diff --git a/include/admin/plugins.inc.php b/include/admin/plugins.inc.php
index 0f4f1fbd..a8855948 100644
--- a/include/admin/plugins.inc.php
+++ b/include/admin/plugins.inc.php
@@ -149,10 +149,7 @@ if (isset($_GET['serendipity']['plugin_to_conf'])) {
     }
 
     $data['license'] = $license;
-    ob_start();
-    serendipity_plugin_config($plugin, $bag, $name, $desc, $config_names, true, true, true, true, 'plugin', $config_groups);
-    $data['config'] = ob_get_contents();
-    ob_end_clean();
+    $data['config'] = serendipity_plugin_config($plugin, $bag, $name, $desc, $config_names, true, true, true, true, 'plugin', $config_groups);
 
 } elseif ( $serendipity['GET']['adminAction'] == 'addnew' ) {
     $data['adminAction'] = 'addnew';
diff --git a/include/admin/templates.inc.php b/include/admin/templates.inc.php
index 9de7aadd..3f35c103 100644
--- a/include/admin/templates.inc.php
+++ b/include/admin/templates.inc.php
@@ -128,8 +128,7 @@ if (is_array($template_config)) {
     $template_options->import($template_config);
     $template_options->values =& $template_vars;
 
-    ob_start();
-    serendipity_plugin_config(
+    $data["configuration"] = serendipity_plugin_config(
         $template_options,
         $template_vars,
         $serendipity['template'],
@@ -142,56 +141,50 @@ if (is_array($template_config)) {
         'template',
         $template_config_groups
     );
-    $data["configuration"] = ob_get_contents();
-    ob_end_clean();
     
     serendipity_plugin_api::hook_event('backend_templates_configuration_bottom', $template_config);
 } else {
     serendipity_plugin_api::hook_event('backend_templates_configuration_none', $template_config);
 }
 
-    $i = 0;
-    $stack = array();
-    serendipity_plugin_api::hook_event('backend_templates_fetchlist', $stack);
-    $themes = serendipity_fetchTemplates();
-    $data['templates'] = array();
-    $data['templates'][$theme] = array();
-    foreach($themes AS $theme) {
-        $stack[$theme] = serendipity_fetchTemplateInfo($theme);
+$i = 0;
+$stack = array();
+serendipity_plugin_api::hook_event('backend_templates_fetchlist', $stack);
+$themes = serendipity_fetchTemplates();
+$data['templates'] = array();
+$data['templates'][$theme] = array();
+foreach($themes AS $theme) {
+    $stack[$theme] = serendipity_fetchTemplateInfo($theme);
+}
+ksort($stack);
+
+
+foreach ($stack as $theme => $info) {
+    $data['templates'][$theme]['info'] = $info;
+    /* Sorry, but we don't display engines */
+    if ( strtolower($info['engine']) == 'yes' ) {
+        continue;
     }
-    ksort($stack);
 
-    
-    foreach ($stack as $theme => $info) {
-        $data['templates'][$theme]['info'] = $info;
-        /* Sorry, but we don't display engines */
-        if ( strtolower($info['engine']) == 'yes' ) {
-            continue;
-        }
-
-        if (file_exists($serendipity['serendipityPath'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview_fullsize.jpg')) {
-            $data['templates'][$theme]['fullsize_preview'] = $serendipity['baseURL'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview_fullsize.jpg';
-        } elseif (!empty($info['preview_fullsizeURL'])) {
-            $data['templates'][$theme]['fullsize_preview'] = $info['preview_fullsizeURL'];
-        }
-
-        if (file_exists($serendipity['serendipityPath'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview.png')) {
-            $data['templates'][$theme]['preview'] = $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview.png';
-        } elseif (!empty($info['previewURL'])) {
-            $data['templates'][$theme]['preview'] = $info['previewURL'] ;
-        }
-
-        $unmetRequirements = array();
-        if ( isset($info['require serendipity']) && version_compare($info['require serendipity'], serendipity_getCoreVersion($serendipity['version']), '>') ) {
-            $unmetRequirements[] = 'Serendipity '. $info['require serendipity'];
-            $data['templates'][$theme]['unmetRequirements'] = sprintf(UNMET_REQUIREMENTS, implode(', ', $unmetRequirements));
-        }
-
-        /* TODO: Smarty versioncheck */
+    if (file_exists($serendipity['serendipityPath'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview_fullsize.jpg')) {
+        $data['templates'][$theme]['fullsize_preview'] = $serendipity['baseURL'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview_fullsize.jpg';
+    } elseif (!empty($info['preview_fullsizeURL'])) {
+        $data['templates'][$theme]['fullsize_preview'] = $info['preview_fullsizeURL'];
     }
-    
-if (!is_object($serendipity['smarty'])) {
-    serendipity_smarty_init();
+
+    if (file_exists($serendipity['serendipityPath'] . $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview.png')) {
+        $data['templates'][$theme]['preview'] = $serendipity['templatePath'] . $theme . '/preview.png';
+    } elseif (!empty($info['previewURL'])) {
+        $data['templates'][$theme]['preview'] = $info['previewURL'] ;
+    }
+
+    $unmetRequirements = array();
+    if ( isset($info['require serendipity']) && version_compare($info['require serendipity'], serendipity_getCoreVersion($serendipity['version']), '>') ) {
+        $unmetRequirements[] = 'Serendipity '. $info['require serendipity'];
+        $data['templates'][$theme]['unmetRequirements'] = sprintf(UNMET_REQUIREMENTS, implode(', ', $unmetRequirements));
+    }
+
+    /* TODO: Smarty versioncheck */
 }
 
 echo serendipity_smarty_show('admin/templates.inc.tpl', $data);
diff --git a/include/functions_plugins_admin.inc.php b/include/functions_plugins_admin.inc.php
index ddb627f2..518a78ce 100644
--- a/include/functions_plugins_admin.inc.php
+++ b/include/functions_plugins_admin.inc.php
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@ function show_plugins($event_only = false, $sidebars = null)
  * @param  boolean  Spawn a plugins' configuration WYSIWYG items?
  * @param  string   The array index name of POSTed values ($serendipity['POST'][xxx])
  * @param  array    An array that groups certain config keys
- * @return boolean
+ * @return string   The configuration HTML
  */
 function serendipity_plugin_config(&$plugin, &$bag, &$name, &$desc, &$config_names, $showTable = true, $showSubmit = true, $showExample = true, $spawnNuggets = true, $postKey = 'plugin', $config_groups = NULL) {
     global $serendipity;
@@ -647,7 +647,5 @@ function serendipity_plugin_config(&$plugin, &$bag, &$name, &$desc, &$config_nam
         $data['ev'] = $ev;
     }
 
-    echo serendipity_smarty_show('admin/plugin_config.tpl', $data);
-
-    return true;
+    return serendipity_smarty_show('admin/plugin_config.tpl', $data);
 }