diff --git a/phpBB/phpbb/template/base.php b/phpBB/phpbb/template/base.php
index 41c0a01ba8..d502aceab8 100644
--- a/phpBB/phpbb/template/base.php
+++ b/phpBB/phpbb/template/base.php
@@ -104,6 +104,27 @@ abstract class base implements template
 		return $this;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	* {@inheritdoc}
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_vars(array $vararray)
+	{
+		$result = array();
+		foreach ($vararray as $varname)
+		{
+			$result[$varname] = $this->retrieve_var($varname);
+		}
+		return $result;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	* {@inheritdoc}
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_var($varname)
+	{
+		return $this->context->retrieve_var($varname);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* {@inheritdoc}
 	*/
@@ -124,6 +145,14 @@ abstract class base implements template
 		return $this;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	* {@inheritdoc}
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_block_vars($blockname, array $vararray)
+	{
+		return $this->context->retrieve_block_vars($blockname, $vararray);
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* {@inheritdoc}
 	*/
diff --git a/phpBB/phpbb/template/context.php b/phpBB/phpbb/template/context.php
index 5e4f71a2a9..392efd5933 100644
--- a/phpBB/phpbb/template/context.php
+++ b/phpBB/phpbb/template/context.php
@@ -86,6 +86,17 @@ class context
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	* Retreive a single scalar value from a single key.
+	*
+	* @param string $varname Variable name
+	* @return mixed Variable value, or null if not set
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_var($varname)
+	{
+		return isset($this->rootref[$varname]) ? $this->rootref[$varname] : null;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* Returns a reference to template data array.
 	*
@@ -263,6 +274,68 @@ class context
 		return true;
 	}
 
+	/**
+	* Retrieve key variable pairs from the specified block
+	*
+	* @param string $blockname Name of block to retrieve $vararray from
+	* @param array $vararray An array of variable names, empty array retrieves all vars
+	* @return array of hashes with variable name as key and retrieved value or null as value
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_block_vars($blockname, array $vararray)
+	{
+		// For nested block, $blockcount > 0, for top-level block, $blockcount == 0
+		$blocks = explode('.', $blockname);
+		$blockcount = sizeof($blocks) - 1;
+
+		$block = $this->tpldata;
+		for ($i = 0; $i <= $blockcount; $i++)
+		{
+			if (($pos = strpos($blocks[$i], '[')) !== false)
+			{
+				$name = substr($blocks[$i], 0, $pos);
+
+				if (strpos($blocks[$i], '[]') === $pos)
+				{
+					$index = sizeof($block[$name]) - 1;
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					$index = min((int) substr($blocks[$i], $pos + 1, -1), sizeof($block[$name]) - 1);
+				}
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				$name = $blocks[$i];
+				$index = sizeof($block[$name]) - 1;
+			}
+			$block = $block[$name];
+			$block = $block[$index];
+		}
+
+		$result = array();
+		if ($vararray === array())
+		{
+			// The calculated vars that depend on the block position are excluded from the complete block returned results
+			$excluded_vars = array('S_FIRST_ROW', 'S_LAST_ROW', 'S_BLOCK_NAME', 'S_NUM_ROWS', 'S_ROW_COUNT', 'S_ROW_NUM');
+
+			foreach ($block as $varname => $varvalue)
+			{
+				if ($varname === strtoupper($varname) && !is_array($varvalue) && !in_array($varname, $excluded_vars))
+				{
+					$result[$varname] = $varvalue;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		else
+		{
+			foreach ($vararray as $varname)
+			{
+				$result[$varname] = isset($block[$varname]) ? $block[$varname] : null;
+			}
+		}
+		return $result;
+	}
+
 	/**
 	* Find the index for a specified key in the innermost specified block
 	*
diff --git a/phpBB/phpbb/template/template.php b/phpBB/phpbb/template/template.php
index d1ec442e9a..df83d5bc43 100644
--- a/phpBB/phpbb/template/template.php
+++ b/phpBB/phpbb/template/template.php
@@ -127,6 +127,22 @@ interface template
 	*/
 	public function append_var($varname, $varval);
 
