# Add new columns for module organization to UI **URL:** \ **Category:** Feature Requests\ **Created:** [March 1, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942 "2026-03-01T23:20:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/kaiax33)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2026, 11:20pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/1 "2026-03-01T23:20:44Z")
Currently all modules are ordered alphabetically in the client. There is currently **no way** **to group modules by other criteria** in the interface Publisher, Series, etc. making organization a bit of mess, especially since series modules don’t always follow strict naming conventions. Can adding new columns for Era, Scale, Series, Topic, Publisher, etc. (from the new module library) and/or allowing the user to arrange in order of preference, be added to the backlog? (FWIW, I’ve tried Edit Module and changing the _Game Name (Module Name)_ field, but saving with a new module name creates a file mismatch when playing online.) ---
**Author:** ![cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/cholmcc/32/8319_2.png) [@cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/cholmcc)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2026, 6:46am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/2 "2026-03-02T06:46:26Z")
> [@kaiax33](#): > > Currently all modules are ordered alphabetically in the client. There is currently **no way** **to group modules by other criteria** in the interface Publisher, Series, etc. making organization a bit of mess, especially since series modules don’t always follow strict naming conventions. Are you talking about the _Module Manager_ or the [_Game Library_](https://vassalengine.org/library)? In the _Game Library_, you can use the [advanced search](https://vassalengine.org/library/search) to search for games with given tags, such as series, era, scale, topic, and so on, as well as by publisher. Press the ![slider](https://forum.vassalengine.org/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f292b6eb149351828fc2ab47ab1922c50426356d.png) icon in the search-bar. Modules _do not_ store meta information such as era, scale, topic, series, or publisher. Thus, the module manager would have to get that information from the _Game Library_. That would take quite a bit of development to get that working with the current code base. I think that is unlikely to happen unless someone contributes that code. > [@kaiax33](#): > > (FWIW, I’ve tried Edit Module and changing the _Game Name (Module Name)_ field, but saving with a new module name creates a file mismatch when playing online.) When playing on-line, you and your follow players _should_ have _exactly_ the same module - including the module name. In fact, the module name is how the server identifies the modules being played. There are three fields that can be edited freely - `Description` - `Additional Module information 1` - `Additional Module information 2` - The latter two are not shown in the module manager (they actually do not seem to be used _anywhere_) while the first is. Yours, _Christian_ ---
**Author:** ![kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/kaiax33)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 1:00am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/4 "2026-03-03T01:00:38Z")
I’m speaking of the Module Manager (the client that is installed locally)….not the Game Library (web access that hosts the dev work). Fair point….but would like a field in the module that could also be edited and also used by the Module Manager for sorting. The Module Manager only sorts by the Module Name and only alphabetically. Even though I can edit the Description field, the Module Manager will not sort by it, so non-effective. ---
**Author:** ![uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/uckelman/32/10020_2.png) [@uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/uckelman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 1:05am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/5 "2026-03-03T01:05:10Z")
> [@kaiax33](#): > > Fair point….but would like a field in the module that could also be edited and also used by the Module Manager for sorting. How useful would that field be when it would be blank in nearly all modules? ---
**Author:** ![kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/kaiax33)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 1:57am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/6 "2026-03-03T01:57:32Z")
Blank is fine. User can edit and then sort based on it. I guess that’s the root issue…..no user-defined sorting feature in the Module Manager. I just figured in 2026, the Module Manager interface should be sortable….or maybe allow user defined folder trees where users can “nest” different modules how they like? That was the intent. ---
**Author:** ![uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/uckelman/32/10020_2.png) [@uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/uckelman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 11:14am UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/7 "2026-03-03T11:14:43Z")
> [@kaiax33](#): > > Blank is fine. User can edit and then sort based on it. That introduces a problem: The hash of the module file changes if you edit it, which means that “same” modules will no longer match by hash. > [@kaiax33](#): > > I just figured in 2026, the Module Manager interface should be sortable….or maybe allow user defined folder trees where users can “nest” different modules how they like? I agree, it should have been sortable from the beginning. If the UI component used for the table headers supports sorting, it would be several hours of work; if not, it would be several weeks of work. I’m putting my development time into the V4 demo and troubleshooting a problem with the Module Library. (My development plan is [here](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/development-plan-2026-02-23/89925).) ---
**Author:** ![kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kaiax33](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/kaiax33)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 4:22pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/8 "2026-03-03T16:22:40Z")
Totally fair! Just a suggestion. ---
**Author:** ![uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/uckelman/32/10020_2.png) [@uckelman](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/uckelman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/9 "2026-03-03T16:28:12Z")
Whatever we end up with for a list of modules in V4 will be sortable. I won’t let it be released without that. ---
**Author:** ![cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/cholmcc/32/8319_2.png) [@cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/cholmcc)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 8:17pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/10 "2026-03-03T20:17:20Z")
> [@uckelman](#): > > If the UI component used for the table headers supports sorting, it would be several hours of work; if not, it would be several weeks of work. The class used for the module table [`org.jdesktop.swingx.JXTreeTable`](https://javadoc.io/static/org.swinglabs.swingx/swingx-core/1.6.5-1/org/jdesktop/swingx/JXTreeTable.html) is _explicitly_ not sortable. The thinking is that hierarchical elements are not sortable by nature. Thus, to implement sorting on the module table would be something of an undertaking. Yours, _Christian_ ---
**Author:** ![cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/user_avatar/forum.vassalengine.org/cholmcc/32/8319_2.png) [@cholmcc](https://forum.vassalengine.org/u/cholmcc)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2026, 8:18pm UTC](https://forum.vassalengine.org/t/add-new-columns-for-module-organization-to-ui/89942/11 "2026-03-03T20:18:43Z")
> [@uckelman](#): > > Whatever we end up with for a list of modules in V4 will be sortable. I won’t let it be released without that. Perhaps also consider to let modules - or what ever they will be called - to store tag meta-data about themselves? Yours, _Christian_