Index: src/app/qgsnewconnection.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/app/qgsnewconnection.cpp	(revision 7434)
+++ src/app/qgsnewconnection.cpp	(working copy)
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@
 
 #include "qgsnewconnection.h"
 #include "qgscontexthelp.h"
+#include "qgslogger.h"
+
 extern "C"
 {
 #include <libpq-fe.h>
@@ -104,12 +106,20 @@
   password.replace('\\', "\\\\");
   password.replace('\'', "\\'");
 
-  QString connInfo =
-    "host=" + txtHost->text() + 
-    " dbname=" + txtDatabase->text() + 
-    " port=" + txtPort->text() +
-    " user=" + txtUsername->text() + 
-    " password='" + password + "'";
+  QString connInfo = "dbname=" + txtDatabase->text();
+
+  // Do we need TCP/IP connect info?
+  if( txtHost->text() != "" )
+      connInfo += "host=" + txtHost->text() + 
+          " port=" + txtPort->text();
+
+  // Do we need a username and password?
+  if( txtUsername->text() != "" )
+      connInfo += " user=" + txtUsername->text() + 
+          " password='" + password + "'";
+
+  QgsLogger::debug( "PQconnectdb("+connInfo+");" );
+
   PGconn *pd = PQconnectdb(connInfo.toLocal8Bit().data());
 //  std::cout << pd->ErrorMessage();
   if (PQstatus(pd) == CONNECTION_OK)
Index: src/app/qgsdbsourceselect.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/app/qgsdbsourceselect.cpp	(revision 7434)
+++ src/app/qgsdbsourceselect.cpp	(working copy)
@@ -299,40 +299,50 @@
   QSettings settings;
 
   QString key = "/PostgreSQL/connections/" + cmbConnections->currentText();
-  QString connString = "host=";
+  QString database = settings.readEntry(key + "/database");
+  QString connString = "dbname=" + database;
+
   QString host = settings.readEntry(key + "/host");
-  connString += host;
-  connString += " dbname=";
-  QString database = settings.readEntry(key + "/database");
-  connString += database + " port=";
-  QString port = settings.readEntry(key + "/port");
-  if(port.length() == 0){
-    port = "5432";
+  if( host != "" )
+  {
+    connString += " host="+host;
+
+    QString port = settings.readEntry(key + "/port");
+    if(port.length() == 0){
+      port = "5432";
+    }
+    connString += " port=" + port;
   }
-  connString += port + " user=";
+
+  bool makeConnection = true;
+  bool searchGeometryColumnsOnly = settings.readBoolEntry(key + "/geometryColumnsOnly");
+  bool searchPublicOnly = settings.readBoolEntry(key + "/publicOnly");
+
   QString username = settings.readEntry(key + "/username");
-  connString += username;
   QString password = settings.readEntry(key + "/password");
-  bool searchPublicOnly = settings.readBoolEntry(key + "/publicOnly");
-  bool searchGeometryColumnsOnly = settings.readBoolEntry(key + "/geometryColumnsOnly");
-  bool makeConnection = true;
-  if (password == QString::null)
+  if( username != "" )
   {
-    // get password from user 
-    makeConnection = false;
-    QString password = QInputDialog::getText(tr("Password for ") + database + "@" + host,
-        tr("Please enter your password:"),
-        QLineEdit::Password, QString::null, &makeConnection, this);
-    // allow null password entry in case its valid for the database
+    connString += " user="+username;
+    if (password == QString::null)
+    {
+      // get password from user 
+      makeConnection = false;
+      QString password = QInputDialog::getText(tr("Password for ") + database + "@" + host,
+                                               tr("Please enter your password:"),
+                                               QLineEdit::Password, QString::null, &makeConnection, this);
+      // allow null password entry in case its valid for the database
+    }
+
+    // Need to escape the password to allow for single quotes and backslashes
+    password.replace('\\', "\\\\");
+    password.replace('\'', "\\'");
+    connString += " password='" + password + "'";
   }
 
