diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneRuleSet.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneRuleSet.java
index bcde2e95..32d33c9c 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneRuleSet.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneRuleSet.java
@@ -52,11 +52,11 @@ public class SparseMisoSceneRuleSet implements NestableRuleSet
         // this creates the appropriate instance when we encounter our
         // prefix tag
         dig.addRule(prefix, new Rule() {
-            public void begin (String namespace, String name,
+            @Override public void begin (String namespace, String name,
                                Attributes attributes) throws Exception {
                 digester.push(createMisoSceneModel());
             }
-            public void end (String namespace, String name) throws Exception {
+            @Override public void end (String namespace, String name) throws Exception {
                 digester.pop();
             }
         });
@@ -70,14 +70,23 @@ public class SparseMisoSceneRuleSet implements NestableRuleSet
         dig.addObjectCreate(sprefix, Section.class.getName());
         dig.addRule(sprefix, new SetPropertyFieldsRule());
         dig.addRule(sprefix + "/base", new SetFieldRule("baseTileIds"));
-        dig.addObjectCreate(sprefix + "/objects/object",
-                            ObjectInfo.class.getName());
-        dig.addRule(sprefix + "/objects/object", new SetPropertyFieldsRule());
-        dig.addSetNext(sprefix + "/objects/object", "addObject",
-                       ObjectInfo.class.getName());
+        addObjectExtractor(dig, "objects", sprefix, "addObject");
         dig.addSetNext(sprefix, "setSection", Section.class.getName());
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Adds a set of rules to <code>dig</code> to create an Object info from the element at
+     * base/type/object and calls <code>methodName</code> on the object on dig's stack.
+     */
+    public static void addObjectExtractor (Digester dig, String type, String base,
+        String methodName)
+    {
+        String prefix = base + "/" + type + "/object";
+        dig.addObjectCreate(prefix, ObjectInfo.class);
+        dig.addRule(prefix, new SetPropertyFieldsRule());
+        dig.addSetNext(prefix, methodName, ObjectInfo.class.getName());
+    }
+
     protected SparseMisoSceneModel createMisoSceneModel ()
     {
         return new SparseMisoSceneModel();
diff --git a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneWriter.java b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneWriter.java
index 090d51fa..eb31e8cc 100644
--- a/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneWriter.java
+++ b/src/java/com/threerings/miso/tools/xml/SparseMisoSceneWriter.java
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ public class SparseMisoSceneWriter implements NestableWriter
         writer.dataElement("defTileSet", Integer.toString(model.defTileSet));
 
         writer.startElement("sections");
-        for (Iterator iter = model.getSections(); iter.hasNext(); ) {
-            Section sect = (Section)iter.next();
+        for (Iterator<Section> iter = model.getSections(); iter.hasNext(); ) {
+            Section sect = iter.next();
             if (sect.isBlank()) {
                 continue;
             }
@@ -95,37 +95,39 @@ public class SparseMisoSceneWriter implements NestableWriter
 
             // write our interesting object tile information
             for (int ii = 0; ii < sect.objectInfo.length; ii++) {
-                ObjectInfo info = sect.objectInfo[ii];
-                attrs = new AttributesImpl();
-                attrs.addAttribute("", "tileId", "", "",
-                                   String.valueOf(info.tileId));
-                attrs.addAttribute("", "x", "", "", String.valueOf(info.x));
-                attrs.addAttribute("", "y", "", "", String.valueOf(info.y));
-
-                if (!StringUtil.isBlank(info.action)) {
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "action", "", "", info.action);
-                }
-                if (info.priority != 0) {
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "priority", "", "",
-                                       String.valueOf(info.priority));
-                }
-                if (info.sx != 0 || info.sy != 0) {
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "sx",  "", "",
-                                       String.valueOf(info.sx));
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "sy",  "", "",
-                                       String.valueOf(info.sy));
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "sorient",  "", "",
-                                       String.valueOf(info.sorient));
-                }
-                if (info.zations != 0) {
-                    attrs.addAttribute("", "zations",  "", "",
-                                       String.valueOf(info.zations));
-                }
-                writer.emptyElement("", "object", "", attrs);
+                writeInterestingObject(sect.objectInfo[ii], writer);
             }
             writer.endElement("objects");
             writer.endElement("section");
         }
         writer.endElement("sections");
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Writes <code>info</code> out to <code>writer</code>. 
+     */
+    public static void writeInterestingObject (ObjectInfo info, DataWriter writer)
+        throws SAXException
+    {
+        AttributesImpl attrs = new AttributesImpl();
+        attrs.addAttribute("", "tileId", "", "", String.valueOf(info.tileId));
+        attrs.addAttribute("", "x", "", "", String.valueOf(info.x));
+        attrs.addAttribute("", "y", "", "", String.valueOf(info.y));
+
+        if (!StringUtil.isBlank(info.action)) {
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "action", "", "", info.action);
+        }
+        if (info.priority != 0) {
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "priority", "", "", String.valueOf(info.priority));
+        }
+        if (info.sx != 0 || info.sy != 0) {
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "sx", "", "", String.valueOf(info.sx));
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "sy", "", "", String.valueOf(info.sy));
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "sorient", "", "", String.valueOf(info.sorient));
+        }
+        if (info.zations != 0) {
+            attrs.addAttribute("", "zations", "", "", String.valueOf(info.zations));
+        }
+        writer.emptyElement("", "object", "", attrs);
+    }
 }