IMPORTANT

Status: Supported
Minimum version: 1.4
Last updated: 2026-07-24

Inventory sort tabs

Overview

The tab system controls how items are displayed in the inventory, trade, and corpse windows. Two modes are available via LTX: categories (filter by category) and ordering (sort without filtering). Mode selection is config-time only. The in-memory m_ruck order is unchanged; only the UI list order is affected.

Hotkeys kQ/kE are also supported.

Mode selection

In configs/mod_system_ixray.ltx or your mod LTX:

[inventory_sort]
system = categories   ; categories | ordering

Value	XML node	Behavior
categories	inventory_sort_tabs	Category filter + grid-size sort
ordering	inventory_sort_order_tabs	Sort only, all items visible

If the XML node for the selected mode is missing, sort tabs are not shown.

Categories mode

1. Categories are defined in CInventorySorter.
2. Built-in categories: all, weapons, ammo, armor, devices, consumables, artefacts, attachments.
3. Custom categories are read from inventory_sort_custom.
4. Labels and icons are read from inventory_sort_categories.

XML

1. Add inventory_sort_tabs via mod override to configs/ui/actor_menu.xml.
2. Optional containers for other menu modes:
   1. inventory_sort_tabs_container_upgrade
   2. inventory_sort_tabs_container_trade_actor_bag
   3. inventory_sort_tabs_container_trade_partner_bag
   4. inventory_sort_tabs_container_deadbody_bag

Ordering mode

All items remain visible. Tabs change UI list order only.

Tab	id	Order	Cycle / Alt
General	general	GreaterRoomInRuck (same as "All" in categories)	no
By type	by_type	Groups by GetItemCategory, grid sort inside each group	yes - type focus cycle
By weight	by_weight	Weight(), descending by default	yes - heavy / light
By condition	by_condition	GetCondition() for items with condition; others at the end	yes - better / worse
By cost	by_cost	Cost(), descending by default	yes - expensive / cheap
By importance	by_importance	IsQuestItem() first, grid sort inside each group	no
By novelty	by_novelty	GetTakenTime(), newest first by default	yes - newest / oldest

Direction cycle

For invertible modes (by_weight, by_condition, by_cost, by_novelty) and for the type cycle (by_type):

1. Click the already active tab again.
2. Press kINV_SORT_CYCLE (Alt by default).

Weight / condition / cost / novelty captions append v (descending) or ^ (ascending). For by_type, the caption switches to the current type name in the cycle.

Take timestamp (novelty)

CInventoryItem::m_dwTakenTime (ALife::_TIME_ID):

1. On the first CInventory::Take, if the stamp is 0, it is set to Level().GetGameTime().
2. Serialized in CInventoryItem::save / load before the H_Parent() early-return, next to condition.
3. Value 0 (no stamp, including older saves without the field) is pushed to the end when sorting descending.

LTX for ordering

[inventory_sort]
system = ordering

[inventory_sort:ordering]
weight_desc = true
condition_desc = true
cost_desc = true
novelty_desc = true

[inventory_sort_order]
general = 1
by_type = 1
by_weight = 1
by_condition = 1
by_cost = 1
by_importance = 1
by_novelty = 1

[inventory_sort_order:general]
name = st_inv_sort_order_general
hint = st_inv_sort_order_general_hint

XML for ordering

Mod override files (ixray example):

1. configs/ui/mod_actor_menu_sort_order.xml
2. configs/ui/mod_actor_menu_16_sort_order.xml

The inventory_sort_order_tabs node defines seven buttons: general, by_type, by_weight, by_condition, by_cost, by_importance, by_novelty. Trade/deadbody/upgrade containers mirror the categories layout.

Strings: configs/text/rus/ui_st_inventory_sort.xml, configs/text/eng/ui_st_inventory_sort.xml.

Recommendations

✔️ Correct usage:

1. Pick one mode (categories or ordering) per mod.
2. Add only the XML node that matches the selected mode.
3. Use inventory_sort_custom for non-standard item groups in categories mode.

⚠️ Limitations:

1. Grenades in GRENADE_SLOT appear in the bag only in categories mode with all or ammo filters.
2. Runtime mode switching is not supported.
3. Ordering direction changes go only through CycleActiveOrderOption (re-click / kINV_SORT_CYCLE); do not add a separate Alt handler.

✖️ Anti-patterns:

1. Adding both inventory_sort_tabs and inventory_sort_order_tabs to the same UI.
2. Expecting the actor inventory memory order to change.

Related

inventory slots, UI overview