diff --git a/widget.c b/widget.c
index 9536bc43..eb4648f0 100644
--- a/widget.c
+++ b/widget.c
@@ -222,7 +222,7 @@ uicb_widget_tell(int screen, char *arg)
         p_delete(&command);
     }
     else
-        status = WIDGET_ERROR_NOVALUE;
+        status = widget->tell(widget, property, NULL);
 
     switch(status)
     {
diff --git a/widgets/graph.c b/widgets/graph.c
index 9cb4bffd..7e45d3d1 100644
--- a/widgets/graph.c
+++ b/widgets/graph.c
@@ -285,6 +285,9 @@ graph_tell(Widget *widget, char *property, char *command)
     if(!d->data_items)
         return WIDGET_ERROR_CUSTOM; /* error already printed on _new */
 
+    if(command == NULL)
+        return WIDGET_ERROR_NOVALUE;
+
     if(!a_strcmp(property, "data"))
     {
         title = strtok(command, " ");
diff --git a/widgets/iconbox.c b/widgets/iconbox.c
index 3a3410f9..d9f6bb33 100644
--- a/widgets/iconbox.c
+++ b/widgets/iconbox.c
@@ -70,8 +70,8 @@ iconbox_tell(Widget *widget, char *property, char *command)
     Bool b;
     Data *d = widget->data;
 
-    if(!property || !command)
-        return WIDGET_ERROR;
+    if(command == NULL)
+        return WIDGET_ERROR_NOVALUE;
 
     if(!a_strcmp(property, "image"))
     {
diff --git a/widgets/progressbar.c b/widgets/progressbar.c
index ca13201b..c8e79dab 100644
--- a/widgets/progressbar.c
+++ b/widgets/progressbar.c
@@ -393,6 +393,9 @@ progressbar_tell(Widget *widget, char *property, char *command)
     if(!d->data_items)
         return WIDGET_ERROR_CUSTOM; /* error already printed on _new */
 
+    if(command == NULL)
+        return WIDGET_ERROR_NOVALUE;
+
     if(!a_strcmp(property, "data"))
     {
         title = strtok(command, " ");