-  // Need to escape the password to allow for single quotes and backslashes
-  password.replace('\\', "\\\\");
-  password.replace('\'', "\\'");
-  connString += " password='" + password + "'";
 #ifdef QGISDEBUG
   std::cout << "Connection info: " << connString.toLocal8Bit().data() << std::endl;
 #endif
+
   if (makeConnection)
   {
     m_connInfo = connString;  //host + " " + database + " " + username + " " + password;
Index: src/core/qgsdatasourceuri.cpp
===================================================================
--- src/core/qgsdatasourceuri.cpp	(revision 7434)
+++ src/core/qgsdatasourceuri.cpp	(working copy)
@@ -92,65 +92,71 @@
   
   // parse the connection info
   QStringList conParts = QStringList::split(" ", connInfo);
-  QStringList parm = QStringList::split("=", conParts[0]);
-  if(parm.size() == 2)
+  int         myPart;
+
+  // Note, several components (everything but dbname) are optional, so 
+  // leave the value empty if not found.
+  for( myPart = 0; myPart < conParts.size(); myPart++ )
   {
-    host = parm[1];
-  }
-  parm = QStringList::split("=", conParts[1]);
-  if(parm.size() == 2)
-  {
-    database = parm[1];
-  }
-  parm = QStringList::split("=", conParts[2]);
-  if(parm.size() == 2)
-  {
-    port = parm[1];
-  }
+    QStringList parm = QStringList::split("=", conParts[0]);
 
-  parm = QStringList::split("=", conParts[3]);
-  if(parm.size() == 2)
-  {
-    username = parm[1];
+    if( parm.size() != 2 )
+        continue;
+
+    if( parm[0] == "host" )
+        host = parm[1];
+    
+    if( parm[0] == "dbname" )
+        database = parm[1];
+    
+    if( parm[0] == "port" )
+        port = parm[1];
+
+    if( parm[0] == "user" )
+        username = parm[1];
+
+    if( parm[0] == "password" )
+    {
+      // The password can have '=' and ' ' characters in it, so we can't 
+      // use the split on '=' and ' ' technique - use indexOf() 
+      // instead. 
+      QString key="password='"; 
+      int i = connInfo.indexOf(key); 
+      if (i != -1) 
+      { 
+        QString pass = connInfo.mid(i+key.length()); 
+        // Now walk through the string till we find a ' character, but 
+        // need to allow for an escaped ' character (which will be the 
+        // \' character pair). 
+        int n = 0; 
+        bool escaped = false; 
+        while (n < pass.length() && (pass[n] != '\'' || escaped)) 
+        { 
+          if (pass[n] == '\\') 
+              escaped = true; 
+          else 
+              escaped = false; 
+          n++; 
+        } 
+        // The -1 is to remove the trailing ' character 
+        password = pass.left(n); 
+      } 
+    }
   }
-  
-  // The password can have '=' and ' ' characters in it, so we can't 
-  // use the split on '=' and ' ' technique - use indexOf() 
-  // instead. 
-  QString key="password='"; 
-  int i = connInfo.indexOf(key); 
-  if (i != -1) 
-  { 
-    QString pass = connInfo.mid(i+key.length()); 
-    // Now walk through the string till we find a ' character, but 
-    // need to allow for an escaped ' character (which will be the 
-    // \' character pair). 
-    int n = 0; 
-    bool escaped = false; 
-    while (n < pass.length() && (pass[n] != '\'' || escaped)) 
-    { 
-      if (pass[n] == '\\') 
-        escaped = true; 
-      else 
-        escaped = false; 
-      n++; 
-    } 
-    // The -1 is to remove the trailing ' character 
-    password = pass.left(n); 
-  } 
 }
 
 
 QString QgsDataSourceURI::text() const
 {
-  return QString("host=" + host + 
-      " dbname=" + database + 
-      " port=" + port + 
-      " user=" + username + 
-      " password='" + password + 
-      "' table=" + schema + '.' + table + 
-      " (" + geometryColumn + ")" +
-      " sql=" + sql);
+  QString connInfo = "dbname="+database;
+
+  if( host != "" )
+    connInfo += " host=" + host + " port=" + port;
+
+  if( username != "" )
+    connInfo += " user=" + username + " password='"+password+"'";
+
+  return connInfo;
 }
 
 void QgsDataSourceURI::setConnection(const QString& aHost,