diff --git a/app/PdeBase.java b/app/PdeBase.java
index b767c7a89..5d258ee4f 100644
--- a/app/PdeBase.java
+++ b/app/PdeBase.java
@@ -358,7 +358,6 @@ public class PdeBase {
 
 
   static public void copyFile(File afile, File bfile) throws IOException {
-    //try {
     InputStream from = new BufferedInputStream(new FileInputStream(afile));
     OutputStream to = new BufferedOutputStream(new FileOutputStream(bfile));
     byte[] buffer = new byte[16 * 1024];
@@ -373,7 +372,7 @@ public class PdeBase {
     to = null;
 
 #ifdef JDK13
-  bfile.setLastModified(afile.lastModified());  // jdk13+ required
+    bfile.setLastModified(afile.lastModified());  // jdk13+ required
 #endif
   //} catch (IOException e) {
   //  e.printStackTrace();
@@ -381,21 +380,46 @@ public class PdeBase {
   }
 
 
+  /**
+   * Grab the contents of a file as a string.
+   */
+  static public String loadFile(File file) throws IOException {  
+    // empty code file.. no worries, might be getting filled up later
+    if (file.length() == 0) return "";
+
+    InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(file));
+    BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(isr);
+
+    StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
+    String line = null;
+    while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
+      buffer.append(line);
+      buffer.append('\n');
+    }
+    reader.close();
+    return buffer.toString();
+  }
+
+
   /**
    * Spew the contents of a String object out to a file.
    */
-  static public void saveFile(String contents, File location) 
-    throws IOException {
+  static public void saveFile(String str, 
+                              File file) throws IOException {
 
-    BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new ByteArrayInputStream(contents.getBytes())));
-    PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(new BufferedWriter(new FileWriter(location)));
+    ByteArrayInputStream bis = new ByteArrayInputStream(str.getBytes());
+    InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(bis);
+    BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(isr);
+
+    FileWriter fw = new FileWriter(file);
+    PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(new BufferedWriter(fw));
 
     String line = null;
     while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
       writer.println(line);
     }
     writer.flush();
-    writer.close();        
+    writer.close();
   }
 
 
diff --git a/app/PdeCode.java b/app/PdeCode.java
index f41b57892..16bedae58 100644
--- a/app/PdeCode.java
+++ b/app/PdeCode.java
@@ -27,13 +27,14 @@ import java.io.*;
 
 public class PdeCode {
   String name;  // pretty name (no extension), not the full file name
-  String preprocName;  // name of .java file after preproc
   File file;
   int flavor;
 
   String program;
   boolean modified;
-  //History history;  // later
+  //PdeHistory history;  // TODO add history information
+
+  String preprocName;  // name of .java file after preproc
 
 
   public PdeCode(String name, File file, int flavor) {
@@ -44,24 +45,9 @@ public class PdeCode {
 
 
   public void load() throws IOException {
-    program = null;
-
-    if (file.length() != 0) {
-      BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(files[i])));
-      StringBuffer buffer = new StringBuffer();
-      String line = null;
-      while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
-        buffer.append(line);
-        buffer.append('\n');
-      }
-      reader.close();
-      program = buffer.toString();
-
-    } else {
-      // empty code file.. no worries, might be getting filled up
-      program = "";
-    }
+    program = PdeBase.loadFile(file);
 
+    //program = null;
     /*
     } catch (IOException e) {
       PdeBase.showWarning("Error loading file", 
@@ -80,30 +66,6 @@ public class PdeCode {
     // TODO re-enable history
     //history.record(s, PdeHistory.SAVE);
 
-    //File file = new File(directory, filename);
-    //try {
-    //System.out.println("handleSave: results of getText");
-    //System.out.print(s);
- 
-    ByteArrayInputStream bis = new ByteArrayInputStream(s.getBytes());
-    InputStreamReader isr = new InputStreamReader(bis);
-    BufferedReader reader = new BufferedReader(isr);
-
-    FileWriter fw = new FileWriter(file);
-    PrintWriter writer = new PrintWriter(new BufferedWriter(fw));
-
-    String line = null;
-    while ((line = reader.readLine()) != null) {
-      //System.out.println("w '" + line + "'");
-      writer.println(line);
-    }
-    writer.flush();
-    writer.close();
-
-    /*
-    sketchFile = file;
-    setSketchModified(false);
-    message("Done saving " + filename + ".");
-    */
+    PdeBase.saveFile(program, file);
   }
 }
diff --git a/app/PdeEditor.java b/app/PdeEditor.java
index f3363c293..589669d78 100644
--- a/app/PdeEditor.java
+++ b/app/PdeEditor.java
@@ -506,18 +506,7 @@ public class PdeEditor extends JFrame
     item = newJMenuItem("Export", 'E');
     item.addActionListener(new ActionListener() {
         public void actionPerformed(ActionEvent e) {
-          editor.message("Exporting code...");
-          try {
-            if (sketch.export()) {
-              message("Done exporting.");
-            } else {
-              // error message will already be visible
-            }
-          } catch (Exception e) {
-            editor.message("Error during export.");
-            e.printStackTrace();
-          }
-          buttons.clear();
+          handleExport();
         }
       });
 
@@ -920,17 +909,6 @@ public class PdeEditor extends JFrame
   }
 
 
-  /** 
-   * Quit, but first ask user if it's ok. Also store preferences
-   * to disk just in case they want to quit. Final exit() happens 
-   * in PdeEditor since it has the callback from PdeEditorStatus.
-   */
-  public void handleQuit() {
-    // check to see if the person actually wants to quit
-    doQuit();
-  }
-
-
   // ...................................................................
 
 
@@ -1468,7 +1446,32 @@ public class PdeEditor extends JFrame
   }
 
 
-  public void doQuit() {
+  /**
+   * Handles calling the export() function on sketch, and
+   * queues all the gui status stuff that comes along with it.
+   */
+  public void handleExport() {
+    editor.message("Exporting code...");
+    try {
+      if (sketch.export()) {
+        message("Done exporting.");
+      } else {
+        // error message will already be visible
+      }
+    } catch (Exception e) {
+      editor.message("Error during export.");
+      e.printStackTrace();
+    }
+    buttons.clear();
+  }
+
+
+  /** 
+   * Quit, but first ask user if it's ok. Also store preferences
+   * to disk just in case they want to quit. Final exit() happens 
+   * in PdeEditor since it has the callback from PdeEditorStatus.
+   */
+  public void handleQuit() {
     // stop isn't sufficient with external vm & quit
     // instead use doClose() which will kill the external vm
     //doStop();