diff --git a/.github/workflows/timbl.yml b/.github/workflows/timbl.yml
index fe89c76..5444ede 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/timbl.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/timbl.yml
@@ -5,7 +5,9 @@ on:
   schedule:
     - cron: "0 20 3 * 5"  # run test once a month
   push:
-    branches: [master]
+    branches:
+      - master
+      - develop
     paths:
       - configure.ac
       - 'src/**'
@@ -46,6 +48,7 @@ jobs:
 
       - uses: LanguageMachines/ticcactions/cpp-submodule-build@v1
         with:
+          branch: ${{ github.ref_name }}
           module: ticcutils
 
       - uses: LanguageMachines/ticcactions/setup-cppcheck@v1
diff --git a/include/timbl/Features.h b/include/timbl/Features.h
index bd70da1..1658d12 100644
--- a/include/timbl/Features.h
+++ b/include/timbl/Features.h
@@ -49,8 +49,8 @@ namespace Timbl {
   class SparseValueProbClass {
     friend std::ostream& operator<< ( std::ostream&, SparseValueProbClass * );
   public:
-    typedef std::map< size_t, double > IDmaptype;
-    typedef IDmaptype::const_iterator IDiterator;
+    using IDmaptype = std::map< size_t, double >;
+    using IDiterator = IDmaptype::const_iterator;
     explicit SparseValueProbClass( size_t d ): dimension(d) {};
     void Assign( const size_t i, const double d ) { vc_map[i] = d; };
     void Clear() { vc_map.clear(); };
diff --git a/include/timbl/IBtree.h b/include/timbl/IBtree.h
index 5552b34..8af4a17 100644
--- a/include/timbl/IBtree.h
+++ b/include/timbl/IBtree.h
@@ -103,7 +103,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     const IBtree *search_node( const FeatureValue * ) const;
   };
 
-  typedef std::unordered_map<size_t, const IBtree*> FI_map;
+  using FI_map = std::unordered_map<size_t, const IBtree*>;
 
   class InstanceBase_base: public MsgClass {
     friend class IG_InstanceBase;
diff --git a/include/timbl/MBLClass.h b/include/timbl/MBLClass.h
index 577f557..f14097f 100644
--- a/include/timbl/MBLClass.h
+++ b/include/timbl/MBLClass.h
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@
 #include "timbl/neighborSet.h"
 #include "timbl/Options.h"
 
-typedef struct _xmlNode xmlNode;
+using xmlNode = struct _xmlNode;
 
 namespace Hash {
   class UnicodeHash;
diff --git a/include/timbl/Matrices.h b/include/timbl/Matrices.h
index d960814..7a71a86 100644
--- a/include/timbl/Matrices.h
+++ b/include/timbl/Matrices.h
@@ -35,8 +35,8 @@ template <class T> std::ostream& operator << (std::ostream&,
 
 template <class Class>
 class SparseSymetricMatrix {
-  typedef std::map< Class, double > CDmap;
-  typedef std::map< Class, CDmap > CCDmap;
+  using CDmap = std::map< Class, double >;
+  using CCDmap = std::map< Class, CDmap >;
   friend std::ostream& operator << <> ( std::ostream&,
 					const SparseSymetricMatrix<Class>& );
 
diff --git a/include/timbl/Options.h b/include/timbl/Options.h
index 8acb32d..1899573 100644
--- a/include/timbl/Options.h
+++ b/include/timbl/Options.h
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     OptionClassT& operator = (const OptionClassT&);
   };
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<bool> BoolOption;
+  using BoolOption= OptionClassT<bool>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<bool>::show_opt( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -99,7 +99,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<VerbosityFlags> VerbosityOption;
+  using  VerbosityOption = OptionClassT<VerbosityFlags>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<VerbosityFlags>::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -109,7 +109,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<InputFormatType> InputFormatOption;
+  using InputFormatOption = OptionClassT<InputFormatType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& InputFormatOption::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
   }
 
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<MetricType> MetricOption;
+  using MetricOption = OptionClassT<MetricType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<MetricType>::show_full( std::ostream &os )const {
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<AlgorithmType> AlgorithmOption;
+  using  AlgorithmOption = OptionClassT<AlgorithmType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<AlgorithmType>::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -158,7 +158,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<DecayType> DecayOption;
+  using DecayOption = OptionClassT<DecayType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& DecayOption::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<SmoothingType> SmoothOption;
+  using SmoothOption = OptionClassT<SmoothingType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& SmoothOption::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<WeightType> WeightOption;
+  using WeightOption = OptionClassT<WeightType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<WeightType>::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -206,7 +206,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<OrdeningType> OrdeningOption;
+  using OrdeningOption = OptionClassT<OrdeningType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& OptionClassT<OrdeningType>::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ namespace Timbl {
     return os;
   }
 
