diff --git a/include/configulator.h b/include/configulator.h
index 970055d..10c19b6 100644
--- a/include/configulator.h
+++ b/include/configulator.h
@@ -60,19 +60,7 @@ struct cfglr_element {
   cfglr_signaler_t signalers[CFGLR_SIGNALERS_MAX];
 };
 
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, TYPE, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS...) (cfglr_element_t){\
-  .key = KEY,\
-  .datatype = TYPE,\
-  .datatype_size = SIZE,\
-  .default_data = (void*)DEFAULT,\
-  .default_size = DEF_SIZE,\
-  .signalers = {\
-    SIGNALERS,\
-    { NULL }\
-  }\
-}
-
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_PTR(KEY, POINTER, TYPE, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS...) (cfglr_element_t){\
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, TYPE, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS...) (cfglr_element_t){\
   .key = KEY,\
   .data = POINTER,\
   .datatype = TYPE,\
@@ -85,16 +73,16 @@ struct cfglr_element {
   }\
 }
 
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U8(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U8, sizeof(uint8_t), DEFAULT, 1, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I8(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I8, sizeof(int8_t), DEFAULT, 1, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U16(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U16, sizeof(uint16_t), DEFAULT, 2, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I16(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I16, sizeof(int16_t), DEFAULT, 2, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U32(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U32, sizeof(uint32_t), DEFAULT, 4, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I32(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I32, sizeof(int32_t), DEFAULT, 4, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U64(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U64, sizeof(uint64_t), DEFAULT, 8, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I64(KEY, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I64, sizeof(int64_t), DEFAULT, 8, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_BIN(KEY, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, CFGLR_DATATYPE_BIN, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS)
-#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_STR(KEY, POINTER, SIZE, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT_PTR(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_STR, SIZE, DEFAULT, strlen(DEFAULT), SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U8(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U8, sizeof(uint8_t), DEFAULT, 1, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I8(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I8, sizeof(int8_t), DEFAULT, 1, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U16(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U16, sizeof(uint16_t), DEFAULT, 2, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I16(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I16, sizeof(int16_t), DEFAULT, 2, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U32(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U32, sizeof(uint32_t), DEFAULT, 4, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I32(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I32, sizeof(int32_t), DEFAULT, 4, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_U64(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_U64, sizeof(uint64_t), DEFAULT, 8, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_I64(KEY, POINTER, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_I64, sizeof(int64_t), DEFAULT, 8, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_BIN(KEY, POINTER, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_BIN, SIZE, DEFAULT, DEF_SIZE, SIGNALERS)
+#define CFGLR_ELEMENT_STR(KEY, POINTER, SIZE, DEFAULT, SIGNALERS...) CFGLR_ELEMENT(KEY, POINTER, CFGLR_DATATYPE_STR, SIZE, DEFAULT, strlen(DEFAULT), SIGNALERS)
 
 typedef struct cfglr_backend cfglr_backend_t;
 
@@ -143,7 +131,8 @@ extern cfglr_handle_t *configulator;
 
 uint8_t cfglr_init(cfglr_handle_t *handle);
 uint8_t cfglr_fetch_data(cfglr_backend_t *backend, cfglr_element_t *element, cfglr_handle_t *handler);
-cfglr_element_t * cfglr_get_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, const char *name);
+cfglr_element_t *cfglr_get_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, const char *name);
+cfglr_element_t *cfglr_add_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_element_t *element);
 
 #include "cfglr_log.h"
 #include "cfglr_nvs.h"
diff --git a/src/cfglr_nvs.c b/src/cfglr_nvs.c
index ab54876..6fca65a 100644
--- a/src/cfglr_nvs.c
+++ b/src/cfglr_nvs.c
@@ -7,6 +7,8 @@ void cfglr_backend_nvs_open(cfglr_backend_t *backend, cfglr_handle_t *handle) {
 
   esp_err_t err = nvs_open(handle->namespace, NVS_READWRITE, (nvs_handle_t*)&backend->handle);
 
+  CFGLR_LOGI(TAG, "backend->handle: %p", (nvs_handle_t*)&backend->handle);
+
   ESP_ERROR_CHECK(err);
 }
 
@@ -81,7 +83,15 @@ uint16_t cfglr_backend_nvs_get(cfglr_backend_t *backend, cfglr_element_t *elemen
 uint16_t cfglr_backend_nvs_set(cfglr_backend_t *backend, cfglr_element_t *element, cfglr_handle_t *handle) {
   esp_err_t err = ESP_OK;
 
-  CFGLR_LOGI(TAG, "setting %s", element->key);
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "setting %s", element->key);
+
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "handle: %p", handle);
+
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "backend: %p", backend);
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "backend->handle: %p", backend->handle);
+
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "element: %p", element);
+  CFGLR_LOGD(TAG, "element->data: %p", element->data);
 
   switch(element->datatype) {
     case CFGLR_DATATYPE_U8:
diff --git a/src/configulator.c b/src/configulator.c
index 1e97500..5321ee0 100644
--- a/src/configulator.c
+++ b/src/configulator.c
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ element_list_node_t *cfglr_element_list_add(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_elemen
   return element_list_add(handle->extra, node);
 }
 
-uint8_t cfglr_add_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_element_t *element) {
+cfglr_element_t *cfglr_add_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_element_t *element) {
   cfglr_signaler_t *signaler;
 
   CFGLR_LOGI(TAG, "Initializing element: %s", element->key);
@@ -60,7 +60,10 @@ uint8_t cfglr_add_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_element_t *element) {
   } else {
     CFGLR_LOGI(TAG, "failed to load %s, setting default", element->key);
 
-    memcpy((void*)&element->data, (void*)&element->default_data, element->default_size);
+    if(element->data == NULL) {
+      memcpy((void*)&element->data, (void*)&element->default_data, element->default_size);
+    }
+
     signal = CFGLR_SIGNAL_INIT;
 
     if(handle->backend.set(&handle->backend, element, handle) != 0) {
@@ -74,7 +77,7 @@ uint8_t cfglr_add_element(cfglr_handle_t *handle, cfglr_element_t *element) {
 
   cfglr_element_list_add(handle, element);
 
-  return ++handle->element_count;
+  return element;
 }
 
 uint8_t cfglr_init(cfglr_handle_t *handle) {
@@ -92,10 +95,14 @@ uint8_t cfglr_init(cfglr_handle_t *handle) {
 
   CFGLR_LOGI(TAG, "initializing elements");
 
-  while((element = &handle->elements[handle->element_count])) {
+  uint8_t i = 0;
+
+  while((element = &handle->elements[i]) != NULL) {
     if(element->key == NULL) break;
 
     cfglr_add_element(handle, element);
+
+    i++;
   }
 
   return 0;