diff --git a/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonComponentWalker.cs b/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonComponentWalker.cs
index 38dde5c74f..be74c87c92 100644
--- a/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonComponentWalker.cs
+++ b/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonComponentWalker.cs
@@ -301,10 +301,7 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.PythonBinding
 		/// </summary>
 		object GetCurrentComponent()
 		{
-			if (fieldExpression.VariableName.Length > 0) {
-				return componentCreator.GetComponent(fieldExpression.VariableName);
-			}
-			return component;
+			return fieldExpression.GetObject(componentCreator);
 		}
 		
 		/// <summary>
diff --git a/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonControlFieldExpression.cs b/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonControlFieldExpression.cs
index 48305ccf12..2716231232 100644
--- a/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonControlFieldExpression.cs
+++ b/src/AddIns/BackendBindings/Python/PythonBinding/Project/Src/PythonControlFieldExpression.cs
@@ -177,6 +177,17 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.PythonBinding
 			return names.ToArray();
 		}
 
+		/// <summary>
+		/// Gets the object that the field expression variable refers to.
+		/// </summary>
+		public object GetObject(IComponentCreator componentCreator)
+		{
+			if (variableName.Length > 0) {
+				return componentCreator.GetComponent(variableName);
+			}
+			return componentCreator.RootComponent;		
+		}
+		
 		/// <summary>
 		/// Returns the object that the property is defined on. This method may just return the object
 		/// passed to it if the property is defined on that object.
@@ -192,6 +203,9 @@ namespace ICSharpCode.PythonBinding
 			object currentComponent = component;
 			for (int i = startIndex; i < members.Length - 1; ++i) {
 				PropertyDescriptor propertyDescriptor = TypeDescriptor.GetProperties(currentComponent).Find(members[i], true);
+				if (propertyDescriptor == null) {
+					return null;
+				}
 				currentComponent = propertyDescriptor.GetValue(currentComponent);
 			}
 			return currentComponent;