Ant 1.7 appears to be sensitive to the order of command line options. If you specify the build file (using -f) before specifying a property file (using -propertyfile), the build file will be loaded prior to loading the property file. Thus, property values within the property file will not override those in the build file. Reverse the order of the options if you want the property file to be loaded first.
... until the collector arrives ...
This "blog" is really just a scratchpad of mine. There is not much of general interest here. Most of the content is scribbled down "live" as I discover things I want to remember. I rarely go back to correct mistakes in older entries. You have been warned :)