diff --git a/proposal/myrmidon/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java b/proposal/myrmidon/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
index 11fe3496a..5cbaada97 100644
--- a/proposal/myrmidon/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
+++ b/proposal/myrmidon/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ package org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import org.apache.myrmidon.api.AbstractTask;
 import org.apache.myrmidon.api.TaskException;
-import org.apache.tools.ant.Task;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.exec.Execute2;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Commandline;
 
@@ -18,25 +18,27 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Commandline;
  * Task as a layer on top of patch. Patch applies a diff file to an original.
  *
  * @author <a href="mailto:stefan.bodewig@epost.de">Stefan Bodewig</a>
+ * @author <a href="mailto:peter@apache.org">Peter Donald</a>
  */
-public class Patch extends Task
+public class Patch
+    extends AbstractTask
 {
-    private boolean havePatchfile = false;
-    private Commandline cmd = new Commandline();
-
-    private File originalFile;
+    private File m_originalFile;
+    private File m_patchFile;
+    private boolean m_backups;
+    private boolean m_ignorewhitespace;
+    private boolean m_reverse;
+    private boolean m_quiet;
+    private Integer m_strip;
 
     /**
      * Shall patch write backups.
      *
      * @param backups The new Backups value
      */
-    public void setBackups( boolean backups )
+    public void setBackups( final boolean backups )
     {
-        if( backups )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-b" );
-        }
+        m_backups = backups;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -44,12 +46,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param ignore The new Ignorewhitespace value
      */
-    public void setIgnorewhitespace( boolean ignore )
+    public void setIgnorewhitespace( final boolean ignorewhitespace )
     {
-        if( ignore )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-l" );
-        }
+        m_ignorewhitespace = ignorewhitespace;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -57,9 +56,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param file The new Originalfile value
      */
-    public void setOriginalfile( File file )
+    public void setOriginalfile( final File originalFile )
     {
-        originalFile = file;
+        m_originalFile = originalFile;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -67,16 +66,10 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param file The new Patchfile value
      */
-    public void setPatchfile( File file )
+    public void setPatchfile( final File patchFile )
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( !file.exists() )
-        {
-            throw new TaskException( "patchfile " + file + " doesn\'t exist" );
-        }
-        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-i" );
-        cmd.createArgument().setFile( file );
-        havePatchfile = true;
+        m_patchFile = patchFile;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -84,12 +77,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param q The new Quiet value
      */
-    public void setQuiet( boolean q )
+    public void setQuiet( final boolean quiet )
     {
-        if( q )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-s" );
-        }
+        m_quiet = quiet;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -97,12 +87,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param r The new Reverse value
      */
-    public void setReverse( boolean r )
+    public void setReverse( final boolean reverse )
     {
-        if( r )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-R" );
-        }
+        m_reverse = reverse;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -111,46 +98,92 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * patch's <i>-p</i> option.
      *
-     * @param num The new Strip value
-     * @exception TaskException Description of Exception
+     * @param strip The new Strip value
      */
-    public void setStrip( int num )
+    public void setStrip( final Integer strip )
+    {
+        m_strip = strip;
+    }
+
+    public void execute()
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( num < 0 )
+        validate();
+
+        final Execute2 exe = new Execute2();
+        setupLogger( exe );
+
+        final Commandline cmd = buildCommand();
+        exe.setCommandline( cmd.getCommandline() );
+
+        try
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "strip has to be >= 0" );
+            exe.execute();
+        }
+        catch( IOException e )
+        {
+            throw new TaskException( "Error", e );
         }
-        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-p" + num );
     }
 
-    public void execute()
+    private void validate()
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( !havePatchfile )
+        if( null == m_patchFile )
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "patchfile argument is required" );
+            final String message = "patchfile argument is required";
+            throw new TaskException( message );
         }
 
-        Commandline toExecute = (Commandline)cmd.clone();
-        toExecute.setExecutable( "patch" );
+        if( !m_patchFile.exists() )
+        {
+            final String message = "patchfile " + m_patchFile + " doesn\'t exist";
+            throw new TaskException( message );
+        }
 
-        if( originalFile != null )
+        if( null != m_strip && m_strip.intValue() < 0 )
         {
-            toExecute.createArgument().setFile( originalFile );
+            throw new TaskException( "strip has to be >= 0" );
         }
+    }
 
-        final Execute2 exe = new Execute2();
-        setupLogger( exe );
-        exe.setCommandline( toExecute.getCommandline() );
-        try
+    private Commandline buildCommand()
+    {
+        final Commandline cmd = new Commandline();
+        cmd.setExecutable( "patch" );
+
+        if( m_backups )
         {
-            exe.execute();
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-b" );
         }
-        catch( IOException e )
+
+        if( null != m_strip )
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "Error", e );
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-p" + m_strip.intValue() );
+        }
+
+        if( m_quiet )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-s" );
+        }
+
+        if( m_reverse )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-R" );
+        }
+
+        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-i" );
+        cmd.createArgument().setFile( m_patchFile );
+
+        if( m_ignorewhitespace )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-l" );
         }
-    }
 
