diff --git a/src/scgenerator/parameter.py b/src/scgenerator/parameter.py
index e8f0058..0c0f4ba 100644
--- a/src/scgenerator/parameter.py
+++ b/src/scgenerator/parameter.py
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ class Configuration:
         num = utils.find_last_spectrum_num(data_dir)
         if config_dict is None:
             try:
-                config_dict = utils._open_config(data_dir / PARAM_FN)
+                config_dict = utils.load_toml(data_dir / PARAM_FN)
             except FileNotFoundError:
                 self.logger.warning(f"did not find {PARAM_FN!r} in {data_dir}")
                 return self.State.ABSENT, 0
diff --git a/src/scgenerator/variationer.py b/src/scgenerator/variationer.py
index 5576069..3dee911 100644
--- a/src/scgenerator/variationer.py
+++ b/src/scgenerator/variationer.py
@@ -172,8 +172,7 @@ class VariationDescriptor(BaseModel):
         str_list = []
 
         for p_name, p_value in self.flat:
-            ps = p_name.replace("/", "").replace("\\", "").replace(PARAM_SEPARATOR, "")
-            vs = self.format_value(p_name, p_value).replace("/", "").replace(PARAM_SEPARATOR, "")
+            ps, vs = self._format_single_pair(p_name, p_value)
             str_list.append(ps + PARAM_SEPARATOR + vs)
         tmp_name = PARAM_SEPARATOR.join(str_list)
         if not add_identifier:
@@ -182,6 +181,11 @@ class VariationDescriptor(BaseModel):
             self.identifier + PARAM_SEPARATOR + self.branch.identifier + PARAM_SEPARATOR + tmp_name
         )
 
+    def _format_single_pair(self, p_name: str, p_value: Any) -> tuple[str, str]:
+        ps = p_name.replace("/", "").replace("\\", "").replace(PARAM_SEPARATOR, "")
+        vs = self.format_value(p_name, p_value).replace("/", "").replace(PARAM_SEPARATOR, "")
+        return ps, vs
+
     def __getitem__(self, key) -> "VariationDescriptor":
         return VariationDescriptor(
             raw_descr=self.raw_descr[key], index=self.index[key], separator=self.separator
@@ -235,6 +239,13 @@ class VariationDescriptor(BaseModel):
             yield from p.iter_parents()
         yield self
 
+    @property
+    def short(self) -> str:
+        """shortened description of the simulation"""
+        return " ".join(
+            self._format_single_pair(p, v)[1] for p, v in self.flat if p not in {"fiber", "num"}
+        )
+
     @property
     def flat(self) -> list[tuple[str, Any]]:
         out = []