diff -u includes/common.inc includes/common.inc
--- includes/common.inc
+++ includes/common.inc
@@ -5532,16 +5532,21 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * Sets a value in a deeply nested array.
+ * Sets a value in a nested array.
+ *
+ * Example: if $array is array('a' => 1, 'b' => array('c' => 3, 'd' => 4)), and
+ * $parents is array('b', 'c'), then the 3 will be replaced by $value.
  *
  * @param $array
  *   A reference to the array to modify.
  * @param $parents
- *   An ordered array of parent keys, starting with the outer most entry.
+ *   An array of parent keys, starting with the outermost key.
  * @param $value
  *   The value to set.
+ *
+ * @see drupal_get_array_element_deep
  */
-function drupal_set_array_deep(&$array, $parents, $value) {
+function drupal_set_array_element_deep(&$array, $parents, $value) {
   $ref = &$array;
   foreach ($parents as $parent) {
     // Note that PHP is fine with referencing a not existing array key - in this
@@ -5552,19 +5557,24 @@
 }
 
 /**
- * Gets a value sitting in a deeply nested array.
+ * Retrieves a value from a nested array.
+ *
+ * Example: if $array is array('a' => 1, 'b' => array('c' => 3, 'd' => 4)), and
+ * $parents is array('b', 'c'), then the return value will be array(3, TRUE).
  *
  * @param $array
- *   The array from which to get a value.
+ *   The array from which to get the value.
  * @param $parents
- *   An ordered array of parent keys of the value, starting with the outer most
- *   entry.
+ *   An array of parent keys of the value, starting with the outermost key.
  *
  * @return
- *   An array with the first entry being the value. As second entry a boolean
- *   flag is returned, which determines whether all given parent keys exist.
+ *   An array whose first entry is the array value, and whose second entry is
+ *   TRUE if all the parent keys existed, and FALSE if not (in which case the
+ *   value element will be NULL).
+ *
+ * @see drupal_set_array_element_deep
  */
-function drupal_get_array_deep($array, $parents) {
+function drupal_get_array_element_deep($array, $parents) {
   foreach ($parents as $parent) {
     if (isset($array[$parent])) {
       $array = $array[$parent];
diff -u includes/form.inc includes/form.inc
--- includes/form.inc
+++ includes/form.inc
@@ -923,15 +923,15 @@
   if (isset($form_state['triggering_element']['#limit_validation_errors']) && $form_state['triggering_element']['#limit_validation_errors'] !== FALSE) {
     $values = array();
     foreach ($form_state['triggering_element']['#limit_validation_errors'] as $section) {
-      list($value, $value_exists) = drupal_get_array_deep($form_state['values'], $section);
+      list($value, $value_exists) = drupal_get_array_element_deep($form_state['values'], $section);
       if ($value_exists) {
-        drupal_set_array_deep($values, $section, $value);
+        drupal_set_array_element_deep($values, $section, $value);
       }
     }
     // For convenience we always make the value of the pressed button available.
     if (isset($form_state['triggering_element']['#button_type'])) {
       $values[$form_state['triggering_element']['#name']] = $form_state['triggering_element']['#value'];
-      drupal_set_array_deep($values, $form_state['triggering_element']['#parents'], $form_state['triggering_element']['#value']);
+      drupal_set_array_element_deep($values, $form_state['triggering_element']['#parents'], $form_state['triggering_element']['#value']);
     }
     $form_state['values'] = $values;
   }
@@ -1703,7 +1703,7 @@
       if (!$input_exists && !$form_state['rebuild'] && !$form_state['programmed']) {
         // Add the necessary parent keys to $form_state['input'] and sets the
         // element's input value to NULL.
-        drupal_set_array_deep($form_state['input'], $element['#parents'], NULL);
+        drupal_set_array_element_deep($form_state['input'], $element['#parents'], NULL);
         $input_exists = TRUE;
       }
       // If we have input for the current element, assign it to the #value
@@ -1762,7 +1762,7 @@
 
   // Set the element's value in $form_state['values'], but only, if its key
   // does not exist yet (a #value_callback may have already populated it).
-  list($values, $value_exists) = drupal_get_array_deep($form_state['values'], $element['#parents']);
+  list($values, $value_exists) = drupal_get_array_element_deep($form_state['values'], $element['#parents']);
   if (!$value_exists) {
     form_set_value($element, $element['#value'], $form_state);
   }
@@ -2095,7 +2095,7 @@
  *   Form state array where the value change should be recorded.
  */
 function form_set_value($element, $value, &$form_state) {
-  drupal_set_array_deep($form_state['values'], $element['#parents'], $value);
+  drupal_set_array_element_deep($form_state['values'], $element['#parents'], $value);
 }
 
 /**
diff -u modules/file/file.module modules/file/file.module
--- modules/file/file.module
+++ modules/file/file.module
@@ -553,7 +553,7 @@
   // and set $element to the managed_file element that contains that button.
   $parents = $form_state['triggering_element']['#array_parents'];
   $button_key = array_pop($parents);
-  list($element) = drupal_get_array_deep($form, $parents);
+  list($element) = drupal_get_array_element_deep($form, $parents);
 
   // No action is needed here for the upload button, because all file uploads on
   // the form are processed by file_managed_file_value() regardless of which
@@ -574,7 +574,7 @@
     // has correct information during the rebuild.
     $values_element = $element['#extended'] ? $element['fid'] : $element;
     form_set_value($values_element, NULL, $form_state);
-    drupal_set_array_deep($form_state['input'], $values_element['#parents'], NULL);
+    drupal_set_array_element_deep($form_state['input'], $values_element['#parents'], NULL);
   }
 
   // Set the form to rebuild so that $form is correctly updated in response to