diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator.java
index 3b552782c..5fc228d52 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/generators/DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator.java
@@ -29,13 +29,12 @@ public class DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGener
 	
 	private static Log log = LogFactory.getLog(DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator.class);
 
-	static String literalVar =  "literal";                             
-    static String literalPlaceholder = "?"+literalVar;
+	static final String literalVar =  "literal";                             
+    static final String literalPlaceholder = "?"+literalVar;
+    static final String dataPropN3 = "?subject ?predicate " + literalPlaceholder + " . " ;
     
 	@Override
-	public EditConfigurationVTwo getEditConfiguration(VitroRequest vreq, HttpSession session) {	    		
-	    String command      = vreq.getParameter("cmd");	    	    	    
-	    
+	public EditConfigurationVTwo getEditConfiguration(VitroRequest vreq, HttpSession session) {	    			    	    	    	   	    
 	    String subjectUri   = vreq.getParameter("subjectUri");
         Individual subject = vreq.getWebappDaoFactory().getIndividualDao().getIndividualByURI(subjectUri);
         if( subject == null ) 
@@ -58,32 +57,42 @@ public class DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGener
             rangeDatatypeUri = vreq.getWebappDaoFactory().getDataPropertyDao().getRequiredDatatypeURI(subject, dataproperty);    
         }   
 	        	    
+        Integer dataHash = EditConfigurationUtils.getDataHash(vreq);
+        boolean update = ( dataHash != null );
+        
 	    EditConfigurationVTwo editConfiguration = new EditConfigurationVTwo();
 	    	
-	    editConfiguration.setTemplate("defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl");
+	    initBasics(editConfiguration, vreq);
+	    initPropertyParameters(vreq, session, editConfiguration);
 	    
-    	editConfiguration.setN3Required(Arrays.asList( "?subject ?predicate " + literalPlaceholder + " . "));	    
-    	    	    	
-    	editConfiguration.setDatapropKey( EditConfigurationUtils.getDataHash(vreq) );
+	    editConfiguration.setTemplate("defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl");
+	        		        	    	    	
+    	editConfiguration.setDatapropKey( dataHash );
     	
-    	editConfiguration.setVarNameForSubject("subject");
-    	editConfiguration.setSubjectUri(subjectUri);
-    	editConfiguration.setEntityToReturnTo( subjectUri );
-    	
-    	editConfiguration.setVarNameForPredicate("predicate");
-    	editConfiguration.setPredicateUri(predicateUri);
-
+    	editConfiguration.setVarNameForSubject("subject");    	    	    	
+    	editConfiguration.setVarNameForPredicate("predicate");    	
     	editConfiguration.setVarNameForObject( literalVar );
     	
     	editConfiguration.setLiteralsOnForm( Arrays.asList( literalVar ));    	    	    
     	
-    	editConfiguration.addField( new FieldVTwo()
-    	       .setName( literalVar )
-    	       .setPredicateUri(predicateUri)
-    	       .setRangeDatatypeUri(rangeDatatypeUri));    	    
-    	
-    	//deal with empty field
-    	editConfiguration.addModelChangePreprocessor( new DefaultDataPropEmptyField() );	        	
+    	FieldVTwo literalField =  new FieldVTwo()
+            .setName( literalVar )
+            .setPredicateUri(predicateUri)
+            .setRangeDatatypeUri(rangeDatatypeUri);
+    	        
+    	editConfiguration.addField( literalField );    	    
+        
+        // An empty field on an update gets special treatment 
+        if( update ) {
+            // on update, allow an empty field and deal with it in DefaultDataPropEmptyField
+            // see comments in DefaultDataPropEmptyField and VITRO-432
+            editConfiguration.addModelChangePreprocessor( new DefaultDataPropEmptyField() );
+            editConfiguration.setN3Optional(Arrays.asList( dataPropN3 ));
+        }else{
+            //on new, don't allow an empty field 
+            literalField.setValidators(list( "nonempty" ));
+            editConfiguration.setN3Required(Arrays.asList( dataPropN3 ));                        
+        }
     	
 		return editConfiguration;	
 	}
@@ -124,7 +133,6 @@ public class DefaultDataPropertyFormGenerator extends BaseEditConfigurationGener
 
 	}
 
-
     private static void dataTypeDebug(DataPropertyStatement dps,
             DataProperty dataproperty) {
         if( dps == null )
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/DefaultDataPropEmptyField.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/DefaultDataPropEmptyField.java
index d969036d6..15a2ac216 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/DefaultDataPropEmptyField.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/edit/n3editing/configuration/preprocessors/DefaultDataPropEmptyField.java
@@ -49,8 +49,7 @@ public class DefaultDataPropEmptyField implements ModelChangePreprocessor{
             // Our editors have gotten into the habit of clearing the text from the
             // textarea and saving it to invoke a delete.  see Issue VITRO-432   
             if (configuration.getFields().size() == 1) {
-                String onlyField = configuration.getFields().keySet().iterator()
-                        .next();
+                String onlyField = configuration.getFields().keySet().iterator().next();
                 List<Literal> value = submission.getLiteralsFromForm().get(onlyField);
                 if( value == null || value.size() == 0){
                     return true;
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/edit/forms/defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/edit/forms/defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl
index 29d5d2208..95819966a 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/edit/forms/defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/edit/forms/defaultDataPropertyForm.ftl
@@ -1,7 +1,27 @@
 <#-- $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ -->
 
+<#--If edit submission exists, then retrieve validation errors if they exist-->
+<#if editSubmission?has_content && editSubmission.submissionExists = true && editSubmission.validationErrors?has_content>
+    <#assign submissionErrors = editSubmission.validationErrors/>
+</#if>
+
+
 <h2>${editConfiguration.formTitle}</h2>
 
+<#--Display error messages if any-->
+<#if submissionErrors?has_content>
+    <section id="error-alert" role="alert">
+        <img src="${urls.images}/iconAlert.png" width="24" height="24" alert="Error alert icon" />
+        <p>
+        
+        <#list submissionErrors?keys as errorFieldName>
+            ${submissionErrors[errorFieldName]}
+        </#list>
+                        
+        </p>
+    </section>
+</#if>
+
 <#assign literalValues = "${editConfiguration.dataLiteralValuesAsString}" />
 
 <form class="editForm" action = "${submitUrl}" method="post">