diff --git a/calendar/gui/itip-utils.c b/calendar/gui/itip-utils.c
index 0981b1c..6163d59 100644
--- a/calendar/gui/itip-utils.c
+++ b/calendar/gui/itip-utils.c
@@ -1460,7 +1460,7 @@ itip_send_comp (ECalComponentItipMethod method,
 
 		body = camel_text_to_html (
 			description, CAMEL_MIME_FILTER_TOHTML_PRE, 0);
-		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, body, -1);
+		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, body, TRUE);
 		g_free (body);
 
 		attachment = camel_mime_part_new ();
@@ -1650,7 +1650,7 @@ reply_to_calendar_comp (ECalComponentItipMethod method,
 		g_string_append (body, html_description);
 		g_free (html_description);
 
-		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, body->str, -1);
+		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, body->str, TRUE);
 		g_string_free (body, TRUE);
 	}
 
diff --git a/composer/e-msg-composer.c b/composer/e-msg-composer.c
index 9f011a2..7439007 100644
--- a/composer/e-msg-composer.c
+++ b/composer/e-msg-composer.c
@@ -4078,18 +4078,20 @@ e_msg_composer_new_from_url (EShell *shell,
  * e_msg_composer_set_body_text:
  * @composer: a composer object
  * @text: the HTML text to initialize the editor with
+ * @update_signature: whether update signature in the text after setting it;
+ *    Might be usually called with TRUE.
  *
  * Loads the given HTML text into the editor.
  **/
 void
 e_msg_composer_set_body_text (EMsgComposer *composer,
                               const gchar *text,
-                              gssize len)
+                              gboolean update_signature)
 {
 	g_return_if_fail (E_IS_MSG_COMPOSER (composer));
 	g_return_if_fail (text != NULL);
 
-	set_editor_text (composer, text, TRUE);
+	set_editor_text (composer, text, update_signature);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/composer/e-msg-composer.h b/composer/e-msg-composer.h
index 2fe912d..296bb35 100644
--- a/composer/e-msg-composer.h
+++ b/composer/e-msg-composer.h
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ void		e_msg_composer_print		(EMsgComposer *composer,
 
 void		e_msg_composer_set_body_text	(EMsgComposer *composer,
 						 const gchar *text,
-						 gssize len);
+						 gboolean update_signature);
 void		e_msg_composer_set_body		(EMsgComposer *composer,
 						 const gchar *body,
 						 const gchar *mime_type);
diff --git a/mail/em-composer-utils.c b/mail/em-composer-utils.c
index 1b5b380..3f0c4b1 100644
--- a/mail/em-composer-utils.c
+++ b/mail/em-composer-utils.c
@@ -1415,14 +1415,13 @@ forward_non_attached (EShell *shell,
 		flags |= EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_CITE;
 
 	for (i = 0; i < messages->len; i++) {
-		gssize len;
 		guint32 validity_found = 0;
 
 		message = messages->pdata[i];
 		subject = mail_tool_generate_forward_subject (message);
 
 		forward = quoting_text (QUOTING_FORWARD);
-		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, forward, flags, &len, NULL, NULL, &validity_found);
+		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, forward, flags, NULL, NULL, &validity_found);
 
 		if (text) {
 			composer = create_new_composer (shell, subject, from_uri);
@@ -1431,7 +1430,7 @@ forward_non_attached (EShell *shell,
 				if (CAMEL_IS_MULTIPART (camel_medium_get_content ((CamelMedium *)message)))
 					e_msg_composer_add_message_attachments (composer, message, FALSE);
 
-				e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, len);
+				e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, TRUE);
 
 				if (uids && uids->pdata[i])
 					e_msg_composer_set_source_headers (
@@ -2460,8 +2459,7 @@ composer_set_body (EMsgComposer *composer,
 	gchar *text, *credits, *original;
 	CamelMimePart *part;
 	GConfClient *client;
-	gssize len = 0;
-	gboolean start_bottom;
+	gboolean start_bottom, has_body_text = FALSE;
 	guint32 validity_found = 0;
 	const gchar *key;
 
@@ -2482,8 +2480,9 @@ composer_set_body (EMsgComposer *composer,
 		break;
 	case E_MAIL_REPLY_STYLE_OUTLOOK:
 		original = quoting_text (QUOTING_ORIGINAL);
-		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, original, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_HEADERS, &len, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, &validity_found);
-		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, len);
+		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, original, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_HEADERS, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, &validity_found);
+		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, TRUE);
+		has_body_text = text && *text;
 		g_free (text);
 		g_free (original);
 		emu_update_composers_security (composer, validity_found);
@@ -2493,15 +2492,16 @@ composer_set_body (EMsgComposer *composer,
 	default:
 		/* do what any sane user would want when replying... */
 		credits = attribution_format (message);
-		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, credits, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_CITE, &len, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, &validity_found);
+		text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, credits, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_CITE, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, &validity_found);
 		g_free (credits);
-		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, len);
+		e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, TRUE);
+		has_body_text = text && *text;
 		g_free (text);
 		emu_update_composers_security (composer, validity_found);
 		break;
 	}
 
