diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.I b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.I
index 9d15c325e2..4b64d6ccef 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.I
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.I
@@ -290,6 +290,13 @@ get_request_mode() const {
   return _request_mode;
 }
 
+INLINE istream &
+operator >> (istream &in, DocumentSpec &doc) {
+  if (!doc.input(in)) {
+    in.clear(ios::failbit | in.rdstate());
+  }
+  return in;
+}
 
 INLINE ostream &
 operator << (ostream &out, const DocumentSpec &doc) {
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.cxx b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.cxx
index cac9687357..04c5a8f06e 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.cxx
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
 #include "documentSpec.h"
+#include "indent.h"
 
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -43,6 +44,58 @@ compare_to(const DocumentSpec &other) const {
   return _date.compare_to(other._date);
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: DocumentSpec::input
+//       Access: Published
+//  Description: Can be used to read in the DocumentSpec from a stream
+//               generated either by output() or write().  Returns
+//               true on success, false on failure.
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+bool DocumentSpec::
+input(istream &in) {
+  // First, clear the spec.
+  (*this) = DocumentSpec();
+
+  char ch;
+  in >> ch;
+  if (ch != '[') {
+    return false;
+  }
+  in >> _url;
+  in >> ch;
+  if (ch == '(') {
+    // Scan the tag, up to but not including the closing paren.
+    string tag;
+    in >> ch;
+    while (!in.fail() && !in.eof() && ch != ')') {
+      tag += ch;
+      // We want to include embedded whitespace, so we use get().
+      ch = in.get();
+    }
+    set_tag(HTTPEntityTag(tag));
+
+    // Now ch is the close paren following the tag; skip to the next
+    // character.
+    in >> ch;
+  }
+
+  // Scan the date, up to but not including the closing bracket.
+  if (ch != ']') {
+    string date;
+    while (!in.fail() && !in.eof() && ch != ']') {
+      date += ch;
+      ch = in.get();
+    }
+
+    set_date(HTTPDate(date));
+    if (!get_date().is_valid()) {
+      return false;
+    }
+  }
+
+  return true;
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //     Function: DocumentSpec::output
 //       Access: Published
@@ -50,13 +103,14 @@ compare_to(const DocumentSpec &other) const {
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void DocumentSpec::
 output(ostream &out) const {
-  out << get_url();
+  out << "[ " << get_url();
   if (has_tag()) {
     out << " (" << get_tag() << ")";
   }
   if (has_date()) {
     out << " " << get_date();
   }
+  out << " ]";
 }
 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -65,12 +119,18 @@ output(ostream &out) const {
 //  Description: 
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 void DocumentSpec::
-write(ostream &out) const {
-  out << get_url() << "\n";
+write(ostream &out, int indent_level) const {
+  indent(out, indent_level)
+    << "[ " << get_url();
   if (has_tag()) {
-    out << "  " << get_tag() << "\n";
+    out << "\n";
+    indent(out, indent_level + 2)
+      << "(" << get_tag() << ")";
   }
   if (has_date()) {
-    out << "  " << get_date() << "\n";
+    out << "\n";
+    indent(out, indent_level + 2)
+      << get_date();
   }
+  out << " ]\n";
 }
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.h b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.h
index d73e25c948..06884a3824 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.h
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/documentSpec.h
@@ -70,8 +70,9 @@ PUBLISHED:
   INLINE void set_request_mode(RequestMode request_mode);
   INLINE RequestMode get_request_mode() const;
 
+  bool input(istream &in);
   void output(ostream &out) const;
-  void write(ostream &out) const;
+  void write(ostream &out, int indent_level = 0) const;
 
 private:
   URLSpec _url;
@@ -86,6 +87,7 @@ private:
   int _flags;
 };
 
+INLINE istream &operator >> (istream &in, DocumentSpec &doc);
 INLINE ostream &operator << (ostream &out, const DocumentSpec &doc);
 
 #include "documentSpec.I"
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.I b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.I
index a8f273f3e0..f2ac2cafe6 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.I
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.I
@@ -179,16 +179,14 @@ operator - (const HTTPDate &other) const {
   return (int)(_time - other._time);
 }
 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-//     Function: HTTPDate::output
-//       Access: Published
-//  Description: 
-////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
-INLINE void HTTPDate::
-output(ostream &out) const {
-  out << get_string();
-}
 