-  typedef OptionClassT<normType> NormalisationOption;
+  using  NormalisationOption = OptionClassT<normType>;
 
   template <>
     inline std::ostream& NormalisationOption::show_full( std::ostream &os ) const {
@@ -360,10 +360,10 @@ namespace Timbl {
     OptionClassLT& operator = (const OptionClassLT&);
   };
 
-  typedef OptionClassLT<int> IntegerOption;
-  typedef OptionClassLT<unsigned int> UnsignedOption;
-  typedef OptionClassLT<size_t> SizeOption;
-  typedef OptionClassLT<double> RealOption;
+  using IntegerOption = OptionClassLT<int>;
+  using UnsignedOption = OptionClassLT<unsigned int>;
+  using SizeOption = OptionClassLT<size_t>;
+  using RealOption = OptionClassLT<double>;
 
   enum SetOptRes { Opt_OK, Opt_Frozen, Opt_Unknown, Opt_Ill_Val};
 
diff --git a/include/timbl/Targets.h b/include/timbl/Targets.h
index dea6d36..d269b97 100644
--- a/include/timbl/Targets.h
+++ b/include/timbl/Targets.h
@@ -138,8 +138,8 @@ namespace Timbl {
     friend std::ostream& operator<<( std::ostream&, const ClassDistribution * );
     friend class WClassDistribution;
   public:
-    typedef std::map<size_t, Vfield *> VDlist;
-    typedef VDlist::const_iterator dist_iterator;
+    using VDlist = std::map<size_t, Vfield *>;
+    using dist_iterator = VDlist::const_iterator;
     ClassDistribution( ): total_items(0) {};
     ClassDistribution( const ClassDistribution& );
     virtual ~ClassDistribution(){ clear(); };
diff --git a/include/timbl/TimblAPI.h b/include/timbl/TimblAPI.h
index 5a08408..c6aee78 100644
--- a/include/timbl/TimblAPI.h
+++ b/include/timbl/TimblAPI.h
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ namespace Timbl{
   bool string_to( const std::string&, Algorithm& );
   bool string_to( const std::string&, Weighting& );
 
-  typedef ClassDistribution ValueDistribution; // for backward compatability
-  typedef WClassDistribution WValueDistribution; // for backward compatability
+  using ValueDistribution = ClassDistribution; // for backward compatability
+  using WValueDistribution = WClassDistribution; // for backward compatability
 }
 #endif // TIMBL_API_H
diff --git a/include/timbl/TimblExperiment.h b/include/timbl/TimblExperiment.h
index ef749bb..522de61 100644
--- a/include/timbl/TimblExperiment.h
+++ b/include/timbl/TimblExperiment.h
@@ -117,8 +117,8 @@ namespace Timbl {
     }
   };
 
-  typedef std::map<FeatureValue*,std::set<std::streamsize>, fCmp> fileIndex;
-  typedef std::map<FeatureValue*, fileIndex, fCmp > fileDoubleIndex;
+  using fileIndex = std::map<FeatureValue*,std::set<std::streamsize>, fCmp>;
+  using fileDoubleIndex = std::map<FeatureValue*, fileIndex, fCmp >;
   std::ostream& operator<< ( std::ostream&, const fileIndex& );
   std::ostream& operator<< ( std::ostream&, const fileDoubleIndex& );
 
diff --git a/src/IBtree.cxx b/src/IBtree.cxx
index a1aaff2..01e6764 100644
--- a/src/IBtree.cxx
+++ b/src/IBtree.cxx
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ using namespace icu;
 
 namespace Timbl {
   using namespace Common;
-
+  using TiCC::operator<<;
   IBtree::IBtree():
     FValue(0), TValue(0), TDistribution(0),
     link(0), next(0)
@@ -339,8 +339,8 @@ namespace Timbl {
 
   void InstanceBase_base::toXML( ostream &os )  {
     // save an IBtree for later use.
-    TiCC::XmlDoc doc( "root" );
-    xmlNode *root = doc.getRoot();
+    xmlDoc *doc = TiCC::create_xmlDocument( "root" );
+    xmlNode *root = TiCC::getRoot( doc );
     xmlAddChild( root,
 		 TiCC::XmlNewComment( "Version " + TiCC::toString(Version) ) );
     bool dummy;