-	if (len > 0 && start_bottom) {
+	if (has_body_text && start_bottom) {
 		GtkhtmlEditor *editor = GTKHTML_EDITOR (composer);
 
 		/* If we are placing signature on top, then move cursor to the end,
@@ -2531,11 +2531,10 @@ gchar *
 em_utils_construct_composer_text (CamelMimeMessage *message, EMFormat *source)
 {
 	gchar *text, *credits;
-	gssize len = 0;
 	gboolean start_bottom = 0;
 
 	credits = attribution_format (message);
-	text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, credits, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_CITE, &len, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, NULL);
+	text = em_utils_message_to_html (message, credits, EM_FORMAT_QUOTE_CITE, source, start_bottom ? "<BR>" : NULL, NULL);
 
 	g_free (credits);
 	return text;
diff --git a/mail/em-utils.c b/mail/em-utils.c
index 0753a75..ad75c48 100644
--- a/mail/em-utils.c
+++ b/mail/em-utils.c
@@ -1266,7 +1266,6 @@ em_utils_get_proxy_uri (const gchar *pUri)
  * @message:
  * @credits:
  * @flags: EMFormatQuote flags
- * @len:
  * @source:
  * @append: Text to append, can be NULL.
  * @validity_found: if not NULL, then here will be set what validities
@@ -1276,13 +1275,12 @@ em_utils_get_proxy_uri (const gchar *pUri)
  * Convert a message to html, quoting if the @credits attribution
  * string is given.
  *
- * Return value: The html version.
+ * Return value: The html version as a NULL terminated string.
  **/
 gchar *
 em_utils_message_to_html (CamelMimeMessage *message,
                           const gchar *credits,
                           guint32 flags,
-                          gssize *len,
                           EMFormat *source,
                           const gchar *append,
                           guint32 *validity_found)
@@ -1290,7 +1288,6 @@ em_utils_message_to_html (CamelMimeMessage *message,
 	EMFormatQuote *emfq;
 	CamelStream *mem;
 	GByteArray *buf;
-	gchar *text;
 
 	buf = g_byte_array_new ();
 	mem = camel_stream_mem_new ();
@@ -1324,12 +1321,7 @@ em_utils_message_to_html (CamelMimeMessage *message,
 	camel_stream_write(mem, "", 1, NULL, NULL);
 	g_object_unref (mem);
 
-	text = (gchar *)buf->data;
-	if (len)
-		*len = buf->len-1;
-	g_byte_array_free (buf, FALSE);
-
-	return text;
+	return (gchar *) g_byte_array_free (buf, FALSE);
 }
 
 /* ********************************************************************** */
diff --git a/mail/em-utils.h b/mail/em-utils.h
index 698ff3f..2b45b37 100644
--- a/mail/em-utils.h
+++ b/mail/em-utils.h
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ gboolean em_utils_folder_is_outbox (CamelFolder *folder, const gchar *uri);
 gchar *em_utils_get_proxy_uri (const gchar *uri);
 
 /* FIXME: should this have an override charset? */
-gchar *em_utils_message_to_html (CamelMimeMessage *msg, const gchar *credits, guint32 flags, gssize *len, struct _EMFormat *source, const gchar *append, guint32 *validity_found);
+gchar *em_utils_message_to_html (CamelMimeMessage *msg, const gchar *credits, guint32 flags, struct _EMFormat *source, const gchar *append, guint32 *validity_found);
 
 void em_utils_expunge_folder (GtkWidget *parent, EMailSession *session, CamelFolder *folder);
 void em_utils_empty_trash (GtkWidget *parent, EMailSession *session);
diff --git a/plugins/external-editor/external-editor.c b/plugins/external-editor/external-editor.c
index be21570..b3f5841 100644
--- a/plugins/external-editor/external-editor.c
+++ b/plugins/external-editor/external-editor.c
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ update_composer_text (GArray *array)
 	composer = g_array_index (array, gpointer, 0);
 	text = g_array_index (array, gpointer, 1);
 
-	e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, -1);
+	e_msg_composer_set_body_text (composer, text, FALSE);
 
 	enable_composer (composer);
 
