--- a/lib/update.hg	Thu Dec 19 23:22:12 2013 +0200
+++ b/lib/update.hg	Thu Dec 19 23:52:17 2013 +0200
@@ -28,20 +28,6 @@
     echo "$hg_unix"
 }
 
-## Output possible -u flag for commit.
-function hg_user {
-    if [ ${SUDO_USER:-} ]; then
-        echo '-u' "$SUDO_USER"
-
-    elif [ $HOME ] && [ -e $HOME/.hgrc ]; then
-        debug "using .hgrc user"
-        echo ''
-
-    else
-        echo '-u' "$USER"
-    fi
-}
-
 ## Show changes in repo
 #   hg_diff     [path ...]
 function hg_diff {
@@ -51,17 +37,39 @@
 
 ## Commit changes in repo, with given message:
 #
-#   hg_commit   $msg
+#   hg_commit   .../etc $msg
 #
 # Automatically determines possible -u to use when running with sudo.
 function hg_commit {
-    local repo=$1
-    local msg=$2
-    local user_opt=$(hg_user)
+    local repo="$1"
+    local msg="$2"
+    local user_opt=
     local msg_opt=
 
-    [ $msg ] && msg_opt=('-m' "$msg")
+    if [ ${SUDO_USER:-} ]; then
+        user_opt=('-u' "$SUDO_USER")
+
+    elif [ $HOME ] && [ -e $HOME/.hgrc ]; then
+        debug "using .hgrc user"
+        user_opt=( )
+
+    else
+        user_opt=('-u' "$USER")
+    fi
     
-    debug "$user_opt: $msg"
-    hg $repo commit ${user_opt[@]} ${msg_opt[@]}
+    if [ "$msg" ]; then
+        msg_opt=('-m' "$msg")
+    fi
+   
+    # XXX:  there's something about bash arrays that I don't like... empty arrays behave badly
+    #       mercurial does not like it if you pass it '' as an argument
+    if [ -n "${user_opt:-}" -a -n "${msg_opt:-}" ]; then
+        hg $repo commit "${user_opt[@]}" "${msg_opt[@]}"
+    elif [ -n "${user_opt:-}" ]; then
+        hg $repo commit "${user_opt[@]}"
+    elif [ -n "${msg_opt:-}" ]; then
+        hg $repo commit "${msg_opt[@]}"
+    else
+        hg $repo commit
+    fi
 }

--- a/lib/update.operations	Thu Dec 19 23:22:12 2013 +0200
+++ b/lib/update.operations	Thu Dec 19 23:52:17 2013 +0200
@@ -334,24 +334,13 @@
 }
 
 ### Commit
-## Perform `hg commit`
-function do_commit {
-    local repo=$1
-    local msg=$1
-
-    [ $LOG_DIFF ] && indent "    " hg_diff $repo
-
-    hg_commit $repo "$msg"
-}
-
-
 ## Commit changes to version control:
 #
-#   commit_data
+#   update_commit .../etc "commit message"
 #
 # Invokes `hg commit`, first showing the diff.
 function update_commit {
-    local repo=$1
+    local repo="$1"
     local commit_msg="$COMMIT_MSG"
 
     local msg="Commit changes"
@@ -360,19 +349,23 @@
     if [ $COMMIT_FORCE ]; then
         log_force   "$msg: $commit_msg"
 
-        do_commit "$commit_msg"
+        [ $LOG_DIFF ] && indent "    " hg_diff $repo
 
-    elif ! hg_modified $repo; then
+        hg_commit "$repo" "$commit_msg"
+
+    elif ! hg_modified "$repo"; then
         log_warn    "$msg: no changes"
 
     elif [ $COMMIT_SKIP ]; then
         log_noop    "$msg: skipped"
         
         # still show diff, though
-        [ $LOG_DIFF ] && indent "    " hg_diff $repo
+        [ $LOG_DIFF ] && indent "    " hg_diff "$repo"
     else
         log_update  "$msg: $commit_msg"
 
-        do_commit $repo "$commit_msg"
+        [ $LOG_DIFF ] && indent "    " hg_diff $repo
+
+        hg_commit "$repo" "$commit_msg"
     fi
 }