diff --git a/awkgram.y b/awkgram.y
index ef3720c..3826507 100644
--- a/awkgram.y
+++ b/awkgram.y
@@ -2163,7 +2163,7 @@ simple_variable
 	  {
 		char *arr = $1->lextok;
 
-		$1->memory = variable($1->source_line, arr, Node_var_array);
+		$1->memory = variable($1->source_line, arr, Node_var_new);
 		$1->opcode = Op_push_array;
 		$$ = list_prepend($2, $1);
 	  }
diff --git a/extension/rwarray.c b/extension/rwarray.c
index 1a3a7d1..ab8dc86 100644
--- a/extension/rwarray.c
+++ b/extension/rwarray.c
@@ -88,10 +88,9 @@ typedef union {
 typedef int value_storage;	// should not be used
 #endif /* HAVE_MPFR */
 
-typedef awk_array_t (*array_handle_t)(awk_value_t *);
 static awk_bool_t read_array(FILE *fp, awk_array_t array);
-static awk_bool_t read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, array_handle_t, value_storage *);
-static awk_bool_t read_value(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, array_handle_t, awk_value_t *idx, value_storage *vs);
+static awk_bool_t read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, value_storage *);
+static awk_bool_t read_value(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, awk_value_t *idx, value_storage *vs);
 static awk_bool_t read_number(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, uint32_t code, value_storage *);
 
 /*
@@ -487,27 +486,6 @@ do_poke(awk_element_t *e)
 	return awk_true;
 }
 
-/* regular_array_handle --- array creation hook for normal reada */
-
-static awk_array_t
-regular_array_handle(awk_value_t *unused)
-{
-	return create_array();
-}
-
-/* global_array_handle --- array creation hook for readall */
-
-static awk_array_t
-global_array_handle(awk_value_t *n)
-{
-	awk_value_t t;
-	size_t count;
-
-	/* The array may exist already because it was instantiated during
-	 * program parsing, so we use the existing array if it is empty. */
-	return ((n->val_type == AWK_STRING) && sym_lookup(n->str_value.str, AWK_UNDEFINED, &t) && (t.val_type == AWK_ARRAY) && get_element_count(t.array_cookie, & count) && ! count) ? t.array_cookie : create_array();
-}
-
 /* read_global --- read top-level variables dumped from SYMTAB */
 
 static awk_bool_t
@@ -524,7 +502,7 @@ read_global(FILE *fp, awk_array_t unused)
 	count = ntohl(count);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-		if (read_elem(fp, & new_elem, global_array_handle, &vs)) {
+		if (read_elem(fp, & new_elem, &vs)) {
 			if (! do_poke(& new_elem))
 				free_value(& new_elem.value);
 			if (new_elem.index.str_value.len)
@@ -664,7 +642,7 @@ read_array(FILE *fp, awk_array_t array)
 	count = ntohl(count);
 
 	for (i = 0; i < count; i++) {
-		if (read_elem(fp, & new_elem, regular_array_handle, &vs)) {
+		if (read_elem(fp, & new_elem, &vs)) {
 			/* add to array */
 			if (! set_array_element_by_elem(array, & new_elem)) {
 				warning(ext_id, _("read_array: set_array_element failed"));
@@ -683,7 +661,7 @@ read_array(FILE *fp, awk_array_t array)
 /* read_elem --- read in a single element */
 
 static awk_bool_t
-read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, array_handle_t array_handle, value_storage *vs)
+read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, value_storage *vs)
 {
 	uint32_t index_len;
 	static char *buffer;
@@ -721,7 +699,7 @@ read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, array_handle_t array_handle, value_s
 		make_null_string(& element->index);
 	}
 
-	if (! read_value(fp, & element->value, array_handle, & element->index, vs))
+	if (! read_value(fp, & element->value, & element->index, vs))
 		return awk_false;
 
 	return awk_true;
@@ -730,7 +708,7 @@ read_elem(FILE *fp, awk_element_t *element, array_handle_t array_handle, value_s
 /* read_value --- read a number or a string */
 
 static awk_bool_t
-read_value(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, array_handle_t array_handle, awk_value_t *idx, value_storage *vs)
+read_value(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, awk_value_t *idx, value_storage *vs)
 {
 	uint32_t code, len;
 
@@ -740,7 +718,7 @@ read_value(FILE *fp, awk_value_t *value, array_handle_t array_handle, awk_value_
 	code = ntohl(code);
 
 	if (code == VT_ARRAY) {
-		awk_array_t array = (*array_handle)(idx);
+		awk_array_t array = create_array();
 
 		if (! read_array(fp, array))
 			return awk_false;
diff --git a/extension/testext.c b/extension/testext.c
index 4f353f1..24fe933 100644
--- a/extension/testext.c
+++ b/extension/testext.c
@@ -673,13 +673,16 @@ out:
 
 /*
 function tfunc(f) {
-	if (isarray(f))
+	if (isarray(f)) {
 		print "good: we have an array"
+		print "hello element value inside function is", f["hello"]
+	}
 }
 
