype);
-	Unref(rtype);
+	if ( rtype ) // can be 0 for sets
+		Unref(rtype);
 
 	delete currDict;
 	delete lastDict;
@@ -110,6 +111,7 @@ InputMgr::ReaderInfo::~ReaderInfo() {
 
 	while ( it != filters.end() ) {
 		delete (*it).second; 
+		++it;
 	}
 
 	Unref(type);
@@ -354,7 +356,10 @@ bool InputMgr::AddTableFilter(EnumVal *id, RecordVal* fval) {
 	Val* pred = fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("pred"));
 
 	RecordType *idx = fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("idx"))->AsType()->AsTypeType()->Type()->AsRecordType();
-	RecordType *val = fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("val"))->AsType()->AsTypeType()->Type()->AsRecordType();
+	RecordType *val = 0;
+	if ( fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("val")) != 0 ) {
+		val = fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("val"))->AsType()->AsTypeType()->Type()->AsRecordType();
+	}
 	TableVal *dst = fval->Lookup(rtype->FieldOffset("destination"))->AsTableVal();
 
 	Val *want_record = fval->LookupWithDefault(rtype->FieldOffset("want_record"));
@@ -408,9 +413,14 @@ bool InputMgr::AddTableFilter(EnumVal *id, RecordVal* fval) {
 
 	int idxfields = fieldsV.size();
 	
-	status = status || !UnrollRecordType(&fieldsV, val, "");
+	if ( val ) // if we are not a set
+		status = status || !UnrollRecordType(&fieldsV, val, "");
+
 	int valfields = fieldsV.size() - idxfields;
 
+	if ( !val )
+		assert(valfields == 0);
+
 	if ( status ) {
 		reporter->Error("Problem unrolling");
 		return false;
@@ -429,7 +439,7 @@ bool InputMgr::AddTableFilter(EnumVal *id, RecordVal* fval) {
 	filter->num_idx_fields = idxfields;
 	filter->num_val_fields = valfields;
 	filter->tab = dst->Ref()->AsTableVal();
-	filter->rtype = val->Ref()->AsRecordType();
+	filter->rtype = val ? val->Ref()->AsRecordType() : 0;
 	filter->itype = idx->Ref()->AsRecordType();
 	filter->event = event ? event_registry->Lookup(event->GetID()->Name()) : 0;
 	filter->currDict = new PDict(InputHash);
@@ -681,7 +691,10 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 	HashKey* idxhash = HashLogVals(filter->num_idx_fields, vals);
 	//reporter->Error("Result: %d", (uint64_t) idxhash->Hash());
 	//reporter->Error("Hashing %d val fields", i->num_val_fields);
-	HashKey* valhash = HashLogVals(filter->num_val_fields, vals+filter->num_idx_fields);
+	HashKey* valhash = 0;
+	if ( filter->num_val_fields > 0 ) 
+		HashLogVals(filter->num_val_fields, vals+filter->num_idx_fields);
+
 	//reporter->Error("Result: %d", (uint64_t) valhash->Hash());
 	
 	//reporter->Error("received entry with idxhash %d and valhash %d", (uint64_t) idxhash->Hash(), (uint64_t) valhash->Hash());
@@ -689,12 +702,13 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 	InputHash *h = filter->lastDict->Lookup(idxhash);
 	if ( h != 0 ) {
 		// seen before
-		if ( h->valhash->Hash() == valhash->Hash() ) {
-			// ok, double.
+		if ( filter->num_val_fields == 0 || h->valhash->Hash() == valhash->Hash() ) {
+			// ok, exact duplicate
 			filter->lastDict->Remove(idxhash);
 			filter->currDict->Insert(idxhash, h);
 			return;
 		} else {
+			assert( filter->num_val_fields > 0 );
 			// updated
 			filter->lastDict->Remove(idxhash);
 			delete(h);
@@ -708,7 +722,9 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 	Val* valval;
 	
 	int position = filter->num_idx_fields;
-	if ( filter->num_val_fields == 1 && !filter->want_record ) {
+	if ( filter->num_val_fields == 0 ) {
+		valval = 0;
+	} else if ( filter->num_val_fields == 1 && !filter->want_record ) {
 		valval = LogValToVal(vals[position], filter->rtype->FieldType(0));
 	} else {
 		RecordVal * r = new RecordVal(filter->rtype);
@@ -732,8 +748,9 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 
 	Val* oldval = 0;
 	if ( updated == true ) {
-			// in that case, we need the old value to send the event (if we send an event).
-			oldval = filter->tab->Lookup(idxval);
+		assert(filter->num_val_fields > 0);
+		// in that case, we need the old value to send the event (if we send an event).
+		oldval = filter->tab->Lookup(idxval);
 	}
 
 
@@ -749,10 +766,12 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 			ev = new EnumVal(BifEnum::Input::EVENT_NEW, BifType::Enum::Input::Event);
 		}
 		
-		val_list vl(3);
+		val_list vl( 2 + (filter->num_val_fields > 0) ); // 2 if we don't have values, 3 otherwise.
 		vl.append(ev);
 		vl.append(idxval);
-		vl.append(valval);
+		if ( filter->num_val_fields > 0 )
+			vl.append(valval);
+
 		Val* v = filter->pred->Call(&vl);
 		bool result = v->AsBool();
 		Unref(v);
@@ -794,6 +813,7 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 		Ref(idxval);
 
 		if ( updated ) { // in case of update send back the old value.
+			assert ( filter->num_val_fields > 0 );
 			ev = new EnumVal(BifEnum::Input::EVENT_CHANGED, BifType::Enum::Input::Event);
 			assert ( oldval != 0 );
 			Ref(oldval);
@@ -801,7 +821,11 @@ void InputMgr::SendEntryTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* c
 		} else {
 			ev = new EnumVal(BifEnum::Input::EVENT_NEW, BifType::Enum::Input::Event);
 			Ref(valval);
-			SendEvent(filter->event, 3, ev, idxval, valval);
+			if ( filter->num_val_fields == 0 ) {
+				SendEvent(filter->event, 3, ev, idxval);
+			} else {
+				SendEvent(filter->event, 3, ev, idxval, valval);
+			}
 		}
 	} 
 }
@@ -963,7 +987,9 @@ void InputMgr::PutTable(const InputReader* reader, int id, const LogVal* const *
 	Val* valval;
 	
 	int position = filter->num_idx_fields;
-	if ( filter->num_val_fields == 1 && !filter->want_record ) {
+	if ( filter->num_val_fields == 0 ) {
+		valval = 0;
+	} else if ( filter->num_val_fields == 1 && !filter->want_record ) {
 		valval = LogValToVal(vals[filter->num_idx_fields], filter->rtype->FieldType(filter->num_idx_fields));
 	} else {
 		RecordVal * r = new RecordVal(filter->rtype);
diff --git a/testing/btest/scripts/base/frameworks/input/basic.bro b/testing/btest/scripts/base/frameworks/input/basic.bro
index 10cc7376a8..d1b6659eb6 100644
--- a/testing/btest/scripts/base/frameworks/input/basic.bro
+++ b/testing/btest/scripts/base/frameworks/input/basic.bro
@@ -49,4 +49,6 @@ event bro_init()
 	Input::add_tablefilter(A::INPUT, [$name="ssh", $idx=Idx, $val=Val, $destination=servers]);
 	Input::force_update(A::INPUT);
 	print servers;
+	Input::remove_tablefilter(A::INPUT, "ssh");
+	Input::remove_stream(A::INPUT);
 }