Advanced storage sorting and filtering

Update 14.1 will majorly rework the storage management in the game. While it doesn't exactly do so as suggested in this suggestion, the improvements should lead to a significantly better state in line with the goals of this suggestion. As such I'm closing it as completed, but please feel free to create new improvement suggestions based on the rework.

I would already be happy if we could copy and paste our settings from one table to another of the same type.

I came here to create some similar feedback but I'll add a comment here. I don't think it needs to be as nuanced as you have it here. I think a simple blacklist/whitelist option that prevents/allows items to be stored in the specified container would be enough. The list could include specific items, tags, and any other item category that the game allows. This would allow us to sort our input and outputs as well as keep our storage more easily organized. There already exists tech for item specific storages (silos, dressers, iceboxes, etc). This would allow us to customize our own. It would be great to be able to output concentrate to one stockpile and tailings to another, or be able to pull any crushed rock besides crushed limestone for creating asphalt.

What about having the "sort by Name" ability? This way, I could give proper names and sort them, so I can have a better start. Storage order groups: It would be nice if I could have lists of my storages, giving them a friendly name like "sand and stones". For every group, I could assign the storages I want, set the take/put into and arrange them at will.

I was discussing this with a friend recently. It could be as simple as a "hide" button that sends that storage to a second tab, which you can click to see the storages with an "unhide" button. All hidden storages for that table are disabled for put into and take from by default. Then at least we could hide each table's unnecessary storages. Additionally, the same table should be able to output certain things to different storages. E.g. I want my generic mortared stone to go to Stockpile A so it can be used for things like tables and chairs, while mortared Limestone goes to Stockpile B because I don't want that used up by tables as I want to sell/build with it.

good ideas all will see what we can do

I searched out the suggestion site just to suggest this, looks like a lot of people have had similar ideas. I had one idea that I thought was fairly simple: Add a row of buttons to the top of the storage screen, each one marked with a category of storage: - Stockpiles - Storages - Coolers - Fuel Clicking on a button once brings all of that category in range to the top of the list. It does NOT affect the sorting of the rest of the list, it just pulls everything of that type to the top, in the same order it was already in. So the order of the storages that are moved doesn't change, it just brings them to the top above everything else. A second click sends all of that category to the bottom of the list. This would mean that when I go into a workbench, in three clicks I could have the fuels sent to the bottom, and the primary storage type (say, stockpiles) brought to the top. I can then refine it from there. It's not as fancy or versatile as some of the other solutions suggested here, but it is very simple and would eliminate large swathes of organization very quickly.

Starship Spamjunk: For real. A button to "hide fuel supplies" would be HUGE for quality of life.

I think it would be nice just to have some simple filters on the storage view that can be toggled on/off from view. There could be: 1. stockpiles 2. coolers (refrigerators/icebox/etc) 3. fuel supplies 4. furniture (dressers/nightstands/etc) At the very least, for the love of god, let me turn off viewing fuel supplies. lol You guys are great. Thank you!

It would be super nice to have a stockpile or collection bin that would auto-sort similar items into different stockpiles.

I would like to add a simple improvement to this suggestion. We should be able to send a storage container to the top or bottom of the list the list with a button or something like shift/ctrl click on the name of the storage.

The easier it is to implement, the more likely this is added, so I think it's fine if right-click-depositing or storage-to-storage manual item movement ignored these lists. Otherwise an error code would need to occur.

The store item-add UI when you click an item group gear would be good enough for UI.

Adding to this instead of making a new one: It would be good if I could send different items from the same table to different storages. E.g. My Crushed Iron Ore goes into storage A but my crushed sandstone goes into storage B, from the same Stamp Mill.

Like Zeyon said, we really need a way to choose wich item the table should use to craft material. I know that you can play around with the input/output but even with that, you need to do a lot of micromanagement. Example : having the machine eat the sandstone instead of your precious limestone.

Being able to reserve specific inventory slots with a white/blacklist for specific items would be a good solution

We do specifically not want to do this, as that would deprive players from the option to sort their storages to their liking, which also can be used to determine to which storage goods are taken or to which they go into first and as such is a major feature. Just sorting storage inventories alphabetically would not work. Would a button to do that on player interaction work as well? (Edit: Merged with an issue that requests such button)

or the factorio trains way so a slot can be set to only be able to hold 1 item type