diff --git a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
--- a/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
+++ b/src/__phutil_library_map__.php
@@ -1014,6 +1014,9 @@
     'phutil_load_library' => 'init/lib/moduleutils.php',
     'phutil_loggable_string' => 'utils/utils.php',
     'phutil_microseconds_since' => 'utils/utils.php',
+    'phutil_nonempty_scalar' => 'utils/utils.php',
+    'phutil_nonempty_string' => 'utils/utils.php',
+    'phutil_nonempty_stringlike' => 'utils/utils.php',
     'phutil_parse_bytes' => 'utils/viewutils.php',
     'phutil_partition' => 'utils/utils.php',
     'phutil_passthru' => 'future/exec/execx.php',
diff --git a/src/unit/engine/phutil/PhutilTestCase.php b/src/unit/engine/phutil/PhutilTestCase.php
--- a/src/unit/engine/phutil/PhutilTestCase.php
+++ b/src/unit/engine/phutil/PhutilTestCase.php
@@ -154,6 +154,147 @@
     throw new PhutilTestSkippedException($message);
   }
 
+  final protected function assertCaught(
+    $expect,
+    $actual,
+    $message = null) {
+
+    if ($message !== null) {
+      $message = phutil_string_cast($message);
+    }
+
+    if ($actual === null) {
+      // This is okay: no exception.
+    } else if ($actual instanceof Exception) {
+      // This is also okay.
+    } else if ($actual instanceof Throwable) {
+      // And this is okay too.
+    } else {
+      // Anything else is no good.
+
+      if ($message !== null) {
+        $output = pht(
+          'Call to "assertCaught(..., <junk>, ...)" for test case "%s" '.
+          'passed bad value for test result. Expected null, Exception, '.
+          'or Throwable; got: %s.',
+          $message,
+          phutil_describe_type($actual));
+      } else {
+        $output = pht(
+          'Call to "assertCaught(..., <junk>, ...)" passed bad value for '.
+          'test result. Expected null, Exception, or Throwable; got: %s.',
+          phutil_describe_type($actual));
+      }
+
+      $this->failTest($output);
+
+      throw new PhutilTestTerminatedException($output);
+    }
+
+    $expect_list = null;
+
+    if ($expect === false) {
+      $expect_list = array();
+    } else if ($expect === true) {
+      $expect_list = array(
+        'Exception',
+        'Throwable',
+      );
+    } else if (is_string($expect) || is_array($expect)) {
+      $list = (array)$expect;
+
+      $items_ok = true;
+      foreach ($list as $key => $item) {
+        if (!phutil_nonempty_stringlike($item)) {
+          $items_ok = false;
+          break;
+        }
+
+        $list[$key] = phutil_string_cast($item);
+      }
+
+      if ($items_ok) {
+        $expect_list = $list;
+      }
+    }
+
+    if ($expect_list === null) {
+      if ($message !== null) {
+        $output = pht(
+          'Call to "assertCaught(<junk>, ...)" for test case "%s" '.
+          'passed bad expected value. Expected bool, class name as a string, '.
+          'or a list of class names. Got: %s.',
+          $message,
+          phutil_describe_type($expect));
+      } else {
+        $output = pht(
+          'Call to "assertCaught(<junk>, ...)" passed bad expected value. '.
+          'expected result. Expected null, Exception, or Throwable; got: %s.',
+          phutil_describe_type($expect));
+      }
+
+      $this->failTest($output);
+
+      throw new PhutilTestTerminatedException($output);
+    }
+
+    if ($actual === null) {
+      $is_match = !$expect_list;
+    } else {
+      $is_match = false;
+      foreach ($expect_list as $exception_class) {
+        if ($actual instanceof $exception_class) {
+          $is_match = true;
+          break;
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    if ($is_match) {
+      $this->assertions++;
+      return;
+    }
+
+    $caller = self::getCallerInfo();
+    $file = $caller['file'];
+    $line = $caller['line'];
+
+    $output = array();
+
+    if ($message !== null) {
+      $output[] = pht(
+        'Assertion of caught exception failed (at %s:%d in test case "%s").',
+        $file,
+        $line,
+        $message);
+    } else {
+      $output[] = pht(
+        'Assertion of caught exception failed (at %s:%d).',
+        $file,
+        $line);
+    }
+
+    if ($actual === null) {
+      $output[] = pht('Expected any exception, got no exception.');
+    } else if (!$expect_list) {
+      $output[] = pht(
+        'Expected no exception, got exception of class "%s".',
+        get_class($actual));
+    } else {
+      $expected_classes = implode(', ', $expect_list);
+      $output[] = pht(
+        'Expected exception (in class(es): %s), got exception of class "%s".',
+        $expected_classes,
+        get_class($actual));
+    }
+
+    $output = implode("\n\n", $output);
+
+    $this->failTest($output);
+
+    throw new PhutilTestTerminatedException($output);
+  }
+
 
 /* -(  Exception Handling  )------------------------------------------------- */
 
diff --git a/src/utils/__tests__/PhutilUtilsTestCase.php b/src/utils/__tests__/PhutilUtilsTestCase.php
--- a/src/utils/__tests__/PhutilUtilsTestCase.php
+++ b/src/utils/__tests__/PhutilUtilsTestCase.php
@@ -1000,4 +1000,74 @@
     }
   }
 
