diff --git a/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.cxx b/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.cxx
index 8a0377884f..051fe2885d 100644
--- a/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.cxx
@@ -27,8 +27,23 @@ bool cmConfigureFileCommand
     this->SetError("called with incorrect number of arguments, expected 2");
     return false;
     }
-  this->InputFile = args[0];
-  this->OutputFile = args[1];
+
+  const char* inFile = args[0].c_str();
+  if(!cmSystemTools::FileIsFullPath(inFile))
+    {
+    this->InputFile = this->Makefile->GetCurrentDirectory();
+    this->InputFile += "/";
+    }
+  this->InputFile += inFile;
+
+  const char* outFile = args[1].c_str();
+  if(!cmSystemTools::FileIsFullPath(outFile))
+    {
+    this->OutputFile = this->Makefile->GetCurrentOutputDirectory();
+    this->OutputFile += "/";
+    }
+  this->OutputFile += outFile;
+
   if ( !this->Makefile->CanIWriteThisFile(this->OutputFile.c_str()) )
     {
     std::string e = "attempted to configure a file: " + this->OutputFile
@@ -89,14 +104,8 @@ void cmConfigureFileCommand::FinalPass()
 
 int cmConfigureFileCommand::ConfigureFile()
 {
-  std::string inFile = this->InputFile;
-  if (!cmSystemTools::FileIsFullPath(inFile.c_str()))
-    {
-    inFile = this->Makefile->GetStartDirectory();
-    inFile += "/";
-    inFile += this->InputFile;
-    }
-  return this->Makefile->ConfigureFile(inFile.c_str(),
+  return this->Makefile->ConfigureFile(
+    this->InputFile.c_str(),
     this->OutputFile.c_str(),
     this->CopyOnly,
     this->AtOnly,
diff --git a/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.h b/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.h
index 9e22897d24..58ce10a12a 100644
--- a/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.h
+++ b/Source/cmConfigureFileCommand.h
@@ -60,9 +60,15 @@ public:
   virtual const char* GetFullDocumentation()
     {
       return
-        "  configure_file(InputFile OutputFile\n"
+        "  configure_file(<input> <output>\n"
         "                 [COPYONLY] [ESCAPE_QUOTES] [@ONLY])\n"
-        "The Input and Output files have to have full paths.  "
+        "Copies a file <input> to file <output> and substitutes variable "
+        "values referenced in the file content.  "
+        "If <input> is a relative path it is evaluated with respect to "
+        "the current source directory.  "
+        "If <output> is a relative path it is evaluated with respect to "
+        "the current binary directory.  "
+        "\n"
         "This command replaces any variables in the input file referenced as "
         "${VAR} or @VAR@ with their values as determined by CMake.  If a "
         "variable is not defined, it will be replaced with nothing.  "