diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/AbstractGenerator.java b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/AbstractGenerator.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..fa5131dbdc2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/AbstractGenerator.java
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+package com.wordnik.swagger.codegen;
+
+import com.samskivert.mustache.*;
+
+import java.util.regex.Pattern;
+import java.io.*;
+
+public abstract class AbstractGenerator {
+
+  public File writeToFile(String filename, String contents) throws IOException {
+    System.out.println("writing file " + filename);
+    File output = new File(filename);
+
+    if(output.getParent() != null && !new File(output.getParent()).exists()) {
+      File parent = new File(output.getParent());
+      parent.mkdirs();
+    }
+    Writer out = new BufferedWriter(new OutputStreamWriter(
+      new FileOutputStream(output), "UTF-8"));
+
+    out.write(contents);
+    out.close();
+    return output;
+  }
+
+  public String readTemplate(String name) {
+    try{
+      Reader reader = getTemplateReader(name);
+      if(reader == null)
+        throw new RuntimeException("no file found");
+      java.util.Scanner s = new java.util.Scanner(reader).useDelimiter("\\A");
+      return s.hasNext() ? s.next() : "";
+    }
+    catch(Exception e) {
+      e.printStackTrace();
+    }
+    throw new RuntimeException("can't load template " + name);
+  }
+
+  public Reader getTemplateReader(String name) {
+    try{
+      InputStream is = this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream(getCPResourcePath(name));
+      if(is == null)
+        is = new FileInputStream(new File(name));
+      if(is == null)
+        throw new RuntimeException("no file found");
+      return new InputStreamReader(is);
+    }
+    catch(Exception e) {
+      e.printStackTrace();
+    }
+    throw new RuntimeException("can't load template " + name);
+  }
+
+  private String getCPResourcePath(String name) {
+    if (!"/".equals(File.separator))
+      return name.replaceAll(Pattern.quote(File.separator), "/");
+    return name;
+  }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/DefaultGenerator.java b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/DefaultGenerator.java
index 65355d75b1f..9237e1c9c6c 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/DefaultGenerator.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/com/wordnik/swagger/codegen/DefaultGenerator.java
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@ import java.util.*;
 import java.util.regex.*;
 import java.io.*;
 
-public class DefaultGenerator implements Generator {
+public class DefaultGenerator extends AbstractGenerator implements Generator {
   protected CodegenConfig config;
   protected ClientOptInput opts = null;
   protected Swagger swagger = null;
@@ -259,58 +259,7 @@ public class DefaultGenerator implements Generator {
     return buf.toString().replaceAll("[^a-zA-Z ]", "");
   }
 
-  public File writeToFile(String filename, String contents) throws IOException {
-    System.out.println("writing file " + filename);
-    File output = new File(filename);
-
-    if(output.getParent() != null && !new File(output.getParent()).exists()) {
-      File parent = new File(output.getParent());
-      parent.mkdirs();
-    }
-    Writer out = new BufferedWriter(new OutputStreamWriter(
-      new FileOutputStream(output), "UTF-8"));
-
-    out.write(contents);
-    out.close();
-    return output;
-  }
-
-  public String readTemplate(String name) {
-    try{
-      Reader reader = getTemplateReader(name);
-      if(reader == null)
-        throw new RuntimeException("no file found");
-      java.util.Scanner s = new java.util.Scanner(reader).useDelimiter("\\A");
-      return s.hasNext() ? s.next() : "";
-    }
-    catch(Exception e) {
-      e.printStackTrace();
-    }
-    throw new RuntimeException("can't load template " + name);
-  }
-
-  public Reader getTemplateReader(String name) {
-    try{
-      InputStream is = this.getClass().getClassLoader().getResourceAsStream(getCPResourcePath(name));
-      if(is == null)
-        is = new FileInputStream(new File(name));
-      if(is == null)
-        throw new RuntimeException("no file found");
-      return new InputStreamReader(is);
-    }
-    catch(Exception e) {
-      e.printStackTrace();
-    }
-    throw new RuntimeException("can't load template " + name);
-  }
-  
-  private String getCPResourcePath(String name) {
-    if (!"/".equals(File.separator))
-      return name.replaceAll(Pattern.quote(File.separator), "/");
-    return name;
-  }
-
-public Map<String, Object> processOperations(CodegenConfig config, String tag, List<CodegenOperation> ops) {
+  public Map<String, Object> processOperations(CodegenConfig config, String tag, List<CodegenOperation> ops) {
     Map<String, Object> operations = new HashMap<String, Object>();
     Map<String, Object> objs = new HashMap<String, Object>();
     objs.put("classname", config.toApiName(tag));