diff --git a/src/components/fields/Field.js b/src/components/fields/Field.js
index 6683d7ba7..e7eca2d95 100644
--- a/src/components/fields/Field.js
+++ b/src/components/fields/Field.js
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ class Field extends Component {
       children,
       label,
       multiValued,
+      suppressMultiValuedMessage,
       units,
       extraComponent,
     } = this.props;
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ class Field extends Component {
         ) : null}
         <div className={fieldClass}>
           {children}
-          {multiValued ? (
+          {multiValued && !suppressMultiValuedMessage ? (
             <MenuPanel label={getMultiValueText('title', _)} ownline question>
               <div className="info__title">{getMultiValueText('title', _)}</div>
               <div className="info__text">{getMultiValueText('text', _)}</div>
@@ -94,6 +95,7 @@ Field.propTypes = {
   label: PropTypes.any,
   units: PropTypes.string,
   multiValued: PropTypes.bool,
+  suppressMultiValuedMessage: PropTypes.bool,
   children: PropTypes.node,
   extraComponent: PropTypes.any,
 };
diff --git a/src/components/fields/MarkerSize.js b/src/components/fields/MarkerSize.js
index 4a48e9073..21a9489e7 100644
--- a/src/components/fields/MarkerSize.js
+++ b/src/components/fields/MarkerSize.js
@@ -5,14 +5,27 @@ import {connectToContainer} from 'lib';
 import RadioBlocks from '../widgets/RadioBlocks';
 import Numeric from './Numeric';
 import DataSelector from './DataSelector';
-
-const getType = value => (Array.isArray(value) ? 'variable' : 'constant');
+import {MULTI_VALUED} from 'lib/constants';
 
 class UnconnectedMarkerSize extends Component {
   constructor(props, context) {
     super(props, context);
 
-    const type = getType(props.fullValue);
+    let type = null;
+    if (
+      !props.container.marker ||
+      (props.container.marker && !props.container.marker.sizesrc)
+    ) {
+      type = 'constant';
+    } else if (
+      props.container.marker &&
+      Array.isArray(props.container.marker.size) &&
+      props.fullContainer.marker &&
+      Array.isArray(props.fullContainer.marker.size)
+    ) {
+      type = 'variable';
+    }
+
     this.state = {
       type,
       value: {
@@ -30,6 +43,11 @@ class UnconnectedMarkerSize extends Component {
     this.props.updatePlot(this.state.value[type]);
     if (type === 'constant') {
       this.context.updateContainer({['marker.sizesrc']: null});
+    } else {
+      this.context.updateContainer({
+        ['marker.size']: null,
+        ['marker.sizesrc']: null,
+      });
     }
   }
 
@@ -45,32 +63,37 @@ class UnconnectedMarkerSize extends Component {
   }
 
   render() {
-    const {attr} = this.props;
+    const {attr, fullValue} = this.props;
     const {localize: _} = this.context;
+    const {type, value} = this.state;
     const options = [
       {label: _('Constant'), value: 'constant'},
       {label: _('Variable'), value: 'variable'},
     ];
+    const multiValued =
+      this.props.multiValued ||
+      (Array.isArray(fullValue) && fullValue.includes(MULTI_VALUED));
 
     return (
       <div>
-        <Field {...this.props} attr={attr}>
+        <Field {...this.props} multiValued={multiValued} attr={attr}>
           <RadioBlocks
             options={options}
-            activeOption={this.state.type}
+            activeOption={type}
             onOptionChange={this.setType}
           />
-          {this.state.type === 'constant' ? (
+          {type === 'constant' ? (
             <Numeric
+              suppressMultiValuedMessage
               attr="marker.size"
               updatePlot={this.setValue}
-              fullValue={this.state.value.constant}
+              fullValue={value.constant}
             />
-          ) : (
+          ) : multiValued ? null : (
             <DataSelector
+              suppressMultiValuedMessage
               attr="marker.size"
               updatePlot={this.setValue}
-              fullValue={this.state.value.variable}
             />
           )}
         </Field>
diff --git a/src/components/widgets/EditableText.js b/src/components/widgets/EditableText.js
index 9e9f05be9..a81cca68a 100644
--- a/src/components/widgets/EditableText.js
+++ b/src/components/widgets/EditableText.js
@@ -104,7 +104,7 @@ EditableText.propTypes = {
   text: PropTypes.any,
 
