diff --git a/Source/cmExportCommand.cxx b/Source/cmExportCommand.cxx
index 48c5c6e6a..cb614d4f3 100644
--- a/Source/cmExportCommand.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmExportCommand.cxx
@@ -152,11 +152,10 @@ bool cmExportCommand
   ebfg.SetCommand(this);
 
   // Compute the set of configurations exported.
-  if(const char* types =
-     this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
+  std::vector<std::string> configurationTypes;
+  this->Makefile->GetConfigurations(configurationTypes);
+  if(!configurationTypes.empty())
     {
-    std::vector<std::string> configurationTypes;
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(types, configurationTypes);
     for(std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator
           ci = configurationTypes.begin();
         ci != configurationTypes.end(); ++ci)
@@ -164,11 +163,6 @@ bool cmExportCommand
       ebfg.AddConfiguration(ci->c_str());
       }
     }
-  else if(const char* config =
-          this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE"))
-    {
-    ebfg.AddConfiguration(config);
-    }
   else
     {
     ebfg.AddConfiguration("");
diff --git a/Source/cmGlobalXCodeGenerator.cxx b/Source/cmGlobalXCodeGenerator.cxx
index 537a88f30..c63b4034d 100644
--- a/Source/cmGlobalXCodeGenerator.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmGlobalXCodeGenerator.cxx
@@ -722,26 +722,10 @@ void cmGlobalXCodeGenerator::SetCurrentLocalGenerator(cmLocalGenerator* gen)
 
   // Select the current set of configuration types.
   this->CurrentConfigurationTypes.clear();
-  if(this->XcodeVersion > 20)
-    {
-    if(const char* types =
-       this->CurrentMakefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-      {
-      cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(types, 
-                                        this->CurrentConfigurationTypes);
-      }
-    }
+  this->CurrentMakefile->GetConfigurations(this->CurrentConfigurationTypes);
   if(this->CurrentConfigurationTypes.empty())
     {
-    if(const char* buildType =
-       this->CurrentMakefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE"))
-      {
-      this->CurrentConfigurationTypes.push_back(buildType);
-      }
-    else
-      {
-      this->CurrentConfigurationTypes.push_back("");
-      }
+    this->CurrentConfigurationTypes.push_back("");
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx b/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
index bac0223b5..5bffd5236 100644
--- a/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmLocalGenerator.cxx
@@ -278,16 +278,8 @@ void cmLocalGenerator::GenerateTestFiles()
 
   // Compute the set of configurations.
   std::vector<std::string> configurationTypes;
-  if(const char* types =
-     this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-    {
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(types, configurationTypes);
-    }
-  const char* config = 0;
-  if(configurationTypes.empty())
-    {
-    config = this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE");
-    }
+  const char* config =
+    this->Makefile->GetConfigurations(configurationTypes, false);
 
   std::string file = this->Makefile->GetStartOutputDirectory();
   file += "/";
@@ -383,16 +375,8 @@ void cmLocalGenerator::GenerateInstallRules()
 
   // Compute the set of configurations.
   std::vector<std::string> configurationTypes;
-  if(const char* types = 
-     this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-    {
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(types, configurationTypes);
-    }
-  const char* config = 0;
-  if(configurationTypes.empty())
-    {
-    config = this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE");
-    }
+  const char* config =
+    this->Makefile->GetConfigurations(configurationTypes, false);
 
   // Choose a default install configuration.
   const char* default_config = config;
@@ -546,19 +530,7 @@ void cmLocalGenerator::GenerateTargetManifest()
 {
   // Collect the set of configuration types.
   std::vector<std::string> configNames;
-  if(const char* configurationTypes =
-     this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-    {
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(configurationTypes, configNames);
-    }
-  else if(const char* buildType =
-          this->Makefile->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE"))
-    {
-    if(*buildType)
-      {
-      configNames.push_back(buildType);
-      }
-    }
+  this->Makefile->GetConfigurations(configNames);
 
   // Add our targets to the manifest for each configuration.
   cmTargets& targets = this->Makefile->GetTargets();
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
index 8eece6b5a..c64053aa7 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.cxx
@@ -1436,16 +1436,7 @@ void cmMakefile::InitializeFromParent()
   this->SetProperty("COMPILE_DEFINITIONS",
                     parent->GetProperty("COMPILE_DEFINITIONS"));
   std::vector<std::string> configs;
-  if(const char* configTypes =
-     this->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-    {
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(configTypes, configs);
-    }
-  else if(const char* buildType =
-          this->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE"))
-    {
-    configs.push_back(buildType);
-    }
+  this->GetConfigurations(configs);
   for(std::vector<std::string>::const_iterator ci = configs.begin();
       ci != configs.end(); ++ci)
     {
@@ -2367,6 +2358,31 @@ void cmMakefile::AddDefaultDefinitions()
                       cmake::GetCMakeFilesDirectory());
 }
 
+//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
+const char*
+cmMakefile::GetConfigurations(std::vector<std::string>& configs,
+                              bool single) const
+{
+  if(this->LocalGenerator->GetGlobalGenerator()->IsMultiConfig())
+    {
+    if(const char* configTypes =
+       this->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
+      {
+      cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(configTypes, configs);
+      }
+    return 0;
+    }
+  else
+    {
+    const char* buildType = this->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE");
+    if(single && buildType && *buildType)
+      {
+      configs.push_back(buildType);
+      }
+    return buildType;
+    }
+}
+
 #if defined(CMAKE_BUILD_WITH_CMAKE)
 /**
  * Find a source group whose regular expression matches the filename
diff --git a/Source/cmMakefile.h b/Source/cmMakefile.h
index 4fae7eee2..8b8a3f858 100644
--- a/Source/cmMakefile.h
+++ b/Source/cmMakefile.h
@@ -309,7 +309,11 @@ public:
     {
       return this->ProjectName.c_str();
     }
-  
+
+  /** Get the configurations to be generated.  */
+  const char* GetConfigurations(std::vector<std::string>& configs,
+                                bool single = true) const;
+
   /**
    * Set the name of the library.
    */
diff --git a/Source/cmTarget.cxx b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
index 961191269..591b0d196 100644
--- a/Source/cmTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
@@ -1040,18 +1040,7 @@ void cmTarget::SetMakefile(cmMakefile* mf)
 
   // Collect the set of configuration types.
   std::vector<std::string> configNames;
-  if(const char* configurationTypes =
-     mf->GetDefinition("CMAKE_CONFIGURATION_TYPES"))
-    {
-    cmSystemTools::ExpandListArgument(configurationTypes, configNames);
-    }
-  else if(const char* buildType = mf->GetDefinition("CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE"))
-    {
-    if(*buildType)
-      {
-      configNames.push_back(buildType);
-      }
-    }
+  mf->GetConfigurations(configNames);
 
   // Setup per-configuration property default values.
   const char* configProps[] = {