diff --git a/src/caosdb/configuration.py b/src/caosdb/configuration.py
index 3933845c448da8d6164447aeec76b3aa2c65a929..085ddff7fd9919d35379a1ff6a6fe09146493d89 100644
--- a/src/caosdb/configuration.py
+++ b/src/caosdb/configuration.py
@@ -35,12 +35,16 @@ def _reset_config():
 
 
 def configure(inifile):
+    """ read config from file.
+
+    Return a list of files which have successfully been parsed.
+    """
     global _pycaosdbconf
     if "_pycaosdbconf" not in globals():
         _pycaosdbconf = None
     if _pycaosdbconf is None:
         _reset_config()
-    _pycaosdbconf.read(inifile)
+    return _pycaosdbconf.read(inifile)
 
 
 def get_config():
diff --git a/unittests/test_add_property.py b/unittests/test_add_property.py
index 267e7f00011d55dba4ca5876df383f26dbed1e4a..bd68f31b89c439c2bd333586b65d9f012b09d7e3 100644
--- a/unittests/test_add_property.py
+++ b/unittests/test_add_property.py
@@ -21,12 +21,7 @@
 #
 # ** end header
 #
-"""Created on 19.06.2017.
-
-@author: tf
-"""
 import caosdb as db
-# @UnresolvedImport
 from nose.tools import assert_is, assert_is_none, assert_equals, assert_is_not_none, assert_raises
 
 
diff --git a/unittests/test_configuration.py b/unittests/test_configuration.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..6db63f6cf4839c6d4a606bda43c010e11c7b5451
--- /dev/null
+++ b/unittests/test_configuration.py
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+# -*- encoding: utf-8 -*-
+#
+# ** header v3.0
+# This file is a part of the CaosDB Project.
+#
+# Copyright (C) 2018 Research Group Biomedical Physics,
+# Max-Planck-Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization Göttingen
+#
+# This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License as
+# published by the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the
+# License, or (at your option) any later version.
+#
+# This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU Affero General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU Affero General Public License
+# along with this program. If not, see <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+#
+# ** end header
+#
+
+import caosdb as db
+from pytest import raises
+
+def test_config_ini_via_envvar():
+    from os import environ
+    from os.path import expanduser
+
+    with raises(KeyError):
+        environ["PYCAOSDBINI"]
+
+    environ["PYCAOSDBINI"] = "bla bla"
+    assert environ["PYCAOSDBINI"] == "bla bla"
+    assert db.configuration.configure(environ["PYCAOSDBINI"]) == []
+    environ["PYCAOSDBINI"] = "~/.pycaosdb.ini"
+    assert db.configuration.configure(expanduser(environ["PYCAOSDBINI"])) == [expanduser("~/.pycaosdb.ini")]