diff --git a/functions_dialogs.lua b/functions_dialogs.lua
index 77cb17e..6572cf5 100644
--- a/functions_dialogs.lua
+++ b/functions_dialogs.lua
@@ -152,13 +152,16 @@ end
 
 -- update existing or create a new dialog named d_name with d_text
 -- (useful for import from ink and likewise functionality)
+-- this also prepares the dialog for options update
 yl_speak_up.update_dialog = function(log, dialog, dialog_name, dialog_text)
 	-- does a dialog with name d_name already exist?
 	local d_id = yl_speak_up.d_name_to_d_id(dialog, dialog_name)
 	-- name the thing for logging purposes
 	local log_str = "Dialog "..tostring(d_id)
 	if(dialog_name and dialog_name ~= d_id) then
-		log_str =  log_str.." ["..tostring(dialog_name).."]: "
+		log_str = log_str.." ["..tostring(dialog_name).."]:"
+	else
+		log_str = log_str..": "
 	end
 	local is_new = false
 	if(not(d_id)) then
@@ -174,32 +177,83 @@ yl_speak_up.update_dialog = function(log, dialog, dialog_name, dialog_text)
 		-- we got a new name for the log
 		log_str = "New dialog "..tostring(d_id).." ["..tostring(dialog_name).."]: "
 		is_new = true
-		table.insert(log, log_str.."Created successfully.")
+		table.insert(log, log_str.." Created successfully.")
 
 	elseif(dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_text ~= dialog_text) then
 		-- else update the text
-		table.insert(log, log_str.."Changed dialog text from \""..
+		table.insert(log, log_str.." Changed dialog text from \""..
 			tostring(dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_text).."\" to \""..tostring(dialog_text).."\".")
 		-- actually change the dialog text
 		dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_text = dialog_text
 	end
 
+	local d_data = dialog.n_dialogs[d_id]
 	-- set d_name if it differs from d_id
 	if(d_id ~= dialog_name
-	  and (not(dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_name)
-	        or(dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_name ~= dialog_name))) then
+	  and (not(d_data.d_name)
+	        or(d_data.d_name ~= dialog_name))) then
 		if(not(is_new)) then
 			-- log only if it's not a new dialog
 			table.insert(log, log_str.."Changed dialog name from \""..
-				tostring(dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_name).."\" to \""..tostring(dialog_name).."\".")
+				tostring(d_data.d_name).."\" to \""..tostring(dialog_name).."\".")
 		end
 		-- actually change the dialog name
-		dialog.n_dialogs[d_id].d_name = dialog_name
+		d_data.d_name = dialog_name
+	end
+
+	-- the random option is set for the dialog entire; we will have to process the individual
+	-- options in order to find out if this dialog is o_random; the first option that is sets
+	-- it for the dialog
+	d_data.o_random = nil
+
+	-- there may be existing options that won't get updated; deal with them:
+	-- remember which options the dialog has and which sort order they had
+	d_data.d_tmp_sorted_option_list = yl_speak_up.get_sorted_options(d_data.d_options or {}, "o_sort") or {}
+	-- this value is increased whenever an option gets updated - so that we can have options
+	-- that don't get an update sorted in after those options that did
+	d_data.d_tmp_sort_value = 1
+	-- mark all existing options as requirilng an update
+	for i, o_id in ipairs(d_data.d_tmp_sorted_option_list or {}) do
+		d_data.d_options[o_id].o_tmp_needs_update = true
 	end
 	return d_id
 end
 
 
+-- call this *after* all dialog options have been updated for dialog_name
+yl_speak_up.update_dialog_options_completed = function(log, dialog, d_id)
+	local d_data = dialog.n_dialogs[d_id]
+	if(not(d_data)) then
+		return
+	end
+	for i, o_id in ipairs(d_data.d_tmp_sorted_option_list or {}) do
+		local o_data = d_data.d_options[o_id]
+		if(o_data.o_tmp_needs_update) then
+			-- update the sort value so that this option will be listed *after* those
+			-- options that actually did get updated
+			o_data.o_sort = d_data.d_tmp_sort_value
+			d_data.d_tmp_sort_value = d_data.d_tmp_sort_value + 1
+			-- this option has now been processed
+			o_data.o_tmp_needs_update = nil
+
+			-- name the thing for logging purposes
+			local log_str = "Dialog "..tostring(d_id)
+			if(dialog_name and dialog_name ~= d_id) then
+				log_str = log_str.." ["..tostring(d_id).."]"
+			end
+			table.insert(log, log_str..", option <"..tostring(o_id)..">: "..
+				"Option exists in old dialog but not in import. Keeping option.")
+
+			-- TODO: this option may need a precondition that sets it to false (if that precondition doesn't already exist)
+		end
+	end
+	-- clean up the dialog
+	d_data.d_tmp_sorted_option_list = nil
+	d_data.d_tmp_sort_value = nil
+end
+
+
+
 -- add a new option/answer to dialog d_id with option_text (or default "")
 -- 	option_text	(optional) the text that shall be shown as option/answer
 -- 	target_dialog	(optional) the target dialog where the player will end up when choosing
@@ -528,9 +582,15 @@ yl_speak_up.update_dialog_option = function(log, dialog, dialog_name, option_nam
 		o_data.o_visit_only_once = nil
 	end
 	-- set sort order of options (no logging because that might get too spammy)
-	if(sort_oder) then
+	if(sort_order) then
 		o_data.o_sort = sort_order
 	end
+	-- this option has been updated
+	o_data.o_tmp_needs_update = false
+	if(o_data.o_sort and d_data.d_tmp_sort_value and o_data.o_sort >= d_data.d_tmp_sort_value) then
+		-- make sure this stores the highest o_sort value we found
+		d_data.d_tmp_sort_value = o_data.o_sort + 1
+	end
 	return o_id
 end