diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/net/HttpPostUtil.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/net/HttpPostUtil.java
index 8b157327..0d7d910e 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/net/HttpPostUtil.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/net/HttpPostUtil.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: HttpPostUtil.java,v 1.1 2003/09/26 02:36:41 ray Exp $
+// $Id: HttpPostUtil.java,v 1.2 2003/10/08 23:52:49 ray Exp $
 
 package com.samskivert.net;
 
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ import java.io.IOException;
 
 import java.net.HttpURLConnection;
 import java.net.URL;
-import java.net.URLEncoder;
 
 import com.samskivert.util.ServiceWaiter;
 
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/user/UserManager.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/user/UserManager.java
index 56797b70..1225a5a2 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/user/UserManager.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/user/UserManager.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: UserManager.java,v 1.18 2003/10/06 22:50:28 ray Exp $
+// $Id: UserManager.java,v 1.19 2003/10/08 23:52:50 ray Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 package com.samskivert.servlet.user;
 
-import java.net.URLEncoder;
 import java.util.Properties;
 import javax.servlet.http.Cookie;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/util/RequestUtils.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/util/RequestUtils.java
index 66d2f740..74331351 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/util/RequestUtils.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/servlet/util/RequestUtils.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: RequestUtils.java,v 1.8 2003/10/08 00:40:16 mdb Exp $
+// $Id: RequestUtils.java,v 1.9 2003/10/08 23:52:50 ray Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@
 package com.samskivert.servlet.util;
 
 import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
-import java.net.URLEncoder;
 import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
 
 import com.samskivert.util.StringUtil;
@@ -41,12 +40,7 @@ public class RequestUtils
      */
     public static String getLocationEncoded (HttpServletRequest req)
     {
-        String location = getLocation(req);
-        try {
-            return URLEncoder.encode(location, "UTF-8");
-        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException uee) {
-            return location;
-        }
+        return StringUtil.encode(getLocation(req));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
index f906ce9d..23ca74b3 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/util/StringUtil.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: StringUtil.java,v 1.57 2003/08/19 23:37:56 ray Exp $
+// $Id: StringUtil.java,v 1.58 2003/10/08 23:52:50 ray Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -24,10 +24,15 @@ import java.awt.geom.Dimension2D;
 import java.awt.geom.Point2D;
 import java.awt.geom.Rectangle2D;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
+
 import java.lang.reflect.Field;
 import java.lang.reflect.Method;
 import java.lang.reflect.Modifier;
 
+import java.net.URLEncoder;
+import java.net.URLDecoder;
+
 import java.text.NumberFormat;
 
 import java.security.MessageDigest;
@@ -635,6 +640,30 @@ public class StringUtil
         }
     }
 
+    /**
+     * URL encodes the specified string using the UTF-8 character encoding.
+     */
+    public static String encode (String s)
+    {
+        try {
+            return URLEncoder.encode(s, "UTF-8");
+        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException uee) {
+            throw new RuntimeException("UTF-8 is unknown in this Java.");
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * URL decodes the specified string using the UTF-8 character encoding.
+     */
+    public static String decode (String s)
+    {
+        try {
+            return URLDecoder.decode(s, "UTF-8");
+        } catch (UnsupportedEncodingException uee) {
+            throw new RuntimeException("UTF-8 is unknown in this Java.");
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * Generates a string from the supplied bytes that is the HEX encoded
      * representation of those bytes.  Returns the empty string for a
@@ -650,8 +679,8 @@ public class StringUtil
             return "";
         }
 
-        char[] chars = new char[bytes.length*2];
         count = Math.min(count, bytes.length);
+        char[] chars = new char[count*2];
 
         for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
             int val = (int)bytes[i];
diff --git a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/StringTool.java b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/StringTool.java
index 9f18dfc3..6d905229 100644
--- a/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/StringTool.java
+++ b/projects/samskivert/src/java/com/samskivert/velocity/StringTool.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 //
-// $Id: StringTool.java,v 1.10 2003/10/08 00:35:57 ray Exp $
+// $Id: StringTool.java,v 1.11 2003/10/08 23:52:50 ray Exp $
 //
 // samskivert library - useful routines for java programs
 // Copyright (C) 2001 Michael Bayne
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@
 
 package com.samskivert.velocity;
 
-import java.net.URLEncoder;
 import java.text.NumberFormat;
 
 import com.samskivert.servlet.util.HTMLUtil;
@@ -44,12 +43,7 @@ public class StringTool
      */
     public static String urlEncode (String text)
     {
-        try {
-            return URLEncoder.encode(text, "UTF-8");
-        } catch (java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException uee) {
-            // won't happen
-            return text;
-        }
+        return StringUtil.encode(text);
     }
 
     /**