diff --git a/string_algorithms.cpp b/string_algorithms.cpp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c6881b4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/string_algorithms.cpp
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+static_assert( __cplusplus > 2020'00 );
+
+#include "string_algorithms.h"
+
+#include <algorithm>
+#include <exception>
+
+#include "error.hpp"
+
+namespace Alepha::Cavorite  ::detail::  string_algorithms
+{
+	namespace
+	{
+		namespace C
+		{
+			const bool debug= false;
+			const bool debugExpansion= false or C::debug;
+			const bool debugCommas= false or C::debug;
+		}
+	}
+
+	std::string
+	exports::expandVariables( const std::string &text, const VarMap &vars, const char sigil )
+	{
+		if( C::debugExpansion ) error() << "Expanding variables in " << text << std::endl;
+
+		std::string rv;
+		std::string varName;
+
+		enum { Symbol, Normal } mode= Normal;
+
+		for( const char ch: text )
+		{
+			if( mode == normal and ch == sigil )
+			{
+				mode= Symbol;
+				varName.clear();
+				continue;
+			}
+			if( mode == Symbol and ch == sigil )
+			{
+				mode= Normal;
+				if( not varName.empty() )
+				{
+					if( not vars.contains( varName ) )
+					{
+						throw std::runtime_error( "No such variable: `" + varName + "`" );
+					}
+					if( C::debugVariableExpansion ) error() << "Expanding variable with name `" << varName << "`" << std::endl;
+					rv+= vars.at( varName )();
+				}
+				else rv+= sigil;
+				continue;
+			}
+
+			auto &current= mode == Normal ? rv : varName;
+			current+= ch;
+		}
+
+		if( mode != Normal ) throw std::runtime_error( "Unterminated variable `" + varName + " in expansion of `" + text + "`" );
+		if( C::debugExpansion ) error() << "Expansion was: `" << rv << "`" << std::endl;
+
+		return rv;
+	}
+
+	std::vector< std::string >
+	exports::parseCommas( const std::string &string )
+	{
+		enum { Text, Backslash } state= Text;
+
+		std::vector< std::string > rv;
+		std::string next;
+		for( const char ch: string )
+		{
+			if( state == Backslash )
+			{
+				state= Text;
+				next+= ch;
+			}
+			else if( state == Text )
+			{
+				if( ch == '\\' ) state= Backslash;
+				else if( ch == ',' )
+				{
+					if( C::debugCommas ) error() << "Parsed from commas: `" << next << "`" << std::endl;
+					rv.push_back( std::move( next ) );
+					next.clear();
+				}
+				else next+= ch;
+			}
+		}
+
+		if( C::debugCommas ) error() << "Final parsed from commas: `" << next << "`" << std::endl;
+		rv.push_back( std::move( next ) );
+
+		return rv;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/string_algorithms.h b/string_algorithms.h
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..3d86162
--- /dev/null
+++ b/string_algorithms.h
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+static_assert( __cplusplus > 2020'00 );
+
+#pragma once
+
+#include <cassert>
+
+#include <iostream>
+#include <functional>
+#include <vector>
+#include <string>
+#include <map>
+
+namespace Alepha::inline Cavorite  ::detail::  string_algorithms
+{
+	inline namespace exports {}
+
+	using VarMap= std::map< std::string, std::function< std::string () > >;
+
+	inline namespace exports
+	{
+		/*!
+		 * Returns a new string with text-replacement variables expanded.
+		 *
+		 * @param text The source text to expand variables within.
+		 * @param vars A map of variable names to values to expand.
+		 * @param sigil A character which encloses the variable name.  (If the character is `'%'` for example,
+		 * then `"%variable%"` is a variable name.)
+		 */
+		std::string expandVariables( const std::string &text, const VarMap &vars, const char sigil );
+
+		/*!
+		 * Returns a vector of strings parsed from a comma separated string.
+		 *
+		 * @note This function is almost a split function, but it supports explicit
+		 * backslashes for various special characters and the `','` character.
+		 *
+		 * @param text The text to parse.
+		 * @return A vector of the substrings found in the string.
+		 */
+		std::vector< std::string > parseCommas( const std::string &text );
+
+
+		/*!
+		 * Parses an integral range description into a vector of values.
+		 */
+		template< Integral T >
+		std::vector< T >
+		parseRange( const std::string &s )
+		{
+			auto tokens= split( s, "-" );
+			if( tokens.empty() or tokens.size() > 2 )
+			{
+				throw std::runtime_error( "Expected an integer or a range." );
+			}
+			// If there's no range, or we had a negative number, just emit that.
+			if( tokens.size() == 1 or tokens.at( 0 ).empty() ) return { boost::lexical_cast< T >( s ) };
+
+			const auto low= boost::lexical_cast< T >( tokens.at( 0 ) );
+			const auto high= boost::lexical_cast< T >( tokens.at( 0 ) );
+
+			std::vector< T > rv{ high - low + 1 };
+			std::iota( begin( rv ), end( rv ), low );
+
+			return rv;
+	}
+}
+
+namespace Alepha::Cavorite::inline exports::inline string_algorithms
+{
+	using namespace detail::exports::string_algorithms;
+}