 BEGIN {
 	printf "test_array_create returned %d\n", test_array_create("testarr")
 	tfunc(testarr)
+	print "hello element global scope is", testarr["hello"]
 }
 */
 
diff --git a/gawkapi.c b/gawkapi.c
index b2fb3fd..ab95159 100644
--- a/gawkapi.c
+++ b/gawkapi.c
@@ -899,9 +899,20 @@ api_sym_update(awk_ext_id_t id,
 
 	efree((void *) full_name);
 
-	if ((node->type == Node_var && value->val_type != AWK_ARRAY)
-	    || node->type == Node_var_new
-	    || node->type == Node_elem_new) {
+	if (value->val_type == AWK_ARRAY) {
+		if (node->type == Node_var_new) {
+			/* special gymnastics to convert untyped to an array */
+			array_node = awk_value_to_node(value);
+			array_node->vname = node->vname;
+			unref(node->var_value);
+			*node = *array_node;
+			freenode(array_node);
+			value->array_cookie = node;	/* pass new cookie back to extension */
+			return awk_true;
+		}
+	} else if (node->type == Node_var
+		   || node->type == Node_var_new
+		   || node->type == Node_elem_new) {
 		unref(node->var_value);
 		node->var_value = awk_value_to_node(value);
 		if ((node->type == Node_var_new || node->type == Node_elem_new)
diff --git a/test/Makefile.am b/test/Makefile.am
index bece95b..5ee35ad 100644
--- a/test/Makefile.am
+++ b/test/Makefile.am
@@ -2418,8 +2418,8 @@ readdir_retest:
 
 readall:
 	@echo $@
-	@-AWKPATH="$(srcdir)" $(AWK) -lrwarray -f $@1.awk -v "ofile=readall.state" > _$@
-	@-AWKPATH="$(srcdir)" $(AWK) -lrwarray -f $@2.awk -v "ifile=readall.state" >> _$@
+	@-AWKPATH="$(srcdir)" $(AWK) -lrwarray -f $@1.awk -v "ofile=readall.state" > _$@ 2>&1
+	@-AWKPATH="$(srcdir)" $(AWK) -lrwarray -f $@2.awk -v "ifile=readall.state" >> _$@ 2>&1
 	@-$(CMP) "$(srcdir)"/$@.ok _$@ && rm -f _$@
 	@-$(RM) -f readall.state
 
diff --git a/test/id.ok b/test/id.ok
index 941d5ad..1ddccdd 100644
--- a/test/id.ok
+++ b/test/id.ok
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ RT -> scalar
 SUBSEP -> scalar
 SYMTAB -> array
 TEXTDOMAIN -> scalar
-an_array -> array
+an_array -> untyped
 and -> builtin
 asort -> builtin
 asorti -> builtin
diff --git a/test/readall.ok b/test/readall.ok
index 8aa6899..475ca67 100644
--- a/test/readall.ok
+++ b/test/readall.ok
@@ -2,7 +2,15 @@
 1
 5.9 3 -2.327
 42
+
+a
+apple
 zebra[archie] = banana
 zebra[0] = apple
 zebra[3][foo] = bar
 zebra[3][bar] = foo
+array
+m[a] = 1
+m[b] = 3
+a 1
+b 3
diff --git a/test/readall1.awk b/test/readall1.awk
index 4f90c73..cdb41ee 100644
--- a/test/readall1.awk
+++ b/test/readall1.awk
@@ -7,5 +7,9 @@ BEGIN {
 	zebra["archie"] = "banana"
 	zebra[3]["foo"] = "bar"
 	zebra[3]["bar"] = "foo"
+	f[1] = "alpha"
+	g[1] = "beta"
+	m["a"] = 1
+	m["b"] = 3
 	print writeall(ofile)
 }
diff --git a/test/readall2.awk b/test/readall2.awk
index af45751..1316681 100644
--- a/test/readall2.awk
+++ b/test/readall2.awk
@@ -8,9 +8,17 @@ function printarray(n, x,   i) {
 }
 
 BEGIN {
+	split("", f)
+	split("a b c", g)
 	print readall(ifile)
 	print x, y, z
 	print guide::answer
-	#print zebra[0], zebra[3]["foo"], zebra[3]["bar"]
+	print f[1]
+	print g[1]
+	print zebra[0]
 	printarray("zebra", zebra)
+	print typeof(m)
+	printarray("m", m)
+	for (i in m)
+		print i, m[i]
 }
diff --git a/test/testext.ok b/test/testext.ok
index 1d05830..3e0c132 100644
--- a/test/testext.ok
+++ b/test/testext.ok
@@ -50,6 +50,8 @@ isarray(a_scalar) = 0
 
 test_array_create returned 1
 good: we have an array
+hello element value inside function is world
+hello element global scope is world
 Initial value of LINT is 0
 print_do_lint: lint = 0
 print_do_lint() returned 1