diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/GenDObjectTask.java b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/GenDObjectTask.java
index 935d9fa3b..d8a61c173 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/GenDObjectTask.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/GenDObjectTask.java
@@ -121,9 +121,10 @@ public class GenDObjectTask extends GenTask
             data.put("transport", transport);
 
             // if this field is an array, we need its component types
-            if (ftype.isArray()) {
+            boolean array = ftype.isArray();
+            data.put("have_elem", array);
+            if (array) {
                 Class<?> etype = ftype.getComponentType();
-                data.put("have_elem", true);
                 data.put("elemtype", GenUtil.simpleName(etype));
                 data.put("wrapelem", GenUtil.boxArgument(etype, "value"));
                 data.put("wrapoelem", GenUtil.boxArgument(etype, "ovalue"));
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/dobject_field.tmpl b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/dobject_field.tmpl
index 59041230d..a8a1ce916 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/dobject_field.tmpl
+++ b/src/main/java/com/threerings/presents/tools/dobject_field.tmpl
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@
         requestAttributeChange(
             {{capfield}}, {{wrapfield}}, {{wrapofield}}{{transport}});
         this.{{field}} = {{clonefield}};
-    }{{#have_elem}}
+    }
+{{#have_elem}}
 
     /**
      * Requests that the <code>index</code>th element of
@@ -31,4 +32,5 @@
         requestElementUpdate(
             {{capfield}}, index, {{wrapelem}}, {{wrapoelem}}{{transport}});
         this.{{field}}[index] = value;
-    }{{/have_elem}}
+    }
+{{/have_elem}}