diff --git a/src/Makefile.global b/src/Makefile.global
index 19ad705c33..b09925c6ab 100644
--- a/src/Makefile.global
+++ b/src/Makefile.global
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 #
 #
 # IDENTIFICATION
-#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/Attic/Makefile.global,v 1.6 1996/07/20 07:29:33 scrappy Exp $
+#    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/Attic/Makefile.global,v 1.7 1996/07/20 07:57:49 scrappy Exp $
 #
 # NOTES
 #    This is seen by any Makefiles that include mk/postgres.mk. To
@@ -287,6 +287,8 @@ CFLAGS+= $(CFLAGS_BE)
 LDADD+= $(LDADD_BE)
 LDFLAGS+= $(LDFLAGS_BE)
 
+# enable patches to array update code
+CFLAGS += -DARRAY_PATCH
 
 ##############################################################################
 #
diff --git a/src/backend/parser/analyze.c b/src/backend/parser/analyze.c
index 3f44037ca7..cba2e21199 100644
--- a/src/backend/parser/analyze.c
+++ b/src/backend/parser/analyze.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/parser/analyze.c,v 1.2 1996/07/19 07:24:06 scrappy Exp $
+ *    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/parser/analyze.c,v 1.3 1996/07/20 07:58:04 scrappy Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -1386,6 +1386,16 @@ make_targetlist_expr(ParseState *pstate,
 	  if (attrtype != type_id) {
 	      if (IsA(expr,Const)) {
 		  /* try to cast the constant */
+#ifdef ARRAY_PATCH
+		  if (arrayRef && !(((A_Indices *)lfirst(arrayRef))->lidx)) {
+		      /* updating a single item */
+		      Oid typelem = get_typelem(attrtype);
+		      expr = (Node*)parser_typecast2(expr,
+						   type_id,
+						   get_id_type((long)typelem),
+					           attrlen);
+		  } else
+#endif
 		  expr = (Node*)parser_typecast2(expr,
 						 type_id,
 						 get_id_type((long)attrtype),
@@ -1418,7 +1428,11 @@ make_targetlist_expr(ParseState *pstate,
 						     &pstate->p_last_resno);
 	       while(ar!=NIL) {
 		   A_Indices *ind = lfirst(ar);
+#ifdef ARRAY_PATCH
+		   if (lowerIndexpr || (!upperIndexpr && ind->lidx)) {
+#else
 		   if (lowerIndexpr) {
+#endif
 		       /* XXX assume all lowerIndexpr is non-null in
 			* this case
 			*/
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c b/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c
index 2e780fb03b..8a2b0fd291 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c,v 1.1.1.1 1996/07/09 06:22:03 scrappy Exp $
+ *    $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/arrayfuncs.c,v 1.2 1996/07/20 07:58:44 scrappy Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -877,7 +877,11 @@ array_set(ArrayType *array,
          * fixed length arrays -- these are assumed to be 1-d
          */
         if (indx[0]*elmlen > arraylen) 
+#ifdef ARRAY_PATCH
             elog(WARN, "array_ref: array bound exceeded");
+#else
+            elog(WARN, "array_set: array bound exceeded");
+#endif
         pos = (char *)array + indx[0]*elmlen;
         ArrayCastAndSet(dataPtr, (bool) reftype, elmlen, pos);
         return((char *)array);
@@ -888,7 +892,14 @@ array_set(ArrayType *array,
     nbytes = (* (int32 *) array) - ARR_OVERHEAD(ndim);
     
     if (!SanityCheckInput(ndim, n,  dim, lb, indx)) 
+#ifdef ARRAY_PATCH
+    {
+	elog(WARN, "array_set: array bound exceeded");
         return((char *)array);
+    }
+#else
+        return((char *)array);
+#endif
     offset = GetOffset( n, dim, lb, indx);
     
     if (ARR_IS_LO(array)) {
@@ -924,7 +935,41 @@ array_set(ArrayType *array,
         if (nbytes - offset < 1) return((char *)array);
         pos = ARR_DATA_PTR (array) + offset;
     } else {
+#ifdef ARRAY_PATCH
+	ArrayType *newarray;
+	char *elt_ptr;
+	int oldsize, newsize, oldlen, newlen, lth0, lth1, lth2;
+
+	elt_ptr = array_seek(ARR_DATA_PTR(array), -1, offset);
+	oldlen = INTALIGN(*(int32 *)elt_ptr);
+	newlen = INTALIGN(*(int32 *)dataPtr);
+
+	if (oldlen == newlen) {
+	    /* new element with same size, overwrite old data */
+	    ArrayCastAndSet(dataPtr, (bool)reftype, elmlen, elt_ptr);
+	    return((char *)array);
+	}
+
+	/* new element with different size, reallocate the array */
+	oldsize = array->size;
+	lth0 = ARR_OVERHEAD(n);
+	lth1 = (int)(elt_ptr - ARR_DATA_PTR(array));
+	lth2 = (int)(oldsize - lth0 - lth1 - oldlen);
+	newsize = lth0 + lth1 + newlen + lth2;
+
+	newarray = (ArrayType *)palloc(newsize);
+	memmove((char *)newarray, (char *)array, lth0+lth1);
+	newarray->size = newsize;
+	newlen = ArrayCastAndSet(dataPtr, (bool)reftype, elmlen,
+				 (char *)newarray+lth0+lth1);
+	memmove((char *)newarray+lth0+lth1+newlen,
+		(char *)array+lth0+lth1+oldlen, lth2);
+
+	/* ??? who should free this storage ??? */
+	return((char *)newarray);
+#else
         elog(WARN, "array_set: update of variable length fields not supported");
+#endif
     } 
     ArrayCastAndSet(dataPtr, (bool) reftype, elmlen, pos);
     return((char *)array);
diff --git a/src/test/regress/create.source b/src/test/regress/create.source
index f3fb711dc7..050c9a86a6 100644
--- a/src/test/regress/create.source
+++ b/src/test/regress/create.source
@@ -555,9 +555,9 @@ COPY bt_f8_heap FROM '_CWD_/data/hash.data';
 INSERT INTO arrtest (a[5], b[2][1][2], c, d)
    VALUES ('{1,2,3,4,5}', '{{{},{1,2}}}', '{}', '{}');
 
--- UPDATE arrtest SET e[0] = '1.1';
+UPDATE arrtest SET e[0] = '1.1';
 
--- UPDATE arrtest SET e[1] = '2.2';
+UPDATE arrtest SET e[1] = '2.2';
 
 INSERT INTO arrtest (a, b[2][2][1], c, d, e)
    VALUES ('{11,12,23}', '{{3,4},{4,5}}', '{"foobar"}',