diff --git a/lib/OpenLayers/Control/Permalink.js b/lib/OpenLayers/Control/Permalink.js
index 03700de071..6eb0849ddb 100644
--- a/lib/OpenLayers/Control/Permalink.js
+++ b/lib/OpenLayers/Control/Permalink.js
@@ -15,6 +15,13 @@
  *  - <OpenLayers.Control>
  */
 OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
+    
+    /**
+     * APIProperty: argParserClass
+     * {Class} The ArgParser control class (not instance) to use with this
+     *     control.
+     */
+    argParserClass: OpenLayers.Control.ArgParser,
 
     /** 
      * Property: element 
@@ -81,7 +88,7 @@ OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
         //make sure we have an arg parser attached
         for(var i=0, len=this.map.controls.length; i<len; i++) {
             var control = this.map.controls[i];
-            if (control.CLASS_NAME == "OpenLayers.Control.ArgParser") {
+            if (control.CLASS_NAME == this.argParserClass.CLASS_NAME) {
                 
                 // If a permalink is added to the map, and an ArgParser already
                 // exists, we override the displayProjection to be the one
@@ -94,7 +101,7 @@ OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
             }
         }
         if (i == this.map.controls.length) {
-            this.map.addControl(new OpenLayers.Control.ArgParser(
+            this.map.addControl(new this.argParserClass(
                 { 'displayProjection': this.displayProjection }));       
         }
 
@@ -110,6 +117,7 @@ OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
         OpenLayers.Control.prototype.draw.apply(this, arguments);
           
         if (!this.element) {
+            this.div.className = this.displayClass;
             this.element = document.createElement("a");
             this.element.innerHTML = OpenLayers.i18n("permalink");
             this.element.href="";
@@ -121,6 +129,11 @@ OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
             'changebaselayer': this.updateLink,
             scope: this
         });
+        
+        // Make it so there is at least a link even though the map may not have
+        // moved yet.
+        this.updateLink();
+        
         return this.div;
     },
    
@@ -128,49 +141,72 @@ OpenLayers.Control.Permalink = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control, {
      * Method: updateLink 
      */
     updateLink: function() {
-        var center = this.map.getCenter();
-        
-        // Map not initialized yet. Break out of this function.
-        if (!center) { 
-            return; 
-        }
-
-        var params = OpenLayers.Util.getParameters(this.base);
-        
-        params.zoom = this.map.getZoom(); 
-        var lat = center.lat;
-        var lon = center.lon;
-        
-        if (this.displayProjection) {
-            var mapPosition = OpenLayers.Projection.transform(
-              { x: lon, y: lat }, 
-              this.map.getProjectionObject(), 
-              this.displayProjection );
-            lon = mapPosition.x;  
-            lat = mapPosition.y;  
-        }       
-        params.lat = Math.round(lat*100000)/100000;
-        params.lon = Math.round(lon*100000)/100000;
-        
-        params.layers = '';
-        for (var i=0, len=this.map.layers.length; i<len; i++) {
-            var layer = this.map.layers[i];
-
-            if (layer.isBaseLayer) {
-                params.layers += (layer == this.map.baseLayer) ? "B" : "0";
-            } else {
-                params.layers += (layer.getVisibility()) ? "T" : "F";           
-            }
-        }
-
         var href = this.base;
         if (href.indexOf('?') != -1) {
             href = href.substring( 0, href.indexOf('?') );
         }
 
-        href += '?' + OpenLayers.Util.getParameterString(params);
+        href += '?' + OpenLayers.Util.getParameterString(this.createParams());
         this.element.href = href;
     }, 
+    
+    /**
+     * APIMethod: createParams
+     * Creates the parameters that need to be encoded into the permalink url.
+     * 
+     * Parameters:
+     * center - {<OpenLayers.LonLat>} center to encode in the permalink.
+     *     Defaults to the current map center.
+     * zoom - {Integer} zoom level to encode in the permalink. Defaults to the
+     *     current map zoom level.
+     * layers - {Array(<OpenLayers.Layer>)} layers to encode in the permalink.
+     *     Defaults to the current map layers.
+     * 
+     * Returns:
+     * {Object} Hash of parameters that will be url-encoded into the
+     * permalink.
+     */
+    createParams: function(center, zoom, layers) {
+        center = center || this.map.getCenter();
+        zoom = zoom || this.map.getZoom();
+        layers = layers || this.map.layers;  
+          
+        var params = OpenLayers.Util.getParameters(this.base);
+        
+        // If there's still no center, map is not initialized yet. 
+        // Break out of this function, and simply return the params from the
+        // base link.
+        if (center) { 
+    
+            params.zoom = this.map.getZoom(); 
+            var lat = center.lat;
+            var lon = center.lon;
+            
+            if (this.displayProjection) {
+                var mapPosition = OpenLayers.Projection.transform(
+                  { x: lon, y: lat }, 
+                  this.map.getProjectionObject(), 
+                  this.displayProjection );
+                lon = mapPosition.x;  
+                lat = mapPosition.y;  
+            }       
+            params.lat = Math.round(lat*100000)/100000;
+            params.lon = Math.round(lon*100000)/100000;
+            
+            params.layers = '';
+            for (var i=0, len=this.map.layers.length; i<len; i++) {
+                var layer = this.map.layers[i];
+    
+                if (layer.isBaseLayer) {
+                    params.layers += (layer == this.map.baseLayer) ? "B" : "0";
+                } else {
+                    params.layers += (layer.getVisibility()) ? "T" : "F";           
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        return params;
+    }, 
 
     CLASS_NAME: "OpenLayers.Control.Permalink"
 });
diff --git a/tests/Control/Permalink.html b/tests/Control/Permalink.html
index c6cfb9f346..b811987a64 100644
--- a/tests/Control/Permalink.html
+++ b/tests/Control/Permalink.html
@@ -108,6 +108,32 @@
         OpenLayers.Util.getElement('edit_permalink').href = './edit.html?zoom=2&lat=0&lon=1.75781&layers=B';
         t.eq(OpenLayers.Util.getElement('permalink').href, OpenLayers.Util.getElement('edit_permalink').href, "Panning sets permalink with existing zoom in base");
   }
+  
+    function test_Control_Permalink_customized(t) {
+        t.plan(2);
+      
+        var argParserClass = OpenLayers.Class(OpenLayers.Control.ArgParser, {
+            CLASS_NAME: "CustomArgParser"
+        });
+      
+        control = new OpenLayers.Control.Permalink(null, "./edit.html", {
+            argParserClass: argParserClass,
+            createParams: function(center, zoom, layers) {
+                var params = OpenLayers.Control.Permalink.prototype.createParams.apply(control, arguments);
+                params.customParam = "foo";
+                return params;
+            }
+        });
+        map = new OpenLayers.Map('map');
+        layer = new OpenLayers.Layer.WMS('Test Layer', "http://octo.metacarta.com/cgi-bin/mapserv", {map: '/mapdata/vmap_wms.map', layers: 'basic', format: 'image/jpeg'});
+        map.addLayer(layer);
+        if (!map.getCenter())  map.zoomToMaxExtent();
+        map.addControl(control);
+        map.pan(5, 0, {animate:false});
+      
+        t.eq(this.map.controls[this.map.controls.length-1].CLASS_NAME, "CustomArgParser", "Custom ArgParser added correctly.");
+        t.eq(control.div.firstChild.getAttribute("href"), "./edit.html?zoom=2&lat=0&lon=1.75781&layers=B&customParam=foo", "Custom parameter encoded correctly.");
+    }
   </script>
 </head>
 <body>