diff --git a/cmFile.c b/cmFile.c
index a69154a..01c7276 100644
--- a/cmFile.c
+++ b/cmFile.c
@@ -60,6 +60,27 @@ cmFileRC_t cmFileOpen(    cmFileH_t* hp, const cmChar_t* fn, enum cmFileOpenFlag
   if( cmIsFlag(flags,kUpdateFileFl) )
     mode[1]='+';
 
+  // handle requests to use stdin,stdout,stderr
+  FILE*           sfp = NULL;
+  if( cmIsFlag(flags,kStdoutFileFl) )
+  {
+    sfp = stdout;
+    fn  = "stdout";
+  }
+  else
+    if( cmIsFlag(flags,kStderrFileFl) )
+    {
+      sfp = stderr;
+      fn  = "stderr";
+    }
+    else
+      if( cmIsFlag(flags,kStdinFileFl) )
+      {
+        sfp = stdin;
+        fn  = "stdin";
+      }
+
+
   if( fn == NULL )
     return cmErrMsg(&err,kObjAllocFailFileRC,"File object allocation failed due to empty file name.");
 
@@ -73,13 +94,17 @@ cmFileRC_t cmFileOpen(    cmFileH_t* hp, const cmChar_t* fn, enum cmFileOpenFlag
   p->fnStr = (cmChar_t*)(p+1);
   strcpy(p->fnStr,fn);
   
-
-  errno = 0;
-  if((p->fp = fopen(fn,mode)) == NULL )
+  if( sfp != NULL )
+    p->fp = sfp;
+  else
   {
-    cmFileRC_t rc = _cmFileError(p,kOpenFailFileRC,errno,"File open failed");
-    cmMemFree(p);
-    return rc;
+    errno = 0;
+    if((p->fp = fopen(fn,mode)) == NULL )
+    {
+      cmFileRC_t rc = _cmFileError(p,kOpenFailFileRC,errno,"File open failed");
+      cmMemFree(p);
+      return rc;
+    }
   }
  
   hp->h    = p;
diff --git a/cmFile.h b/cmFile.h
index 66ea4a3..af2341b 100644
--- a/cmFile.h
+++ b/cmFile.h
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ extern "C" {
     kWriteFileFl  = 0x02, //< Create an empty file for writing
     kAppendFileFl = 0x04, //< Open a file for writing at the end of the file.
     kUpdateFileFl = 0x08, //< Open a file for reading and writing.
-    kBinaryFileFl = 0x10  //< Open a file for binary (not text) input/output.
+    kBinaryFileFl = 0x10, //< Open a file for binary (not text) input/output.
+    kStdoutFileFl = 0x20, //< Ignore fn use 'stdout'
+    kStderrFileFl = 0x40, //< Ignore fn use 'stderr'
+    kStdinFileFl  = 0x80, //< Ignore fn use 'stdin'
   };
 
   // Open or create a file.    
@@ -51,6 +54,9 @@ extern "C" {
   // be set to cmFileNullHandle prior to calling this function. If *hp is a valid handle
   // then it is automatically finalized by an internal call to cmFileClose() prior to
   // being re-iniitalized.
+  //
+  // If kStdoutFileFl, kStderrFileFl or kStdinFileFl are set then 
+  // file name argument 'fn' is ignored.
   cmFileRC_t cmFileOpen(    
     cmFileH_t*             hp,    // Pointer to a client supplied cmFileHandle_t to recieve the handle for the new object.
     const cmChar_t*        fn,    // The name of the file to open or create.