FIx API passing in empty cases. Add 4.4 support for auto-parsing

Needed quotes to test for zero string. Now we know.
Move REPO COMMAND to outside the main case statement

If I define the default REPO_COMMAND at the top of the statement, then things like TARGET_BRANCH
are left unset. The alternative was to add REPO_COMMAND to the end of each case hook. Not palatable.