diff --git a/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js b/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
index 61b1e25b..ca57f4e1 100644
--- a/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
+++ b/lib/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
@@ -38,13 +38,13 @@ function getNamespace(kind) {
     return '';
 }
 
-function makeFilenameUnique(filename, str) {
+function makeUniqueFilename(filename, str) {
     var key = filename.toLowerCase();
     var nonUnique = true;
 
     // append enough underscores to make the filename unique
     while (nonUnique) {
-        if ( files[key] && hasOwnProp.call(files, key) ) {
+        if ( hasOwnProp.call(files, key) ) {
             filename += '_';
             key = filename.toLowerCase();
         } else {
@@ -56,6 +56,27 @@ function makeFilenameUnique(filename, str) {
     return filename;
 }
 
+function makeUniqueId(filename, id) {
+    var key = id.toLowerCase();
+    var nonUnique = true;
+
+    // append enough underscores to make the identifier unique
+    while (nonUnique) {
+        if ( hasOwnProp.call(ids, filename) && ids[filename].indexOf(key) !== -1 ) {
+            id += '_';
+            key = id.toLowerCase();
+        }
+        else {
+            nonUnique = false;
+        }
+    }
+
+    ids[filename] = ids[filename] || [];
+    ids[filename].push(id);
+
+    return id;
+}
+
 var htmlsafe = exports.htmlsafe = function(str) {
     return str.replace(/&/g, '&')
         .replace(/</g, '&lt;');
@@ -93,9 +114,22 @@ var getUniqueFilename = exports.getUniqueFilename = function(str) {
     // in case we've now stripped the entire basename (uncommon, but possible):
     basename = basename.length ? basename : '_';
 
-    return makeFilenameUnique(basename, str) + exports.fileExtension;
+    return makeUniqueFilename(basename, str) + exports.fileExtension;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Convert a string to an identifier that is unique for a specified URL.
+ *
+ * Identifiers are not considered unique if they are capitalized differently but are otherwise
+ * identical.
+ *
+ * @method
+ * @param {string} url - The URL in which the identifier will be used.
+ * @param {string} str - The string to convert.
+ * @return {string} A unique identifier based on the original string.
+ */
+var getUniqueId = exports.getUniqueId = makeUniqueId;
+
 // two-way lookup
 var linkMap = {
     longnameToUrl: {},
@@ -481,7 +515,16 @@ exports.getMembers = function(data) {
         namespaces: find( data, {kind: 'namespace'} )
     };
 
-    // functions that are also modules (as in "module.exports = function() {};") are not globals
+    // strip quotes from externals, since we allow quoted names that would normally indicate a
+    // namespace hierarchy (as in `@external "jquery.fn"`)
+    // TODO: we should probably be doing this for other types of symbols, here or elsewhere; see
+    // jsdoc3/jsdoc#396
+    members.externals = members.externals.map(function(doclet) {
+        doclet.name = doclet.name.replace(/(^"|"$)/g, '');
+        return doclet;
+    });
+
+    // functions that are also modules (as in `module.exports = function() {};`) are not globals
     members.globals = members.globals.filter(function(doclet) {
         return !isModuleExports(doclet);
     });
@@ -613,6 +656,29 @@ exports.getSignatureReturns = function(d, cssClass) {
     return returnTypes;
 };
 
+/**
+ * Retrieve an ordered list of doclets for a symbol's ancestors.
+ *
+ * @param {TAFFY} data - The TaffyDB database to search.
+ * @param {Object} doclet - The doclet whose ancestors will be retrieved.
+ * @return {Array.<module:jsdoc/doclet.Doclet>} A array of ancestor doclets, sorted from most to
+ * least distant.
+ */
+exports.getAncestors = function(data, doclet) {
+    var ancestors = [];
+    var doc = doclet;
+
+    while (doc) {
+        doc = find(data, {longname: doc.memberof})[0];
+
+        if (doc) {
+            ancestors.unshift(doc);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return ancestors;
+};
+
 /**
  * Retrieve links to a member's ancestors.
  *
@@ -622,21 +688,20 @@ exports.getSignatureReturns = function(d, cssClass) {
  * @return {Array.<string>} HTML links to a member's ancestors.
  */
 exports.getAncestorLinks = function(data, doclet, cssClass) {
-    var ancestors = [],
-        doc = doclet.memberof;
+    var ancestors = exports.getAncestors(data, doclet);
+    var links = [];
 
-    while (doc) {
-        doc = find( data, {longname: doc}, false );
-        if (doc) { doc = doc[0]; }
-        if (!doc) { break; }
-        ancestors.unshift( linkto(doc.longname, (exports.scopeToPunc[doc.scope] || '') + doc.name,
-            cssClass) );
-        doc = doc.memberof;
+    ancestors.forEach(function(ancestor) {
+        var linkText = (exports.scopeToPunc[ancestor.scope] || '') + ancestor.name;
+        var link = linkto(ancestor.longname, linkText, cssClass);
+        links.push(link);
+    });
+
+    if (links.length) {
+        links[links.length - 1] += (exports.scopeToPunc[doclet.scope] || '');
     }
-    if (ancestors.length) {
-        ancestors[ancestors.length - 1] += (exports.scopeToPunc[doclet.scope] || '');
-    }
-    return ancestors;
+
+    return links;
 };
 
 /**
diff --git a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
index 1db54291..c2720da0 100644
--- a/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
+++ b/test/specs/jsdoc/util/templateHelper.js
@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         expect(typeof helper.getUniqueFilename).toBe("function");
     });
 
+    it("should export a 'getUniqueId' function", function() {
+        expect(helper.getUniqueId).toBeDefined();
+        expect(typeof helper.getUniqueId).toBe('function');
+    });
+
     it("should export a 'longnameToUrl' property", function() {
         expect(helper.longnameToUrl).toBeDefined();
         expect(typeof helper.longnameToUrl).toBe("object");
@@ -88,6 +93,11 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         expect(typeof helper.getSignatureReturns).toBe("function");
     });
 
+    it("should export a 'getAncestors' function", function() {
+        expect(helper.getAncestors).toBeDefined();
+        expect(typeof helper.getAncestors).toBe('function');
+    });
+
     it("should export a 'getAncestorLinks' function", function() {
         expect(helper.getAncestorLinks).toBeDefined();
         expect(typeof helper.getAncestorLinks).toBe("function");
@@ -215,6 +225,10 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         });
     });
 
+    xdescribe('getUniqueId', function() {
+        // TODO
+    });
+
     describe("longnameToUrl", function() {
         it("is an object", function() {
             expect(typeof helper.longnameToUrl).toBe('object');
@@ -772,6 +786,10 @@ describe("jsdoc/util/templateHelper", function() {
         });
     });
 
+    xdescribe('getAncestors', function() {
+        // TODO
+    });
+
     describe("getAncestorLinks", function() {
         // make a hierarchy.
         var lackeys = new doclet.Doclet('/** @member lackeys\n@memberof module:mafia/gangs.Sharks~Henchman\n@instance*/', {}),