diff --git a/src/app/controllers/graphiteTarget.js b/src/app/controllers/graphiteTarget.js
index 5cd1353988c..dd9e13b5701 100644
--- a/src/app/controllers/graphiteTarget.js
+++ b/src/app/controllers/graphiteTarget.js
@@ -54,6 +54,13 @@ function (angular, _, config, gfunc, Parser) {
       checkOtherSegments($scope.segments.length - 1);
     }
 
+    function addFunctionParameter(func, value, index, shiftBack) {
+      if (shiftBack) {
+        index = Math.max(index - 1, 0);
+      }
+      func.params[index] = value;
+    }
+
     function parseTargeRecursive(astNode, func, index) {
       if (astNode === null) {
         return null;
@@ -72,29 +79,19 @@ function (angular, _, config, gfunc, Parser) {
         break;
 
       case 'series-ref':
-        if ($scope.segments.length === 0) {
-          func.params[index] = astNode.value;
-        }
-        else {
-          func.params[index - 1] = astNode.value;
-        }
+        addFunctionParameter(func, astNode.value, index, $scope.segments.length > 0);
         break;
       case 'string':
       case 'number':
         if ((index-1) >= func.def.params.length) {
           throw { message: 'invalid number of parameters to method ' + func.def.name };
         }
-
-        if (index === 0) {
-          func.params[index] = astNode.value;
-        }
-        else {
-          func.params[index - 1] = astNode.value;
-        }
+        addFunctionParameter(func, astNode.value, index, true);
         break;
       case 'metric':
         if ($scope.segments.length > 0) {
-          throw { message: 'Multiple metric params not supported, use text editor.' };
+          addFunctionParameter(func, astNode.segments[0].value, index, true);
+          break;
         }
 
         $scope.segments = _.map(astNode.segments, function(segment) {
diff --git a/src/app/services/graphite/gfunc.js b/src/app/services/graphite/gfunc.js
index 1fc1402cf0c..4968384a24f 100644
--- a/src/app/services/graphite/gfunc.js
+++ b/src/app/services/graphite/gfunc.js
@@ -555,9 +555,6 @@ function (_) {
     if (strValue === '' && this.def.params[index].optional) {
       this.params.splice(index, 1);
     }
-    else if (this.def.params[index].type === 'int') {
-      this.params[index] = parseFloat(strValue, 10);
-    }
     else {
       this.params[index] = strValue;
     }
diff --git a/src/app/services/templateSrv.js b/src/app/services/templateSrv.js
index cf76dd5bfaa..907065e2fa6 100644
--- a/src/app/services/templateSrv.js
+++ b/src/app/services/templateSrv.js
@@ -47,7 +47,7 @@ function (angular, _) {
     };
 
     this.highlightVariablesAsHtml = function(str) {
-      if (!str) { return str; }
+      if (!str || !_.isString(str)) { return str; }
 
       this.regex.lastIndex = 0;
       return str.replace(this.regex, function(match, g1, g2) {
diff --git a/src/app/services/templateValuesSrv.js b/src/app/services/templateValuesSrv.js
index a4e79c1ca34..2f6b1cd4e94 100644
--- a/src/app/services/templateValuesSrv.js
+++ b/src/app/services/templateValuesSrv.js
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ function (angular, _, kbn) {
           return { text: text, value: text };
         });
         self.setVariableValue(variable, variable.options[0]);
-        return;
+        return $q.when([]);
       }
 
       var datasource = datasourceSrv.get(variable.datasource);
diff --git a/src/test/specs/gfunc-specs.js b/src/test/specs/gfunc-specs.js
index 21f32e56113..e0714d8376f 100644
--- a/src/test/specs/gfunc-specs.js
+++ b/src/test/specs/gfunc-specs.js
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ define([
     it('should parse numbers as float', function() {
       var func = gfunc.createFuncInstance('scale');
       func.updateParam('0.001', 0);
-      expect(func.params[0]).to.be(0.001);
+      expect(func.params[0]).to.be('0.001');
     });
   });
 
@@ -93,14 +93,14 @@ define([
     it('should update value and text', function() {
       var func = gfunc.createFuncInstance('aliasByNode');
       func.updateParam('1', 0);
-      expect(func.params[0]).to.be(1);
+      expect(func.params[0]).to.be('1');
     });
 
     it('should slit text and put value in second param', function() {
       var func = gfunc.createFuncInstance('aliasByNode');
       func.updateParam('4,-5', 0);
-      expect(func.params[0]).to.be(4);
-      expect(func.params[1]).to.be(-5);
+      expect(func.params[0]).to.be('4');
+      expect(func.params[1]).to.be('-5');
       expect(func.text).to.be('aliasByNode(4, -5)');
     });
 
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ define([
       var func = gfunc.createFuncInstance('aliasByNode');
       func.updateParam('4,-5', 0);
       func.updateParam('', 1);
-      expect(func.params[0]).to.be(4);
+      expect(func.params[0]).to.be('4');
       expect(func.params[1]).to.be(undefined);
       expect(func.text).to.be('aliasByNode(4)');
     });