+INLINE istream &
+operator >> (istream &in, HTTPDate &date) {
+  if (!date.input(in)) {
+    in.clear(ios::failbit | in.rdstate());
+  }
+  return in;
+}
 
 INLINE ostream &
 operator << (ostream &out, const HTTPDate &date) {
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.cxx b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.cxx
index ad3580073d..68c61424c4 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.cxx
@@ -253,6 +253,49 @@ get_string() const {
 }
 
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: HTTPDate::input
+//       Access: Published
+//  Description: 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+bool HTTPDate::
+input(istream &in) {
+  (*this) = HTTPDate();
+
+  // Extract out the quoted date string.
+  char ch;
+  in >> ch;
+  if (ch != '"') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  string date;
+  ch = in.get();
+  while (!in.fail() && !in.eof() && ch != '"') {
+    date += ch;
+    ch = in.get();
+  }
+
+  if (ch != '"') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  (*this) = HTTPDate(date);
+  return is_valid();
+}
+
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: HTTPDate::output
+//       Access: Published
+//  Description: 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+void HTTPDate::
+output(ostream &out) const {
+  // We put quotes around the string on output, so we can reliably
+  // detect the end of the date string on input, above.
+  out << '"' << get_string() << '"';
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //     Function: HTTPDate::get_token
 //       Access: Published
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.h b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.h
index e2db770669..fd1ea87d88 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.h
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/httpDate.h
@@ -55,7 +55,8 @@ PUBLISHED:
   INLINE HTTPDate operator - (int seconds) const;
   INLINE int operator - (const HTTPDate &other) const;
 
-  INLINE void output(ostream &out) const;
+  bool input(istream &in);
+  void output(ostream &out) const;
 
 private:
   static string get_token(const string &str, size_t &pos);
@@ -63,7 +64,8 @@ private:
   time_t _time;
 };
 
-INLINE ostream &operator << (ostream &out, const URLSpec &url);
+INLINE istream &operator >> (istream &in, HTTPDate &date);
+INLINE ostream &operator << (ostream &out, const HTTPDate &date);
 
 #include "httpDate.I"
 
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.I b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.I
index 47337b406e..3c5f7ab278 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.I
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.I
@@ -288,6 +288,13 @@ operator [] (int n) const {
   return _url[n];
 }
 
+INLINE istream &
+operator >> (istream &in, URLSpec &url) {
+  if (!url.input(in)) {
+    in.clear(ios::failbit | in.rdstate());
+  }
+  return in;
+}
 
 INLINE ostream &
 operator << (ostream &out, const URLSpec &url) {
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.cxx b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.cxx
index 96110fcbb4..7c27bd217e 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.cxx
@@ -532,6 +532,22 @@ set_url(const string &url, bool server_name_expected) {
   }
 }
 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+//     Function: URLSpec::input
+//       Access: Published
+//  Description: 
+////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
+bool URLSpec::
+input(istream &in) {
+  string url;
+  in >> url;
+  if (!in) {
+    return false;
+  }
+  set_url(url);
+  return true;
+}
+
 ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 //     Function: URLSpec::output
 //       Access: Published
@@ -655,7 +671,7 @@ unquote(const string &source) {
         if (isdigit(ch)) {
           value = ch - '0';
         } else {
-          value = tolower(ch) - 'a';
+          value = tolower(ch) - 'a' + 10;
         }
         hex = (hex << 4) | value;
       }
@@ -693,7 +709,7 @@ unquote_plus(const string &source) {
         if (isdigit(ch)) {
           value = ch - '0';
         } else {
-          value = tolower(ch) - 'a';
+          value = tolower(ch) - 'a' + 10;
         }
         hex = (hex << 4) | value;
       }
diff --git a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.h b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.h
index 9b0350a880..566c7dfd43 100644
--- a/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.h
+++ b/panda/src/downloader/urlSpec.h
@@ -81,6 +81,7 @@ PUBLISHED:
   INLINE size_t length() const;
   INLINE char operator [] (int n) const;
 
+  bool input(istream &in);
   void output(ostream &out) const;
 
   static string quote(const string &source, const string &safe = "/");
@@ -117,6 +118,7 @@ private:
   size_t _query_start;
 };
 
+INLINE istream &operator >> (istream &in, URLSpec &url);
 INLINE ostream &operator << (ostream &out, const URLSpec &url);
 
 #include "urlSpec.I"