diff --git a/app/models/recent_documents_block.rb b/app/models/recent_documents_block.rb
index 0ea4888..5d22985 100644
--- a/app/models/recent_documents_block.rb
+++ b/app/models/recent_documents_block.rb
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ class RecentDocumentsBlock < Block
     _('This block lists your recent content.')
   end
 
-  settings_items :limit
+  settings_items :limit, :type => :integer, :default => 5
 
   include ActionController::UrlWriter
   def content
diff --git a/lib/acts_as_having_settings.rb b/lib/acts_as_having_settings.rb
index 4b421f3..ac5e7b4 100644
--- a/lib/acts_as_having_settings.rb
+++ b/lib/acts_as_having_settings.rb
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@ module ActsAsHavingSettings
             val.nil? ? (#{default}.is_a?(String) ? gettext(#{default}) : #{default}) : val
           end
           def #{setting}=(value)
+            value = nil if (value.is_a?(String) && value.blank?)
             send(self.class.settings_field)[:#{setting}] = self.class.acts_as_having_settings_type_cast(value, #{data_type.inspect})
           end
         CODE
diff --git a/test/unit/acts_as_having_settings_test.rb b/test/unit/acts_as_having_settings_test.rb
index 696c394..65ee19d 100644
--- a/test/unit/acts_as_having_settings_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/acts_as_having_settings_test.rb
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ class ActsAsHavingSettingsTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     settings_items :flag, :type => :boolean
     settings_items :flag_disabled_by_default, :type => :boolean, :default => false
     settings_items :name, :type => :string, :default => N_('ENGLISH TEXT')
+    settings_items :number, :type => :integer
   end
 
   should 'store settings in a hash' do
@@ -74,4 +75,10 @@ class ActsAsHavingSettingsTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     assert_equal true, obj.flag
   end
 
+   should 'store nil when set to empty string' do
+     obj = TestClass.new
+     obj.number = ''
+     assert_nil obj.number
+   end
+
 end
diff --git a/test/unit/recent_documents_block_test.rb b/test/unit/recent_documents_block_test.rb
index 183b1df..1f91372 100644
--- a/test/unit/recent_documents_block_test.rb
+++ b/test/unit/recent_documents_block_test.rb
@@ -44,6 +44,11 @@ class RecentDocumentsBlockTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
     assert_no_match /href=.*\/testinguser\/first/, output
   end
 
+  should 'have a default limit of items' do
+    block.limit = nil
+    assert_equal 5, block.limit
+  end
+
   should 'display a link to sitemap with title "All content"' do
     expects(:link_to).with('All content', :controller => 'profile', :action => 'sitemap', :profile => profile.identifier)
     expects(:_).with('All content').returns('All content')
--
libgit2 0.21.2