diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ProjectHelper.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ProjectHelper.java
index 9d6eac8f6..6a53770fe 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ProjectHelper.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/ProjectHelper.java
@@ -360,6 +360,8 @@ public class ProjectHelper {
             if (target != null) {
                 task.setOwningTarget(target);
                 target.addTask(task);
+            } else {
+                task.execute();
             }
         }
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Property.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Property.java
index 2e274d0a3..ad8139ad1 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Property.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Property.java
@@ -107,7 +107,7 @@ public class Property extends Task {
         return resource;
     }
 
-    public void init() throws BuildException {
+    public void execute() throws BuildException {
         try {
             if ((name != null) && (value != null)) {
                 addProperty(name, value);
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ public class Property extends Task {
             if (resource != null) loadResource(resource);
 
         } catch (Exception e) {
-            throw new BuildException(e);
+            throw new BuildException(e, location);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
index 3c96eb68b..c59dae167 100644
--- a/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
+++ b/src/main/org/apache/tools/ant/taskdefs/Taskdef.java
@@ -65,15 +65,9 @@ public class Taskdef extends Task {
     private String name;
     private String value;
 
-    //
-    // REVISIT: Is this the right thing to do?
-    //          I moved the body of execute() into init().
-    //                               - akv
-    //
-    public void init() throws BuildException {
-	try {
+    public void execute() throws BuildException {
 	    if (name==null || value==null ) {
-		String msg = "name or class attributes of taskdef element "
+		String msg = "name or classname attributes of taskdef element "
 		    + "are undefined";
 		throw new BuildException(msg);
 	    }
@@ -83,24 +77,14 @@ public class Taskdef extends Task {
 	    } catch (ClassNotFoundException cnfe) {
 		String msg = "taskdef class " + value +
 		    " cannot be found";
-		throw new BuildException(msg);
+		throw new BuildException(msg, location);
 	    }
-	} catch (Exception ex) {
-	    ex.printStackTrace();
-	}
     }
     
     public void setName( String name) {
 	this.name = name;
     }
 
-    public void XsetClass(String v) {
-        log("The class attribute is deprecated. " +
-            "Please use the classname attribute.",
-            Project.MSG_WARN);
-        value = v;
-    }
-
     public String getClassname() {
 	return value;
     }