Index: /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/consistency/checkfield.py
===================================================================
--- /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/consistency/checkfield.py	(revision 23704)
+++ /issm/trunk-jpl/src/m/consistency/checkfield.py	(revision 23705)
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@
 import os
 from pairoptions import pairoptions
+from operator import attrgetter
 import MatlabFuncs as m
 
@@ -101,5 +102,4 @@
 				"NaN values found in field '%s'" % fieldname))
 
-
 	#check Inf
 	if options.getfieldvalue('Inf',0):
@@ -107,5 +107,4 @@
 			md = md.checkmessage(options.getfieldvalue('message',\
 				"Inf values found in field '%s'" % fieldname))
-
 
 	#check cell
@@ -132,4 +131,6 @@
 	if options.exist('>='):
 		lowerbound = options.getfieldvalue('>=')
+		if type(lowerbound) is str:
+			lowerbound=attrgetter(lowerbound)(md)
 		if np.size(lowerbound)>1: #checking elementwise
 			if any(field<upperbound):
@@ -150,4 +151,6 @@
 	if options.exist('>'):
 		lowerbound=options.getfieldvalue('>')
+		if type(lowerbound) is str:
+			lowerbound=attrgetter(lowerbound)(md)
 		if np.size(lowerbound)>1: #checking elementwise
 			if any(field<=upperbound):
@@ -169,4 +172,6 @@
 	if options.exist('<='):
 		upperbound=options.getfieldvalue('<=')
+		if type(upperbound) is str:
+			upperbound=attrgetter(upperbound)(md)
 		if np.size(upperbound)>1: #checking elementwise
 			if any(field>upperbound):
@@ -186,4 +191,6 @@
 	if options.exist('<'):
 		upperbound=options.getfieldvalue('<')
+		if type(upperbound) is str:
+			upperbound=attrgetter(upperbound)(md)
 		if np.size(upperbound)>1: #checking elementwise
 			if any(field>=upperbound):
@@ -199,7 +206,6 @@
 				else:
 					maxval=np.nanmax(field[0])
-
 				if maxval>=upperbound:
-					md = md.checkmessage(options.getfieldvalue('message',"field '%s' should have values below %d" % (fieldname,upperbound)))
+					md = md.checkmessage(options.getfieldvalue('message',"field '{}' should have values below {}".format(fieldname,upperbound)))
 
 	#check file