diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterComponent.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterComponent.java
index c2b02dad0..b69136fe0 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterComponent.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/CharacterComponent.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: CharacterComponent.java,v 1.4 2001/11/27 08:09:34 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: CharacterComponent.java,v 1.5 2002/02/19 22:09:50 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cast;
 
@@ -51,13 +51,25 @@ public class CharacterComponent implements Serializable
         return _frameProvider.getFrames(this, action);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Returns true if this component is equal to the other component. The
+     * comparison is made on <code>componentId</code>.
+     */
+    public boolean equals (Object other)
+    {
+        if (other instanceof CharacterComponent) {
+            return componentId == ((CharacterComponent)other).componentId;
+        } else {
+            return false;
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Returns a string representation of this character component.
      */
     public String toString ()
     {
-        return "[componentId=" + componentId + ", name=" + name +
-            ", class=" + componentClass + "]";
+        return StringUtil.fieldsToString(this);
     }
 
     /** The entity from which we obtain our animation frames. */
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentRepository.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentRepository.java
index 0c90a19aa..5374778c9 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentRepository.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/ComponentRepository.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: ComponentRepository.java,v 1.4 2001/11/27 08:09:35 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: ComponentRepository.java,v 1.5 2002/02/19 22:09:50 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cast;
 
@@ -20,6 +20,19 @@ public interface ComponentRepository
     public CharacterComponent getComponent (int componentId)
         throws NoSuchComponentException;
 
+    /**
+     * Returns the {@link CharacterComponent} object with the given
+     * component class and name.
+     */
+    public CharacterComponent getComponent (String className, String compName)
+        throws NoSuchComponentException;
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the {@link ComponentClass} with the specified name or null
+     * if none exists with that name.
+     */
+    public ComponentClass getComponentClass (String className);
+
     /**
      * Iterates over the {@link ComponentClass} instances representing all
      * available character component classes.
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/NoSuchComponentException.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/NoSuchComponentException.java
index 60c40b405..997979fc7 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/NoSuchComponentException.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/NoSuchComponentException.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: NoSuchComponentException.java,v 1.2 2001/11/27 08:09:35 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: NoSuchComponentException.java,v 1.3 2002/02/19 22:09:50 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cast;
 
@@ -15,6 +15,14 @@ public class NoSuchComponentException extends Exception
         _componentId = componentId;
     }
 
+    public NoSuchComponentException (
+        String componentClass, String componentName)
+    {
+        super("No such component [class=" + componentClass +
+              ", name=" + componentName + "]");
+        _componentId = -1;
+    }
+
     public int getComponentId ()
     {
         return _componentId;
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/bundle/BundledComponentRepository.java b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/bundle/BundledComponentRepository.java
index 4e706d09f..8fb22bda2 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/cast/bundle/BundledComponentRepository.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/cast/bundle/BundledComponentRepository.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: BundledComponentRepository.java,v 1.6 2002/02/18 00:06:57 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: BundledComponentRepository.java,v 1.7 2002/02/19 22:09:50 mdb Exp $
 
 package com.threerings.cast.bundle;
 
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import java.io.FileNotFoundException;
 import java.io.IOException;
 import java.io.InputStream;
 
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 
@@ -130,6 +131,31 @@ public class BundledComponentRepository
         return component;
     }
 
+    // documentation inherited
+    public CharacterComponent getComponent (String className, String compName)
+        throws NoSuchComponentException
+    {
+        // look up the list for that class
+        ArrayList comps = (ArrayList)_classComps.get(className);
+        if (comps != null) {
+            // scan the list for the named component
+            int ccount = comps.size();
+            for (int i = 0; i < ccount; i++) {
+                CharacterComponent comp = (CharacterComponent)comps.get(i);
+                if (comp.name.equals(compName)) {
+                    return comp;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        throw new NoSuchComponentException(className, compName);
+    }
+
+    // documentation inherited
+    public ComponentClass getComponentClass (String className)
+    {
+        return (ComponentClass)_classes.get(className);
+    }
+
     // documentation inherited
     public Iterator enumerateComponentClasses ()
     {
@@ -174,8 +200,21 @@ public class BundledComponentRepository
         CharacterComponent component = new CharacterComponent(
             componentId, cname, clazz, fprov);
 
-        // cache it
+        // stick it into the appropriate tables
         _components.put(componentId, component);
+
+        // we have a hash of lists for mapping components by class/name
+        ArrayList comps = (ArrayList)_classComps.get(cclass);
+        if (comps == null) {
+            comps = new ArrayList();
+            _classComps.put(cclass, comps);
+        }
+        if (!comps.contains(component)) {
+            comps.add(component);
+        } else {
+            Log.info("Requested to register the same component twice? " +
+                     "[component=" + component + "].");
+        }
     }
 
     /**
@@ -307,6 +346,9 @@ public class BundledComponentRepository
     /** A table of component classes. */
     protected HashMap _classes;
 
+    /** A table of component lists indexed on classname. */
+    protected HashMap _classComps = new HashMap();
+
     /** The component table. */
     protected HashIntMap _components = new HashIntMap();
 }