--- a/scripts/plot/line.m
+++ b/scripts/plot/line.m
@@ -47,12 +47,13 @@
 %! hf = figure (1232, "visible", "off");
 %! unwind_protect  
 %!   h = line;
+%!   assert (findobj (hf, "type", "line"), h);
 %!   assert (get (h, "xdata"), [0 1], eps);
 %!   assert (get (h, "ydata"), [0 1], eps);
 %!   assert (get (h, "type"), "line");
-%!   assert (get (h, "color"), get(0,'defaultlinecolor'));
-%!   assert (get (h, "linestyle"), get(0,'defaultlinelinestyle'));
-%!   assert (get (h, "linewidth"), get(0,'defaultlinelinewidth'), eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "color"), get (0, "defaultlinecolor"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "linestyle"), get (0, "defaultlinelinestyle"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "linewidth"), get (0, "defaultlinelinewidth"), eps);
 %! unwind_protect_cleanup
 %!   close (hf);
 %! end_unwind_protect

--- a/scripts/plot/patch.m
+++ b/scripts/plot/patch.m
@@ -152,3 +152,23 @@
 %!       'FaceVertexCData', jet(5), 'FaceColor', 'interp')
 %! view (-37.5, 30)
 
+%!test
+%! hf = figure (1232, "visible", "off");
+%! unwind_protect  
+%!   h = patch;
+%!   assert (findobj (hf, "type", "patch"), h);
+%!   assert (get (h, "xdata"), [0; 1; 1], eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "ydata"), [0; 0; 1], eps);
+%!   assert (isempty(get (h, "zdata")));
+%!   assert (isempty(get (h, "cdata")));
+%!   assert (get (h, "faces"), [1, 2, 3], eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "vertices"), [0 0; 1 0; 1 1], eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "type"), "patch");
+%!   assert (get (h, "facecolor"), [0 0 1]);
+%!   assert (get (h, "linestyle"), get (0, "defaultpatchlinestyle"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "linewidth"), get (0, "defaultpatchlinewidth"), eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "marker"), get (0, "defaultpatchmarker"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "markersize"), get (0, "defaultpatchmarkersize"));
+%! unwind_protect_cleanup
+%!   close (hf);
+%! end_unwind_protect

--- a/scripts/plot/private/__patch__.m
+++ b/scripts/plot/private/__patch__.m
@@ -31,7 +31,10 @@
 
   failed = false;
 
-  if (isstruct (varargin{1}))
+  if (isempty (varargin))
+    args = {"xdata", [0; 1; 1], "ydata", [0; 0; 1], "facecolor", "blue"};
+    args = setvertexdata (args);
+  elseif (isstruct (varargin{1}))
     if (isfield (varargin{1}, "vertices") && isfield (varargin{1}, "faces"))
       args{1} = "faces";
       args{2} = getfield(varargin{1}, "faces");

--- a/scripts/plot/surface.m
+++ b/scripts/plot/surface.m
@@ -136,6 +136,10 @@
     else
       error ("surface: Z argument must be a matrix");
     endif
+  elseif (firststring == 1)
+    x = 1:3;
+    y = (x).';
+    c = z = eye(3);
   else
     bad_usage = true;
   endif
@@ -158,4 +162,21 @@
 
 ## Mark file as being tested.  Tests for surface are in
 ## surf.m, surfc.m, surfl.m, and pcolor.m
-%!assert(1)
+
+%!test
+%! hf = figure (1232, "visible", "off");
+%! unwind_protect  
+%!   h = surface;
+%!   assert (findobj (hf, "type", "surface"), h);
+%!   assert (get (h, "xdata"), 1:3, eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "ydata"), (1:3)', eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "zdata"), eye(3));
+%!   assert (get (h, "cdata"), eye(3));
+%!   assert (get (h, "type"), "surface");
+%!   assert (get (h, "linestyle"), get (0, "defaultsurfacelinestyle"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "linewidth"), get (0, "defaultsurfacelinewidth"), eps);
+%!   assert (get (h, "marker"), get (0, "defaultsurfacemarker"));
+%!   assert (get (h, "markersize"), get (0, "defaultsurfacemarkersize"));
+%! unwind_protect_cleanup
+%!   close (hf);
+%! end_unwind_protect