When editing an object such as a mesh, curve, surface, or even a meta-object, you cannot add a meta-object like you can add a mesh, curve, or surface.

Normally when editing a mesh, curve, or surface, pressing Shift-A brings up the add menu for that particular object, allowing you to add objects of that type as part of the same object. However when editing a meta-object you cannot do this. Instead the meta-object add options are disabled in the add menu whenever you are editing an meta-object, the same way that text, armature, lattice, empty, camera, lamp, and force-field are also all disabled.

Despite this I CAN add a curve, mesh, or surface while editing a meta-object, much the same way I can add those three objects while I am editing most other objects (eg. If I am editing a mesh, I can add a curve) which I cannot do with meta-objects.

So to replicate:

1. Open up Blender (newly compiled, with factory default settings)
2. Add a meta-object
3. Press tab to enter edit mode
4a. Press Shift-A (Nothing happens, unlike when you are editing a mesh, curve, or surface)
4b. Go to the add menu on the top header and try to add a meta-object (they are all grayed out like many of the other object, however the options to add curves, surfaces, or meshes are not grayed out)

r34281 - Ubuntu 10.04