diff --git a/setup_epics_common b/setup_epics_common
index 381afe2a079181049d59a5f4bbb7df3d8e250344..d280d508a0322f83f2dd3aced9caea7d2110e8d6 100644
--- a/setup_epics_common
+++ b/setup_epics_common
@@ -2,8 +2,12 @@
 
 # caller (typically: start_epics) MUST make this definition:
 # setenv EPICS_APP /home/oxygen/MOONEY/epics/synApps/support/xxx
+# and must make this definition if the app name isn't the directory name:
+# setenv EPICS_APP_NAME xxx
 
-setenv EPICS_APP_NAME `basename ${EPICS_APP}`
+if (! ${?EPICS_APP_NAME}) then
+	setenv EPICS_APP_NAME `basename ${EPICS_APP}`
+endif
 setenv EPICS_APP_ADL_DIR ${EPICS_APP}/${EPICS_APP_NAME}App/op/adl
 setenv EPICS_APP_UI_DIR ${EPICS_APP}/${EPICS_APP_NAME}App/op/ui
 
diff --git a/start_caQtDM b/start_caQtDM
index 29766751c8214ee7a517687899cc773d042a319c..c4d6decb6f75890f89c82c8201fa9d9042f31094 100755
--- a/start_caQtDM
+++ b/start_caQtDM
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 #!/bin/csh -f
 
 setenv EPICS_APP /home/oxygen/MOONEY/epics/synApps/support/xxx
+setenv EPICS_APP_NAME xxx
 
 # define environment variables for MEDM, caQtDM, and Probe
 source ./setup_epics_common