diff --git a/nodes/core/core/80-function.html b/nodes/core/core/80-function.html
index 68b71cc75..0385d8423 100644
--- a/nodes/core/core/80-function.html
+++ b/nodes/core/core/80-function.html
@@ -28,13 +28,26 @@
         <label for="node-input-outputs"><i class="icon-random"></i> Outputs</label>
         <input id="node-input-outputs" style="width: 60px; height: 1.7em;" value="1">
     </div>
+    <div class="form-tips">See the Info tab for help writing functions.</div>
 </script>
 
 <script type="text/x-red" data-help-name="function">
-	<p>The generic function block where you can write code to do more interesting things.</p>
-	<p>You can have multiple outputs - in which case the function expects you to return an array of messages... <pre>return [msg,msg2,...];</pre></p>
-	<p>You may return null for any or all outputs if you want to.</p>
-	<p>You can save your functions to a library (button to right of name field) - and likewise pick from that library.</p>
+	<p>A function block where you can write code to do more interesting things.</p>
+	<p>The message is passed in as a JavaScript object called <code>msg</code>.</p>
+	<p>By convention it will have a <code>msg.payload</code> property containing
+	   the body of the message.</p>
+	<p>The function should return the messages it wants to pass on to the next nodes
+	in the flow. It can return:</p>
+	<ul>
+	  <li>a single message object - passed to nodes connected to the first output</li>
+	  <li>an array of message objects - passed to nodes connected to the corresponding outputs</li>
+    </ul>
+    <p>If any element of the array is itself an array of messages, multiple
+	      messages are sent to the corresponding output.</p>
+	<p>If null is returned, either by itself or as an element of the array, no
+	      message is passed on.</p>
+	<p>See the <a target="_new" href="http://nodered.org/docs/writing-functions.html">online documentation</a> for more help.</p>
+	      
 </script>
 
 <script type="text/javascript">
@@ -43,7 +56,7 @@
         category: 'function',
         defaults: {
             name: {value:""},
-            func: {value:"// The received message is stored in 'msg'\n// It will have at least a 'payload' property:\n//   console.log(msg.payload);\n// The 'context' object is available to store state\n// between invocations of the function\n//   context = {};\n\n\nreturn msg;"},
+            func: {value:"\nreturn msg;"},
             outputs: {value:1}
         },
         inputs:1,
@@ -58,7 +71,7 @@
             });
 
             function functionDialogResize(ev,ui) {
-                $("#node-input-func-editor").css("height",(ui.size.height-235)+"px");
+                $("#node-input-func-editor").css("height",(ui.size.height-275)+"px");
             };
 
             $( "#dialog" ).on("dialogresize", functionDialogResize);
diff --git a/nodes/core/core/80-function.js b/nodes/core/core/80-function.js
index c02af92fa..bc6ad2910 100644
--- a/nodes/core/core/80-function.js
+++ b/nodes/core/core/80-function.js
@@ -14,58 +14,59 @@
  * limitations under the License.
  **/
 
-var RED = require(process.env.NODE_RED_HOME+"/red/red");
-
-var util = require("util");
-var vm = require("vm");
-var fs = require('fs');
-var fspath = require('path');
-
-function FunctionNode(n) {
-    RED.nodes.createNode(this,n);
-    this.name = n.name;
-    this.func = n.func;
-    var functionText = "var results = (function(msg){"+this.func+"\n})(msg);";
-    this.topic = n.topic;
-    this.context = {global:RED.settings.functionGlobalContext || {}};
-    try {
-        this.script = vm.createScript(functionText);
-        this.on("input", function(msg) {
-                if (msg != null) {
-                    var sandbox = {msg:msg,console:console,util:util,Buffer:Buffer,context:this.context};
-                    try {
-                        this.script.runInNewContext(sandbox);
-                        var results = sandbox.results;
-
-                        if (results == null) {
-                            results = [];
-                        } else if (results.length == null) {
-                            results = [results];
-                        }
-                        if (msg._topic) {
-                            for (var m in results) {
-                                if (results[m]) {
-                                    if (util.isArray(results[m])) {
-                                        for (var n in results[m]) {
-                                            results[m][n]._topic = msg._topic;
+module.exports = function(RED) {
+    
+    var util = require("util");
+    var vm = require("vm");
+    var fs = require('fs');
+    var fspath = require('path');
+    
+    function FunctionNode(n) {
+        RED.nodes.createNode(this,n);
+        this.name = n.name;
+        this.func = n.func;
+        var functionText = "var results = (function(msg){"+this.func+"\n})(msg);";
+        this.topic = n.topic;
+        this.context = {global:RED.settings.functionGlobalContext || {}};
+        try {
+            this.script = vm.createScript(functionText);
+            this.on("input", function(msg) {
+                    if (msg != null) {
+                        var sandbox = {msg:msg,console:console,util:util,Buffer:Buffer,context:this.context};
+                        try {
+                            this.script.runInNewContext(sandbox);
+                            var results = sandbox.results;
+    
+                            if (results == null) {
+                                results = [];
+                            } else if (results.length == null) {
+                                results = [results];
+                            }
+                            if (msg._topic) {
+                                for (var m in results) {
+                                    if (results[m]) {
+                                        if (util.isArray(results[m])) {
+                                            for (var n in results[m]) {
+                                                results[m][n]._topic = msg._topic;
+                                            }
+                                        } else {
+                                            results[m]._topic = msg._topic;
                                         }
-                                    } else {
-                                        results[m]._topic = msg._topic;
                                     }
                                 }
                             }
+                            this.send(results);
+    
+                        } catch(err) {
+                            this.error(err.message);
                         }
-                        this.send(results);
-
-                    } catch(err) {
-                        this.error(err.message);
                     }
-                }
-        });
-    } catch(err) {
-        this.error(err.message);
+            });
+        } catch(err) {
+            this.error(err.message);
+        }
     }
+    
+    RED.nodes.registerType("function",FunctionNode);
+    RED.library.register("functions");
 }
-
-RED.nodes.registerType("function",FunctionNode);
-RED.library.register("functions");