diff --git a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/data_feeder.py b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/data_feeder.py
index 30a542af212926c93381aade426e25f2117e4662..24036c3e75b9594ba58cccb02825ab8020d1e107 100644
--- a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/data_feeder.py
+++ b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/data_feeder.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@ import core
 import numpy
 import six.moves as six
 
-from framework import Variable
+from framework import Variable, default_main_program
 
 __all__ = ['DataFeeder']
 
@@ -53,12 +53,16 @@ class DataToLoDTensorConverter(object):
 
 
 class DataFeeder(object):
-    def __init__(self, feed_list, place):
+    def __init__(self, feed_list, place, program=None):
         self.feed_dtypes = []
         self.feed_names = []
         self.feed_shapes = []
         self.feed_lod_level = []
+        if program is None:
+            program = default_main_program()
         for each_var in feed_list:
+            if isinstance(each_var, basestring):
+                each_var = program.block(0).var(each_var)
             if not isinstance(each_var, Variable):
                 raise TypeError("Feed list should contain a list of variable")
             self.feed_dtypes.append(each_var.dtype)
diff --git a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/io.py b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/io.py
index 69a732fc45a1946f260cdd9a9c2da150b87c3ddd..c47ce82aba7fa5ac42ac26cd25fa3ebc93e96cb2 100644
--- a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/io.py
+++ b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/io.py
@@ -188,7 +188,7 @@ def save_inference_model(dirname,
             raise ValueError("'feed_var_names' should be a list of str.")
 
     if isinstance(target_vars, Variable):
-        feeded_var_names = [feeded_var_names]
+        target_vars = [target_vars]
     else:
         if not (bool(target_vars) and all(
                 isinstance(var, Variable) for var in target_vars)):