diff --git a/common/content/autocommands.js b/common/content/autocommands.js
index d225c713..8aad6061 100644
--- a/common/content/autocommands.js
+++ b/common/content/autocommands.js
@@ -169,7 +169,7 @@ const AutoCommands = Module("autocommands", {
                         cmd.toString = function toString() "-javascript " + cmd.source;
                     }
                     else {
-                        cmd = function cmd(args) dactyl.execute(commands.replaceTokens(cmd.source, args), null, true, cmd.sourcing);
+                        cmd = function cmd(args) commands.execute(cmd.source, args, false, null, cmd.sourcing);
                         cmd.sourcing = io.sourcing && update({}, io.sourcing);
                         cmd.toString = function toString() cmd.source;
                     }
diff --git a/common/content/commands.js b/common/content/commands.js
index f1bcd8e4..bd37d271 100644
--- a/common/content/commands.js
+++ b/common/content/commands.js
@@ -412,6 +412,64 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
         return res.join(" ");
     },
 
+    /**
+     * Executes an Ex command script.
+     *
+     * @param {string} string A string containing the commands to execute.
+     * @param {object} tokens An optional object containing tokens to be
+     *      interpolated into the command string.
+     * @param {object} args Optional arguments object to be passed to
+     *      command actions.
+     * @param {object} sourcing An object containing information about
+     *      the file that is being or has been sourced to obtain the
+     *      command string.
+     */
+    execute: function (string, tokens, silent, args, sourcing) {
+        io.withSavedValues(["readHeredoc", "sourcing"], function () {
+            this.sourcing = update({}, sourcing);
+
+            args = update({ setFrom: this.file }, args || {});
+
+            if (tokens)
+                string = commands.replaceTokens(string, tokens);
+
+            let lines = string.split(/\r\n|[\r\n]/);
+
+            this.readHeredoc = function (end) {
+                let res = [];
+                this.sourcing.line++;
+                while (++i < lines.length) {
+                    if (lines[i] === end)
+                        return res.join("\n");
+                    res.push(lines[i]);
+                }
+                dactyl.assert(false, "Unexpected end of file waiting for " + end);
+            };
+
+            for (var i = 0; i < lines.length && !this.sourcing.finished; i++) {
+                // Deal with editors from Silly OSs.
+                let line = lines[i].replace(/\r$/, "");
+
+                this.sourcing.line = sourcing.line + i;
+
+                // Process escaped new lines
+                while (i < lines.length && /^\s*\\/.test(lines[i + 1]))
+                    line += "\n" + lines[++i].replace(/^\s*\\/, "");
+
+                try {
+                    dactyl.execute(line, args);
+                }
+                catch (e) {
+                    if (!silent) {
+                        dactyl.echoerr("Error detected while processing " + this.sourcing.file);
+                        dactyl.echomsg("line\t" + this.sourcing.line + ":");
+                        dactyl.reportError(e, true);
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        });
+    },
+
     /**
      * Returns the command with matching <b>name</b>.
      *
@@ -595,9 +653,11 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
 
         outer:
         while (i < str.length || complete) {
-            // skip whitespace
-            while (/\s/.test(str[i]) && i < str.length)
-                i++;
+            var argStart = i;
+            let re = /^\s*/gy;
+            re.lastIndex = i;
+            i += re.exec(str)[0].length;
+
             if (str[i] == "|") {
                 args.string = str.slice(0, i);
                 args.trailing = str.slice(i + 1);
@@ -700,14 +760,20 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
                     complete.highlight(i, sub.length, "SPELLCHECK");
             }
 
