Monster,
Sorry, it's old function naming that remained for compatibility reasons.
Code:
Prototype void object_set_userdata(ACObject *ob, char *dat)
sets the string data (as seen from the object properties dialog).
You can get this with:
Code:
Prototype char *ac_object_get_data(ACObject *ob)
(object_set_userdata should really be called ac_object_set_data)
This is the string that is editable from the object properties - it will copy your string into it's own space (and deallocate when you set the data again).
I'm pretty sure the a component in the material spec is not used but you should set it to 1.0.
The way materials are allocated will be changing in the next release - I'll add you to be an alpha tester.
Andy