diff --git a/VERSION b/VERSION
index 88c016aa..63d32361 100644
--- a/VERSION
+++ b/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Version 2.6.0-development+timestamp.2013.07.30.09.11.35
+Version 2.6.0-development+timestamp.2013.07.31.11.24.32
diff --git a/gluon/dal.py b/gluon/dal.py
index 78839328..211ff2d5 100644
--- a/gluon/dal.py
+++ b/gluon/dal.py
@@ -8371,19 +8371,20 @@ class Table(object):
         self._referenced_by = []
         for field in self:
             fieldname = field.name
-            field_type = field.type
+            field_type = field.type            
             if isinstance(field_type,str) and field_type[:10] == 'reference ':
                 ref = field_type[10:].strip()
-                if not ref.split():
+                if not ref.strip():
                     raise SyntaxError('Table: reference to nothing: %s' %ref)
-                refs = ref.split('.')
-                rtablename = refs[0]
+                if '.' in ref:
+                    rtablename, rfieldname = ref.split('.',1)
+                else:
+                    rtablename, rfieldname = ref, None                
                 if not rtablename in db:
                     pr[rtablename] = pr.get(rtablename,[]) + [field]
                     continue
                 rtable = db[rtablename]
-                if len(refs)==2:
-                    rfieldname = refs[1]
+                if rfieldname:
                     if not hasattr(rtable,'_primarykey'):
                         raise SyntaxError(
                             'keyed tables can only reference other keyed tables (for now)')
@@ -8391,7 +8392,13 @@ class Table(object):
                         raise SyntaxError(
                             "invalid field '%s' for referenced table '%s' in table '%s'" \
                             % (rfieldname, rtablename, self._tablename))
+                    rfield = rtable[rfieldname]
+                else:
+                    rfield = rtable._id
                 rtable._referenced_by.append(field)
+                field.referent = rfield
+            else:
+                field.referent = None
         for referee in pr.get(self._tablename,[]):
             self._referenced_by.append(referee)