+  public function testEmptyStringMethods() {
+
+    $uri = new PhutilURI('http://example.org/');
+
+    $map = array(
+      array(null, false, false, false, 'literal null'),
+      array('', false, false, false, 'empty string'),
+      array('x', true, true, true, 'nonempty string'),
+      array(false, null, null, null, 'bool'),
+      array(1, null, null, true, 'integer'),
+      array($uri, null, true, true, 'uri object'),
+      array(2.5, null, null, true, 'float'),
+      array(array(), null, null, null, 'array'),
+      array((object)array(), null, null, null, 'object'),
+    );
+
+    foreach ($map as $test_case) {
+      $input = $test_case[0];
+
+      $expect_string = $test_case[1];
+      $expect_stringlike = $test_case[2];
+      $expect_scalar = $test_case[3];
+
+      $test_name = $test_case[4];
+
+      $this->executeEmptyStringTest(
+        $input,
+        $expect_string,
+        'phutil_nonempty_string',
+        $test_name);
+
+      $this->executeEmptyStringTest(
+        $input,
+        $expect_stringlike,
+        'phutil_nonempty_stringlike',
+        $test_name);
+
+      $this->executeEmptyStringTest(
+        $input,
+        $expect_scalar,
+        'phutil_nonempty_scalar',
+        $test_name);
+    }
+
+  }
+
+  private function executeEmptyStringTest($input, $expect, $call, $name) {
+    $name = sprintf('%s(<%s>)', $call, $name);
+
+    $caught = null;
+    try {
+      $actual = call_user_func($call, $input);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      $caught = $ex;
+    } catch (Throwable $ex) {
+      $caught = $ex;
+    }
+
+    if ($expect === null) {
+      $expect_exceptions = array('InvalidArgumentException');
+    } else {
+      $expect_exceptions = false;
+    }
+
+    $this->assertCaught($expect_exceptions, $caught, $name);
+    if (!$caught) {
+      $this->assertEqual($expect, $actual, $name);
+    }
+  }
+
 }
diff --git a/src/utils/utils.php b/src/utils/utils.php
--- a/src/utils/utils.php
+++ b/src/utils/utils.php
@@ -2094,3 +2094,128 @@
 
   throw new PhutilRegexException($message);
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * Test if a value is a nonempty string.
+ *
+ * The value "null" and the empty string are considered empty; all other
+ * strings are considered nonempty.
+ *
+ * This method raises an exception if passed a value which is neither null
+ * nor a string.
+ *
+ * @param Value to test.
+ * @return bool True if the parameter is a nonempty string.
+ */
+function phutil_nonempty_string($value) {
+  if ($value === null) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if ($value === '') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (is_string($value)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  throw new InvalidArgumentException(
+    pht(
+      'Call to phutil_nonempty_string() expected null or a string, got: %s.',
+      phutil_describe_type($value)));
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * Test if a value is a nonempty, stringlike value.
+ *
+ * The value "null", the empty string, and objects which have a "__toString()"
+ * method which returns the empty string are empty.
+ *
+ * Other strings, and objects with a "__toString()" method that returns a
+ * string other than the empty string are considered nonempty.
+ *
+ * This method raises an exception if passed any other value.
+ *
+ * @param Value to test.
+ * @return bool True if the parameter is a nonempty, stringlike value.
+ */
+function phutil_nonempty_stringlike($value) {
+  if ($value === null) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if ($value === '') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (is_string($value)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  if (is_object($value)) {
+    try {
+      $string = phutil_string_cast($value);
+      return phutil_nonempty_string($string);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      // Continue below.
+    } catch (Throwable $ex) {
+      // Continue below.
+    }
+  }
+
+  throw new InvalidArgumentException(
+    pht(
+      'Call to phutil_nonempty_stringlike() expected a string or stringlike '.
+      'object, got: %s.',
+      phutil_describe_type($value)));
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * Test if a value is a nonempty, scalar value.
+ *
+ * The value "null", the empty string, and objects which have a "__toString()"
+ * method which returns the empty string are empty.
+ *
+ * Other strings, objects with a "__toString()" method which returns a
+ * string other than the empty string, integers, and floats are considered
+ * scalar.
+ *
+ * This method raises an exception if passed any other value.
+ *
+ * @param Value to test.
+ * @return bool True if the parameter is a nonempty, scalar value.
+ */
+function phutil_nonempty_scalar($value) {
+  if ($value === null) {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if ($value === '') {
+    return false;
+  }
+
+  if (is_string($value) || is_int($value) || is_float($value)) {
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  if (is_object($value)) {
+    try {
+      $string = phutil_string_cast($value);
+      return phutil_nonempty_string($string);
+    } catch (Exception $ex) {
+      // Continue below.
+    } catch (Throwable $ex) {
+      // Continue below.
+    }
+  }
+
+  throw new InvalidArgumentException(
+    pht(
+      'Call to phutil_nonempty_scalar() expected: a string; or stringlike '.
+      'object; or int; or float. Got: %s.',
+      phutil_describe_type($value)));
+}