diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in b/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
index eecedf041..746a27010 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/Makefile.in
@@ -13,7 +13,9 @@ srcdir       = @srcdir@
 top_srcdir   = @top_srcdir@
 top_builddir = @top_builddir@
 
-#CPP_TEST_CASES +=
+CPP_TEST_CASES += \
+	null_pointer \
+	cell_deref
 
 CPP_TEST_BROKEN += \
 	implicittest \
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref.i b/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref.i
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fddcd80ec
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref.i
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+%module cell_deref
+
+%inline {
+  bool func(const char* s) {
+    return !strcmp("hello",s);
+  }
+
+ Cell func2() {
+   Cell c(1,2);
+   c(0) = "hello";
+   c(1) = 4;
+   return c;
+ } 
+}
+
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref_runme.m b/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref_runme.m
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..1c370fe85
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/cell_deref_runme.m
@@ -0,0 +1,8 @@
+cell_deref;
+
+assert(func("hello"));
+assert(func({"hello"}));
+
+c = func2();
+assert(strcmp(c{1}, "hello"));
+assert(c{2} == 4);
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer.i b/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer.i
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..59d554c2b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer.i
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+%module null_pointer
+
+%inline {
+  struct A {};
+  
+  bool func(A* a) {
+    return !a;
+  }
+}
+
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer_runme.m b/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer_runme.m
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..51b6eaf91
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/octave/null_pointer_runme.m
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+null_pointer;
+
+assert(func([]));
diff --git a/Lib/octave/octprimtypes.swg b/Lib/octave/octprimtypes.swg
index 5e1b7bdfe..6f43f21b0 100644
--- a/Lib/octave/octprimtypes.swg
+++ b/Lib/octave/octprimtypes.swg
@@ -200,8 +200,10 @@ SWIG_AsVal_dec(bool)(const octave_value& ov, bool *val)
 
 %fragment("SWIG_AsCharPtrAndSize","header") {
 SWIGINTERN int
-SWIG_AsCharPtrAndSize(const octave_value& ov, char** cptr, size_t* psize, int *alloc)
+SWIG_AsCharPtrAndSize(octave_value ov, char** cptr, size_t* psize, int *alloc)
 {
+  if (ov.is_cell() && ov.rows() == 1 && ov.columns() == 1)
+    ov = ov.cell_value()(0);
   if (!ov.is_string())
     return SWIG_TypeError;
   
diff --git a/Lib/octave/octrun.swg b/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
index 9bf7bd22e..34076e90e 100644
--- a/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
+++ b/Lib/octave/octrun.swg
@@ -100,7 +100,7 @@ namespace Swig {
   SWIGRUNTIME void swig_director_set_self(Director *d, octave_swig_type *self);
 
   SWIGRUNTIME octave_base_value *swig_value_ref(octave_swig_type *ost);
-  SWIGRUNTIME octave_swig_type *swig_value_deref(const octave_value &ov);
+  SWIGRUNTIME octave_swig_type *swig_value_deref(octave_value ov);
   SWIGRUNTIME octave_swig_type *swig_value_deref(const octave_base_value &ov);
 
   typedef std::map < void *, Director * > rtdir_map;
@@ -1007,6 +1007,8 @@ namespace Swig {
       error("swig_typeinfo must be called with only a single object");
       return octave_value_list();
     }
+    if (args(0).is_matrix_type() && args(0).rows() == 0 && args(0).columns() == 0)
+      return octave_value(octave_uint64(0));
     octave_swig_type *ost = Swig::swig_value_deref(args(0));
     if (!ost) {
       error("object is not a swig_ref");
@@ -1106,7 +1108,9 @@ namespace Swig {
       return new octave_swig_ref(ost);
     }
 
-    SWIGRUNTIME octave_swig_type *swig_value_deref(const octave_value &ov) {
+    SWIGRUNTIME octave_swig_type *swig_value_deref(octave_value ov) {
+      if (ov.is_cell() && ov.rows() == 1 && ov.columns() == 1)
+	ov = ov.cell_value()(0);
       return swig_value_deref(*ov.internal_rep());
     }
 
@@ -1216,9 +1220,11 @@ SWIGRUNTIME octave_value SWIG_Octave_NewPointerObj(void *ptr, swig_type_info *ty
   return Swig::swig_value_ref(new octave_swig_type(ptr, type, own));
 }
 
-SWIGRUNTIME int SWIG_Octave_ConvertPtrAndOwn(const octave_value &ov, void **ptr, swig_type_info *type, int flags, int *own) {
+SWIGRUNTIME int SWIG_Octave_ConvertPtrAndOwn(octave_value ov, void **ptr, swig_type_info *type, int flags, int *own) {
+  if (ov.is_cell() && ov.rows() == 1 && ov.columns() == 1)
+    ov = ov.cell_value()(0);
   if (!ov.is_defined() ||
-      (ov.is_matrix_type() && ov.rows()==0 && ov.columns()==0) ) {
+      (ov.is_matrix_type() && ov.rows() == 0 && ov.columns() == 0) ) {
     if (ptr)
       *ptr = 0;
     return SWIG_OK;