--- a/mercurial/ui.py	Mon Jun 26 16:47:24 2006 +0200
+++ b/mercurial/ui.py	Mon Jun 26 22:44:48 2006 +0200
@@ -99,10 +99,10 @@
         """Return a list of comma/space separated strings"""
         result = self.config(section, name)
         if result is None:
-            return []
-        else:
-            return result.replace(",", " ").split()
-
+            result = default or []
+        if isinstance(result, basestring):
+            result = result.replace(",", " ").split()
+        return result
 
     def configbool(self, section, name, default=False):
         if self.overlay.has_key((section, name)):

--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/tests/test-ui-config	Mon Jun 26 22:44:48 2006 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python
+
+from mercurial import ui
+
+testui = ui.ui()
+testui.updateopts(config=[
+    'values.string=string value',
+    'values.bool1=true',
+    'values.bool2=false',
+    'lists.list1=foo',
+    'lists.list2=foo bar baz',
+    'lists.list3=alice, bob',
+    'lists.list4=foo bar baz alice, bob',
+])
+
+print repr(testui.configitems('values'))
+print repr(testui.configitems('lists'))
+print "---"
+print repr(testui.config('values', 'string'))
+print repr(testui.config('values', 'bool1'))
+print repr(testui.config('values', 'bool2'))
+print repr(testui.config('values', 'unknown'))
+print "---"
+try:
+    print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'string'))
+except ValueError, why:
+    print why
+print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'bool1'))
+print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'bool2'))
+print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'bool2', True))
+print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'unknown'))
+print repr(testui.configbool('values', 'unknown', True))
+print "---"
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'list1'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'list2'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'list3'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'list4'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'list4', ['foo']))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', ''))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', 'foo'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', ['foo']))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', 'foo bar'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', 'foo, bar'))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', ['foo bar']))
+print repr(testui.configlist('lists', 'unknown', ['foo', 'bar']))
+print "---"

--- /dev/null	Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 1970 +0000
+++ b/tests/test-ui-config.out	Mon Jun 26 22:44:48 2006 +0200
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+[('bool1', 'true'), ('bool2', 'false'), ('string', 'string value')]
+[('list1', 'foo'), ('list2', 'foo bar baz'), ('list3', 'alice, bob'), ('list4', 'foo bar baz alice, bob')]
+---
+'string value'
+'true'
+'false'
+None
+---
+Not a boolean: string value
+True
+False
+False
+False
+True
+---
+['foo']
+['foo', 'bar', 'baz']
+['alice', 'bob']
+['foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'alice', 'bob']
+['foo', 'bar', 'baz', 'alice', 'bob']
+[]
+[]
+['foo']
+['foo']
+['foo', 'bar']
+['foo', 'bar']
+['foo bar']
+['foo', 'bar']
+---