Ok.... Well I have just go up to an interesting part in my C++ book... It's the part about function overloading. Which basically describes the process of having multiple functions to handle differant information types.
Could this not be used here?
If an Int is parsed, use the Int value, if a String is parsed, read the string, convert it to the variable, then return the Int value that the variable refers to.
Happy to chat with you online sometime to have two minds woking on the same problem, just gotta organise a time when you can sit down and work on LCDinfo, and I am also free to help.

Time differances are a pain in the butt sometimes.