diff --git a/actionpack/CHANGELOG b/actionpack/CHANGELOG
index 087b355416..994b73ff6f 100644
--- a/actionpack/CHANGELOG
+++ b/actionpack/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 *SVN*
 
+* Added TextHelper#auto_link, TextHelper#auto_link_urls, and TextHelper#auto_link_email_addresses to turn those elements into ahrefs
+
 * Fixed that on validation errors, scaffold couldn't find template #654 [mindel]
 
 * Added Base#hide_actions(*names) to hide public methods from a controller that would otherwise have been callable through the URL. For the majority of cases, its preferred just to make the methods you don't want to expose protected or private (so they'll automatically be hidden) -- but if you must have a public method, this is a way to make it uncallable. Base#hidden_actions retrieve the list of all hidden actions for the controller #644 [Nicholas Seckar]
diff --git a/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb b/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
index cb5a4578ee..5002291cf2 100644
--- a/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
+++ b/actionpack/lib/action_view/helpers/text_helper.rb
@@ -96,6 +96,24 @@ module ActionView
         # We can't really help what's not there
       end
 
+      # Turns all urls and email addresses into clickable links. Example:
+      #   "Go to http://www.rubyonrails.com and say hello to david@loudthinking.com" =>
+      #   Go to <a href="http://www.rubyonrails.com">http://www.rubyonrails.com</a> and 
+      #   say hello to <a href="mailto:david@loudthinking.com">david@loudthinking.com</a>
+      def auto_link(text)
+        auto_link_urls(auto_link_email_addresses(text))
+      end
+
+      # Turns all urls into clickable links.
+      def auto_link_urls(text)
+        text.gsub(/([^=><!:'"\/]|^)((http[s]?:\/\/)|(www\.))(\S+\b\/?)([[:punct:]]*)(\s|$)/, '\1<a href="\3\4\5">\3\4\5</a>\6\7')
+      end
+
+      # Turns all email addresses into clickable links.
+      def auto_link_email_addresses(text)
+        text.gsub(/([\w\.!#\$%\-+.]+@[A-Za-z0-9\-]+(\.[A-Za-z0-9\-]+)+)/, '<a href="mailto:\1">\1</a>')
+      end
+
       # Turns all links into words, like "<a href="something">else</a>" to "else".
       def strip_links(text)
         text.gsub(/<a.*>(.*)<\/a>/m, '\1')
diff --git a/actionpack/test/template/text_helper_test.rb b/actionpack/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
index 347420a72b..086eb46d36 100644
--- a/actionpack/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
+++ b/actionpack/test/template/text_helper_test.rb
@@ -59,4 +59,10 @@ class TextHelperTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     assert_equal("1 count", pluralize(1, "count"))
     assert_equal("2 counts", pluralize(2, "count"))
   end
+  
+  def test_auto_linking
+    assert_equal %(hello <a href="mailto:david@loudthinking.com">david@loudthinking.com</a>), auto_link_email_addresses("hello david@loudthinking.com")
+    assert_equal %(Go to <a href="http://www.rubyonrails.com">http://www.rubyonrails.com</a>), auto_link_urls("Go to http://www.rubyonrails.com")
+    assert_equal %(Go to <a href="http://www.rubyonrails.com">http://www.rubyonrails.com</a> and say hello to <a href="mailto:david@loudthinking.com">david@loudthinking.com</a>), auto_link("Go to http://www.rubyonrails.com and say hello to david@loudthinking.com")
+  end
 end
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