+	/**
+	* Retrieve multiple template values
+	*
+	* @param array $vararray An array with variable names
+	* @return array A hash of variable name => value pairs (value is null if not set)
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_vars(array $vararray);
+
+	/**
+	* Retreive a single scalar value from a single key.
+	*
+	* @param string $varname Variable name
+	* @return mixed Variable value, or null if not set
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_var($varname);
+
 	/**
 	* Assign key variable pairs from an array to a specified block
 	* @param string $blockname Name of block to assign $vararray to
@@ -143,6 +159,14 @@ interface template
 	*/
 	public function assign_block_vars_array($blockname, array $block_vars_array);
 
+	/**
+	* Retrieve variable values from an specified block
+	* @param string $blockname Name of block to retrieve $vararray from
+	* @param array $vararray An array with variable names, empty array gets all vars
+	* @return array A hash of variable name => value pairs (value is null if not set)
+	*/
+	public function retrieve_block_vars($blockname, array $vararray);
+
 	/**
 	* Change already assigned key variable pair (one-dimensional - single loop entry)
 	*
diff --git a/tests/template/template_test.php b/tests/template/template_test.php
index f86572cae8..9f2124418d 100644
--- a/tests/template/template_test.php
+++ b/tests/template/template_test.php
@@ -597,6 +597,37 @@ class phpbb_template_template_test extends phpbb_template_template_test_case
 		$this->assertEquals($expecting, $this->display('append_var'));
 	}
 
+	public function test_retrieve_data()
+	{
+		$this->template->set_filenames(array('test' => 'loop_nested.html'));
+
+		$this->template->assign_var('TEST_MORE', false);
+
+		// @todo Change this
+		$this->template->assign_vars(array('ONE' => true, 'TWO' => 'two', 'THREE' => 3));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer', array('POSITION' => 'O1'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O1M1'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer', array('POSITION' => 'O2'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O2M1'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O2M2'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer', array('POSITION' => 'O3'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O3M1'));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O3M2', 'ONE' => true, 'TWO' => 'two', 'THREE' => 3));
+		$this->template->assign_block_vars('outer.middle', array('POSITION' => 'O3M3'));
+
+		$expect = 'outer - 0middle - 0outer - 1middle - 0middle - 1outer - 2middle - 0middle - 1middle - 2';
+		$this->assertEquals($expect, str_replace(array("\n", "\r", "\t"), '', $this->display('test')), 'Ensuring template is built correctly before modification');
+
+		$this->assertEquals(true, $this->template->retrieve_var('ONE'), 'Retrieve a single value from the template');
+		$this->assertEquals(null, $this->template->retrieve_var('FOUR'), 'Retrieve a non_existent value from the template');
+		$this->assertEquals(array('TWO' => 'two', 'THREE' => 3, 'FOUR' => null), $this->template->retrieve_vars(array('TWO','THREE', 'FOUR')), 'Retrieve several variables from the template');
+
+		$this->assertEquals(array('POSITION' => 'O3', 'SIZE' => null), $this->template->retrieve_block_vars('outer', array('POSITION', 'SIZE')), 'Retrieve vars from a block in the template');
+		$this->assertEquals(array('POSITION' => 'O2M1'), $this->template->retrieve_block_vars('outer[1].middle[0]', array('POSITION')), 'Retrieve single var from a nested indexed block in the template');
+		$this->assertEquals(array('S_ROW_NUM' => 2), $this->template->retrieve_block_vars('outer.middle', array('S_ROW_NUM')), 'Retrieve automatic var from a block in the template');
+		$this->assertEquals(array('POSITION' => 'O3M2', 'ONE' => true, 'TWO' => 'two', 'THREE' => 3), $this->template->retrieve_block_vars('outer[2].middle[1]', array()), 'Retrieve all vars from a block in the template');
+	}
+
 	public function test_php()
 	{
 		global $phpbb_root_path;