   // Input properties
-  placeholder: PropTypes.string,
+  placeholder: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.string, PropTypes.number]),
   className: PropTypes.string,
   disable: PropTypes.bool,
   autoFocus: PropTypes.bool,
diff --git a/src/components/widgets/NumericInput.js b/src/components/widgets/NumericInput.js
index d0094842a..9ad51e7b0 100644
--- a/src/components/widgets/NumericInput.js
+++ b/src/components/widgets/NumericInput.js
@@ -86,9 +86,9 @@ export default class NumericInput extends Component {
     let valueUpdate;
     if (isNumeric(value)) {
       if (direction === 'increase') {
-        valueUpdate = value + step;
+        valueUpdate = parseFloat(value) + step;
       } else {
-        valueUpdate = value - step;
+        valueUpdate = parseFloat(value) - step;
       }
     } else {
       // if we are multi-valued and the user is incrementing or decrementing
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ export default class NumericInput extends Component {
         min={this.props.min}
         max={this.props.max}
         step={this.props.step}
-        value={this.state.value}
+        value={parseFloat(this.state.value)}
         onChange={this.updateValue}
         tooltip={false}
       />
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ NumericInput.propTypes = {
   max: PropTypes.number,
   min: PropTypes.number,
   onUpdate: PropTypes.func.isRequired,
-  placeholder: PropTypes.string,
+  placeholder: PropTypes.oneOfType([PropTypes.string, PropTypes.number]),
   showArrows: PropTypes.bool,
   showSlider: PropTypes.bool,
   step: PropTypes.number,
diff --git a/src/lib/connectTraceToPlot.js b/src/lib/connectTraceToPlot.js
index e6b59cf04..eb08f8ec9 100644
--- a/src/lib/connectTraceToPlot.js
+++ b/src/lib/connectTraceToPlot.js
@@ -75,17 +75,25 @@ export default function connectTraceToPlot(WrappedComponent) {
       };
 
       if (traceIndexes.length > 1) {
-        const multiValuedContainer = deepCopyPublic(fullTrace);
+        const multiValuedFullContainer = deepCopyPublic(fullTrace);
         fullData.forEach(t =>
+          Object.keys(t).forEach(key =>
+            setMultiValuedContainer(multiValuedFullContainer, t, key, {
+              searchArrays: true,
+            })
+          )
+        );
+        const multiValuedContainer = deepCopyPublic(trace);
+        data.forEach(t =>
           Object.keys(t).forEach(key =>
             setMultiValuedContainer(multiValuedContainer, t, key, {
               searchArrays: true,
             })
           )
         );
-        this.childContext.fullContainer = multiValuedContainer;
+        this.childContext.fullContainer = multiValuedFullContainer;
         this.childContext.defaultContainer = fullTrace;
-        this.childContext.container = {};
+        this.childContext.container = multiValuedContainer;
       }
 
       if (trace && fullTrace) {
diff --git a/src/lib/multiValues.js b/src/lib/multiValues.js
index 388d05e37..2f702d9c4 100644
--- a/src/lib/multiValues.js
+++ b/src/lib/multiValues.js
@@ -17,10 +17,8 @@ function deepCopyPublic(value) {
 }
 
 function setMultiValuedContainer(intoObj, fromObj, key, config = {}) {
-  var intoVal = intoObj[key],
-    fromVal = fromObj[key];
-
-  var searchArrays = config.searchArrays;
+  const intoVal = intoObj[key];
+  const fromVal = fromObj[key];
 
   // don't merge private attrs
   if (
@@ -51,12 +49,16 @@ function setMultiValuedContainer(intoObj, fromObj, key, config = {}) {
   } else if (Array.isArray(intoVal)) {
     // in data, other arrays are data, which we don't care about
     // for styling purposes
-    if (!searchArrays) {
+    if (!config.searchArrays) {
       return;
     }
-    // in layout though, we need to recurse into arrays
-    for (var i = 0; i < fromVal.length; i++) {
-      setMultiValuedContainer(intoVal, fromVal, i, searchArrays);
+    if (!Array.isArray(fromVal)) {
+      intoObj[key] = MULTI_VALUED;
+    } else {
+      // in layout though, we need to recurse into arrays
+      for (let i = 0; i < fromVal.length; i++) {
+        setMultiValuedContainer(intoVal, fromVal, i, config);
+      }
     }
   } else if (isPlainObject(fromVal)) {
     // recurse into objects
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ function setMultiValuedContainer(intoObj, fromObj, key, config = {}) {
       throw new Error('tried to merge object into non-object: ' + key);
     }
     Object.keys(fromVal).forEach(function(key2) {
-      setMultiValuedContainer(intoVal, fromVal, key2, searchArrays);
+      setMultiValuedContainer(intoVal, fromVal, key2, config);
     });
   } else if (isPlainObject(intoVal)) {
     throw new Error('tried to merge non-object into object: ' + key);