# Add columns of import order for easy sorting

**URL:** <https://discourse.jabref.org/t/add-columns-of-import-order-for-easy-sorting/5559>\
**Category:** Features\
**Created:** [April 18, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/add-columns-of-import-order-for-easy-sorting/5559 "2025-04-18T12:01:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![haiquan91](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9e8a1a/32.png) [@haiquan91](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/haiquan91)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/add-columns-of-import-order-for-easy-sorting/5559/1 "2025-04-18T12:01:00Z")

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![Snipaste_2025-04-18_19-53-30](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/2X/7/7123d6cb8b69ef073432855c1bd8071279c60c46.jpeg)

Please add a column for sorting references by importing sequences. So after an reference is imported or copied, it also can be found easily even after refreshing the whole page.

By sorting this, you will be always serving by the latest reference.

Each references will be assigned a unique seq-number once it is in the list. And this number only be destroyed after this reference is deleted.

Please upvote to make it happen. Cheers.

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**Author:** ![ryan-carpenter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b487fb/32.png) [@ryan-carpenter](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/ryan-carpenter)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2025, 7:30am UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/add-columns-of-import-order-for-easy-sorting/5559/2 "2025-04-28T07:30:53Z")

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If you add a creation date to the entries then you can display the creation date column in the table and use this for sorting.

File \> Properties \> Entry

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/2X/d/d338d7e663e324b662cbed7ab464930a2da2be03.jpeg)

Make sure the Creationdate field is displayed in the table.

File \> Preferences \> Entry table

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/2X/7/71e502744c876424397d404feb610e90eec73645.jpeg)

You may also want to preserve the import order in your .bib file. This doesn’t affect how entries appear in the table, but does create a useful record of the import order (without a timestamp, unless you have it enabled).

Library \> Library Properties \> Saving \> Keep original order and add new entries at the end.

 ![image](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/jabref/original/2X/7/7628f0066e11d18ba27feb468d34a2bd52fb3f59.jpeg)

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**Author:** ![haiquan91](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9e8a1a/32.png) [@haiquan91](https://discourse.jabref.org/u/haiquan91)\
**Post date:** [April 29, 2025, 1:05pm UTC](https://discourse.jabref.org/t/add-columns-of-import-order-for-easy-sorting/5559/3 "2025-04-29T13:05:22Z")

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World bless you.  
That is the biggest help to me of this year.

Thanks from Haiquan 😃