diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/DumpHelper.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/DumpHelper.java
index ec127a265..5f028ceaf 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/DumpHelper.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/DumpHelper.java
@@ -50,8 +50,13 @@ public class DumpHelper {
         TemplateModel tm =  null;
         try {
             tm = dataModel.get(varName);
-        } catch (TemplateModelException tme) {
-            log.error("Error getting value of template model " + varName + " from data model.");
+        } catch (TemplateModelException e) {
+            log.error("Error getting value of template model '" + varName + "' from data model.");
+            return null;
+        }
+        
+        if (tm == null) {
+            log.error("No variable '" + varName + "' defined in data model." );
             return null;
         }
 
diff --git a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/HelpDirective.java b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/HelpDirective.java
index 93fcadea5..04ad7af0c 100644
--- a/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/HelpDirective.java
+++ b/webapp/src/edu/cornell/mannlib/vitro/webapp/web/directives/dump/HelpDirective.java
@@ -12,8 +12,8 @@ import org.apache.commons.logging.Log;
 import org.apache.commons.logging.LogFactory;
 
 import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.web.directives.BaseTemplateDirectiveModel;
+import edu.cornell.mannlib.vitro.webapp.web.methods.BaseTemplateMethodModel;
 import freemarker.core.Environment;
-import freemarker.template.Configuration;
 import freemarker.template.SimpleScalar;
 import freemarker.template.TemplateDirectiveBody;
 import freemarker.template.TemplateException;
@@ -40,27 +40,44 @@ public class HelpDirective extends BaseTemplateDirectiveModel {
                 "The help directive doesn't allow nested content.");
         }
         
-        Object o = params.get("directive");
+        Object o = params.get("for");
+        
+        if ( o == null) {
+            throw new TemplateModelException(
+                "Must specify 'for' argument.");
+        }
+
         if ( !(o instanceof SimpleScalar)) {
             throw new TemplateModelException(
-               "Value of parameter 'directive' must be a string.");     
-        }
+               "Value of parameter 'for' must be a string.");     
+        }  
         
-        String directiveName = ((SimpleScalar)o).getAsString();  
+        String name = ((SimpleScalar)o).getAsString(); 
         TemplateHashModel dataModel = env.getDataModel();    
         Map<String, Object> dm = (Map<String, Object>) DeepUnwrap.permissiveUnwrap(dataModel);
-        Object value = dm.get(directiveName);
+        Object value = dm.get(name);
         
-        if (! (value instanceof BaseTemplateDirectiveModel) ) {
+        if (value == null) {
             throw new TemplateModelException(
-                directiveName + " must be the name of a directive.");  
+                "Value of parameter '" + name + "' must be the name of a directive or method");              
         }
-        
-        Configuration config = env.getConfiguration();
-        Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<String, Object>();
-        
-        String help = ((BaseTemplateDirectiveModel) value).help(directiveName, env);
+
+        String help;
+        String type;
+        if (value instanceof BaseTemplateDirectiveModel) {
+            help = ((BaseTemplateDirectiveModel) value).help(name, env);
+            type = "directive";
+        } else if (value instanceof BaseTemplateMethodModel) {
+            help = ((BaseTemplateMethodModel) value).help(name, env);
+            type = "method";
+        } else {
+            throw new TemplateModelException(
+                "Value of parameter '" + name + "' must be the name of a directive or method");            
+        }
+
+        Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<String, Object>();       
         map.put("help", help);
+        map.put("type", type);
         
         try {
             map.put("stylesheets", dataModel.get("stylesheets"));
@@ -69,25 +86,25 @@ public class HelpDirective extends BaseTemplateDirectiveModel {
         }
 
         DumpHelper helper = new DumpHelper(env);  
-        helper.writeDump("help.ftl", map, directiveName);   
+        helper.writeDump("help.ftl", map, name);   
         
     }
     
-    
+    @Override
     public String help(String name, Environment env) {
         Map<String, Object> map = new HashMap<String, Object>();
-        
+
         map.put("name", name);
         
-        map.put("effect", "Output help for directive or method.");
+        map.put("effect", "Output help for a directive or method.");
         
         Map<String, String> params = new HashMap<String, String>();
-        params.put("var", "name of directive/method");
+        params.put("for", "name of directive or method");
         map.put("params", params);
         
         List<String> examples = new ArrayList<String>();
-        examples.add("<@" + name + " directive=\"dump\" />");
-        examples.add("<@" + name + " method=\"profileUrl\" />");
+        examples.add("<@" + name + " for=\"dump\" />");
+        examples.add("<@" + name + " for=\"profileUrl\" />");
         map.put("examples", examples);
         
         return mergeToHelpTemplate(map, env);
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/partials/dump/help.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/partials/dump/help.ftl
index 1e8c13b76..9594bc751 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/partials/dump/help.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/partials/dump/help.ftl
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 <#-- $This file is distributed under the terms of the license in /doc/license.txt$ -->
 
-<#-- Template for displaying directive help -->
+<#-- Template for displaying help for a template directive or method -->
 
 <div class="dump help">
-    <h3>Template directive help</h3>
+    <h3>Template ${type} help</h3>
         
     ${help}
 </div>
diff --git a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/samples.ftl b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/samples.ftl
index abb444bbb..9e8ae4989 100644
--- a/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/samples.ftl
+++ b/webapp/web/templates/freemarker/body/samples.ftl
@@ -133,14 +133,12 @@ ${stylesheets.addFromTheme("/css/sstest.css", "/css/sstest2.css")}
 ${scripts.addFromTheme("/js/jstest.js")}
 ${scripts.add("/js/script1.js", "/js/script2.js", "/js/script3.js")}
 
-
 <@dumpAll />
 
-<@help directive="dump" />
+<@help for="dump" />
+
+<@help for="profileUrl" />
 
 <@describe var="stylesheets" />
 
-<@describe var="scripts" />
-
-<@describe var="headScripts" />