-            if (args.length == literal) {
+            if (args.length === literal) {
                 if (complete)
                     args.completeArg = args.length;
+
+                let re = /^(?:\s*(?=\n)|\s*)([^]*)/gy;
+                re.lastIndex = argStart || 0;
+                sub = re.exec(str)[1];
+
                 // Hack.
                 if (sub.substr(0, 2) === "<<" && hereDoc)
                     let ([count, arg] = getNextArg(sub)) {
                         sub = arg + sub.substr(count);
                     }
+
                 args.literalArg = sub;
                 args.push(sub);
                 args.quote = null;
@@ -997,7 +1063,7 @@ const Commands = Module("commands", {
                 count: this.count && args.count
             };
 
-            dactyl.execute(commands.replaceTokens(this.replacementText, tokens), null, true, this.sourcing);
+            commands.execute(this.replacementText, tokens, false, null, this.sourcing);
         }
 
         // TODO: offer completion.ex?
diff --git a/common/content/configbase.js b/common/content/configbase.js
index d316ac5b..c4f9f9ee 100644
--- a/common/content/configbase.js
+++ b/common/content/configbase.js
@@ -153,7 +153,7 @@ const ConfigBase = Class(ModuleBase, {
         Null         color: blue;
         Number       color: blue;
         Object       color: maroon;
-        String       color: green;
+        String       color: green; white-space: pre;
 
         Key          font-weight: bold;
 
diff --git a/common/content/dactyl.js b/common/content/dactyl.js
index d0013a2c..c9dec706 100644
--- a/common/content/dactyl.js
+++ b/common/content/dactyl.js
@@ -1994,7 +1994,7 @@ const Dactyl = Module("dactyl", {
                         dactyl.execute(init);
                     else {
                         if (rcFile) {
-                            io.source(rcFile.path, true);
+                            io.source(rcFile.path, false);
                             services.get("environment").set("MY_" + config.idName + "RC", rcFile.path);
                         }
                         else
diff --git a/common/content/io.js b/common/content/io.js
index 5a274dc6..763f0e05 100644
--- a/common/content/io.js
+++ b/common/content/io.js
@@ -319,99 +319,61 @@ lookup:
     source: function (filename, silent) {
         defineModule.loadLog.push("sourcing " + filename);
         let time = Date.now();
-        this.withSavedValues(["readHeredoc", "sourcing"], function () {
-            try {
-                var file = io.File(filename);
-                this.sourcing = {
-                    file: file.path,
-                    line: 0
-                };
+        try {
+            var file = io.File(filename);
 
