diff --git a/etemplate/inc/class.boetemplate.inc.php b/etemplate/inc/class.boetemplate.inc.php
index d5ef3f5ca0..f100e544a6 100644
--- a/etemplate/inc/class.boetemplate.inc.php
+++ b/etemplate/inc/class.boetemplate.inc.php
@@ -695,7 +695,11 @@ class boetemplate extends soetemplate
 		}
 		if (is_object($idx)) return false;	// given an error in php5.2
 
-		if (count($idxs = explode('[', $idx, 2)) > 1)
+		if (empty($idx))
+		{
+			$idxs = array();
+		}
+		elseif (count($idxs = explode('[', $idx, 2)) > 1)
 		{
 			$idxs = array_merge(array($idxs[0]), explode('][', substr($idxs[1],0,-1)));
 		}
diff --git a/etemplate/inc/class.etemplate_old.inc.php b/etemplate/inc/class.etemplate_old.inc.php
index 28c1213120..380c7516f1 100644
--- a/etemplate/inc/class.etemplate_old.inc.php
+++ b/etemplate/inc/class.etemplate_old.inc.php
@@ -1074,15 +1074,7 @@ class etemplate_old extends boetemplate
 			list($name) = explode('=',$name);
 		}
 		$form_name = self::form_name($cname,$name);
-
-		if (!is_object($name) && (string)$name !== '' && is_array($content))
-		{
-			$value = $this->get_array($content,$name);
-		}
-		else
-		{
-			$value =& $content;
-		}
+		$value = $this->get_array($content,$name);
 		$options = '';
 		if ($readonly = $cell['readonly'] && $readonlys[$name] !== false || 	// allow to overwrite readonly settings of a cell
 			@$readonlys[$name] && !is_array($readonlys[$name]) || $readonlys['__ALL__'] && (!is_string($name) || $readonlys[$name] !== false) ||