-}// Patch
+        if( null != m_originalFile )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setFile( m_originalFile );
+        }
+        return cmd;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/proposal/myrmidon/src/todo/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java b/proposal/myrmidon/src/todo/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
index 11fe3496a..5cbaada97 100644
--- a/proposal/myrmidon/src/todo/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
+++ b/proposal/myrmidon/src/todo/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Patch.java
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ package org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs;
 
 import java.io.File;
 import java.io.IOException;
+import org.apache.myrmidon.api.AbstractTask;
 import org.apache.myrmidon.api.TaskException;
-import org.apache.tools.ant.Task;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.taskdefs.exec.Execute2;
 import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Commandline;
 
@@ -18,25 +18,27 @@ import org.apache.tools.ant.types.Commandline;
  * Task as a layer on top of patch. Patch applies a diff file to an original.
  *
  * @author <a href="mailto:stefan.bodewig@epost.de">Stefan Bodewig</a>
+ * @author <a href="mailto:peter@apache.org">Peter Donald</a>
  */
-public class Patch extends Task
+public class Patch
+    extends AbstractTask
 {
-    private boolean havePatchfile = false;
-    private Commandline cmd = new Commandline();
-
-    private File originalFile;
+    private File m_originalFile;
+    private File m_patchFile;
+    private boolean m_backups;
+    private boolean m_ignorewhitespace;
+    private boolean m_reverse;
+    private boolean m_quiet;
+    private Integer m_strip;
 
     /**
      * Shall patch write backups.
      *
      * @param backups The new Backups value
      */
-    public void setBackups( boolean backups )
+    public void setBackups( final boolean backups )
     {
-        if( backups )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-b" );
-        }
+        m_backups = backups;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -44,12 +46,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param ignore The new Ignorewhitespace value
      */
-    public void setIgnorewhitespace( boolean ignore )
+    public void setIgnorewhitespace( final boolean ignorewhitespace )
     {
-        if( ignore )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-l" );
-        }
+        m_ignorewhitespace = ignorewhitespace;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -57,9 +56,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param file The new Originalfile value
      */
-    public void setOriginalfile( File file )
+    public void setOriginalfile( final File originalFile )
     {
-        originalFile = file;
+        m_originalFile = originalFile;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -67,16 +66,10 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param file The new Patchfile value
      */
-    public void setPatchfile( File file )
+    public void setPatchfile( final File patchFile )
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( !file.exists() )
-        {
-            throw new TaskException( "patchfile " + file + " doesn\'t exist" );
-        }
-        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-i" );
-        cmd.createArgument().setFile( file );
-        havePatchfile = true;
+        m_patchFile = patchFile;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -84,12 +77,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param q The new Quiet value
      */
-    public void setQuiet( boolean q )
+    public void setQuiet( final boolean quiet )
     {
-        if( q )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-s" );
-        }
+        m_quiet = quiet;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -97,12 +87,9 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * @param r The new Reverse value
      */
-    public void setReverse( boolean r )
+    public void setReverse( final boolean reverse )
     {
-        if( r )
-        {
-            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-R" );
-        }
+        m_reverse = reverse;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -111,46 +98,92 @@ public class Patch extends Task
      *
      * patch's <i>-p</i> option.
      *
-     * @param num The new Strip value
-     * @exception TaskException Description of Exception
+     * @param strip The new Strip value
      */
-    public void setStrip( int num )
+    public void setStrip( final Integer strip )
+    {
+        m_strip = strip;
+    }
+
+    public void execute()
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( num < 0 )
+        validate();
+
+        final Execute2 exe = new Execute2();
+        setupLogger( exe );
+
+        final Commandline cmd = buildCommand();
+        exe.setCommandline( cmd.getCommandline() );
+
+        try
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "strip has to be >= 0" );
+            exe.execute();
+        }
+        catch( IOException e )
+        {
+            throw new TaskException( "Error", e );
         }
-        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-p" + num );
     }
 
-    public void execute()
+    private void validate()
         throws TaskException
     {
-        if( !havePatchfile )
+        if( null == m_patchFile )
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "patchfile argument is required" );
+            final String message = "patchfile argument is required";
+            throw new TaskException( message );
         }
 
-        Commandline toExecute = (Commandline)cmd.clone();
-        toExecute.setExecutable( "patch" );
+        if( !m_patchFile.exists() )
+        {
+            final String message = "patchfile " + m_patchFile + " doesn\'t exist";
+            throw new TaskException( message );
+        }
 
-        if( originalFile != null )
+        if( null != m_strip && m_strip.intValue() < 0 )
         {
-            toExecute.createArgument().setFile( originalFile );
+            throw new TaskException( "strip has to be >= 0" );
         }
+    }
 
-        final Execute2 exe = new Execute2();
-        setupLogger( exe );
-        exe.setCommandline( toExecute.getCommandline() );
-        try
+    private Commandline buildCommand()
+    {
+        final Commandline cmd = new Commandline();
+        cmd.setExecutable( "patch" );
+
+        if( m_backups )
         {
-            exe.execute();
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-b" );
         }
-        catch( IOException e )
+
+        if( null != m_strip )
         {
-            throw new TaskException( "Error", e );
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-p" + m_strip.intValue() );
+        }
+
+        if( m_quiet )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-s" );
+        }
+
+        if( m_reverse )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-R" );
+        }
+
+        cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-i" );
+        cmd.createArgument().setFile( m_patchFile );
+
+        if( m_ignorewhitespace )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setValue( "-l" );
         }
-    }
 
-}// Patch
+        if( null != m_originalFile )
+        {
+            cmd.createArgument().setFile( m_originalFile );
+        }
+        return cmd;
+    }
+}