-                if (!file.exists() || !file.isReadable() || file.isDirectory()) {
-                    if (!silent)
-                        dactyl.echoerr("E484: Can't open file " + filename.quote());
-                    return;
-                }
-
-                dactyl.echomsg("sourcing " + filename.quote(), 2);
-
-                let uri = services.get("io").newFileURI(file);
-
-                // handle pure JavaScript files specially
-                if (/\.js$/.test(filename)) {
-                    try {
-                        dactyl.loadScript(uri.spec, Script(file));
-                        dactyl.helpInitialized = false;
-                    }
-                    catch (e) {
-                        if (e.fileName)
-                            try {
-                                e.fileName = e.fileName.replace(/^(chrome|resource):.*? -> /, "");
-                                if (e.fileName == uri.spec)
-                                    e.fileName = filename;
-                                e.echoerr = <>{e.fileName}:{e.lineNumber}: {e}</>
-                            }
-                            catch (e) {}
-                        throw e;
-                    }
-                }
-                else if (/\.css$/.test(filename))
-                    storage.styles.registerSheet(uri.spec, false, true);
-                else {
-                    let lines = file.read().split(/\r\n|[\r\n]/);
-
-                    this.readHeredoc = function (end) {
-                        let res = [];
-                        io.sourcing.line++;
-                        while (++i < lines.length) {
-                            if (lines[i] === end)
-                                return res.join("\n");
-                            res.push(lines[i]);
-                        }
-                        dactyl.assert(false, "Unexpected end of file waiting for " + end);
-                    };
-
-                    for (var i = 0; i < lines.length && !this.sourcing.finished; i++) {
-                        // Deal with editors from Silly OSs.
-                        let line = lines[i].replace(/\r$/, "");
-
-                        this.sourcing.line = i + 1;
-
-                        // Process escaped new lines
-                        while (i < lines.length && /^\s*\\/.test(lines[i + 1]))
-                            line += "\n" + lines[++i].replace(/^\s*\\/, "");
-
-                        try {
-                            dactyl.execute(line, { setFrom: file });
-                        }
-                        catch (e) {
-                            if (!silent) {
-                                dactyl.echoerr("Error detected while processing " + file.path);
-                                dactyl.echomsg("line\t" + this.sourcing.line + ":");
-                                dactyl.reportError(e, true);
-                            }
-                        }
-                    }
-                }
-
-                if (this._scriptNames.indexOf(file.path) == -1)
-                    this._scriptNames.push(file.path);
-
-                dactyl.echomsg("finished sourcing " + filename.quote(), 2);
-
-                dactyl.log("Sourced: " + filename, 3);
-            }
-            catch (e) {
-                if (!(e instanceof FailedAssertion))
-                    dactyl.reportError(e);
-                let message = "Sourcing file: " + (e.echoerr || file.path + ": " + e);
+            if (!file.exists() || !file.isReadable() || file.isDirectory()) {
                 if (!silent)
-                    dactyl.echoerr(message);
+                    dactyl.echoerr("E484: Can't open file " + filename.quote());
+                return;
             }
-            finally {
-                defineModule.loadLog.push("done sourcing " + filename + ": " + (Date.now() - time) + "ms");
+
+            dactyl.echomsg("sourcing " + filename.quote(), 2);
+
+            let uri = services.get("io").newFileURI(file);
+
+            // handle pure JavaScript files specially
+            if (/\.js$/.test(filename)) {
+                try {
+                    dactyl.loadScript(uri.spec, Script(file));
+                    dactyl.helpInitialized = false;
+                }
+                catch (e) {
+                    if (e.fileName)
+                        try {
+                            e.fileName = e.fileName.replace(/^(chrome|resource):.*? -> /, "");
+                            if (e.fileName == uri.spec)
+                                e.fileName = filename;
+                            e.echoerr = <>{e.fileName}:{e.lineNumber}: {e}</>
+                        }
+                        catch (e) {}
+                    throw e;
+                }
             }
-        });
+            else if (/\.css$/.test(filename))
+                storage.styles.registerSheet(uri.spec, false, true);
+            else {
+                commands.execute(file.read(), null, silent, null,
+                    { file: file.path, line: 1 });
+            }
+
+            if (this._scriptNames.indexOf(file.path) == -1)
+                this._scriptNames.push(file.path);
+
+            dactyl.echomsg("finished sourcing " + filename.quote(), 2);
+
+            dactyl.log("Sourced: " + filename, 3);
+        }
+        catch (e) {
+            if (!(e instanceof FailedAssertion))
+                dactyl.reportError(e);
+            let message = "Sourcing file: " + (e.echoerr || file.path + ": " + e);
+            if (!silent)
+                dactyl.echoerr(message);
+        }
+        finally {
+            defineModule.loadLog.push("done sourcing " + filename + ": " + (Date.now() - time) + "ms");
+        }
     },
 
     // TODO: when https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/show_bug.cgi?id=68702 is
diff --git a/common/content/mappings.js b/common/content/mappings.js
index a3ec6461..da98c0c6 100644
--- a/common/content/mappings.js
+++ b/common/content/mappings.js
@@ -384,8 +384,8 @@ const Mappings = Module("mappings", {
                     }
                     else if (args["-ex"]) {
                         rhs = ["-ex", rhs];
-                        action = function action(count)
-                            dactyl.execute(commands.replaceTokens(rhs[1], { count: count }), null, true, action.sourcing);
+                        action = function action(count) commands.execute(rhs[1], { count: count },
+                                                                         false, null, action.sourcing);
                         action.sourcing = io.sourcing && update({}, io.sourcing);
                     }
                     else {