@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@
 local ct = require 'cortav'
 local ss = require 'sirsem'
 
 -- install rendering function for html
-function ct.render.html(doc, opts)
+function ct.render.html(doc, opts, setup)
 	local doctitle = opts['title']
 	local f = string.format
 	local getSafeID = ct.tool.namespace()
 
@@ -420,8 +420,18 @@
 		stylesets_active = stylesNeeded;
 		obj_htmlid = getSafeID;
 		-- remaining fields added later
 	}
+
+	-- this is kind of gross but the context object belongs to the parser,
+	-- not the renderer, so that's not a suitable place for this information
+	doc.stage = {
+		kind = 'render';
+		format = 'html';
+		html_render_state = render_state_handle;
+	}
+
+	setup(doc.stage)
 
 	local renderJob = doc:job('render_html', nil, render_state_handle)
 	doc.stage.job = renderJob;
 
@@ -562,23 +572,11 @@
 			end
 		end
 
 		function span_renderers.var(v,b,s)
-			local val
-			if v.pos then
-				if not v.origin.invocation then
-					v.origin:fail 'positional arguments can only be used in a macro invocation'
-				elseif not v.origin.invocation.args[v.pos] then
-					v.origin.invocation.origin:fail('macro invocation %s missing positional argument #%u', v.origin.invocation.macro, v.pos)
-				end
-				val = v.origin.invocation.args[v.pos]
-			else
-				val = v.origin.doc:context_var(v.var, v.origin)
-			end
-			if v.raw then
-				return val
-			else
-				return htmlSpan(ct.parse_span(val, v.origin), b, s)
+			local r, raw = ct.expand_var(v)
+			if raw then return r else
+				return htmlSpan(r , b, s)
 			end
 		end
 
 		function span_renderers.raw(v,b,s)