"Manage Variants" - order for multiple variants

-- HikaShop version -- : 2.3.2
-- Joomla version -- : 2.5.28
-- Browser(s) name and version -- : Firefox
-- Error-message(debug-mod must be tuned on) -- : Na

Hi There

I'm having trouble with the order in the 'manage variants' for characteristics (ie via the administration)

If I add one characteristic - all is good. The order in 'Manage Variants' is the same as the list of variants for that characteristic.
If I add a second one then the 'manage variants' screen lists them by first characteristic then by second characteristic.
If I add a third - and a fourth as I need to do for one product, the order of the variants goes a bit pear shaped.

I'd expect it to list in order of characteristic one, then characteristic two, then characteristic three.
And it almost does it, but throws the odd random exception - see the attached screen shot.

This makes individual product variants hard to find in the list when managing ones that are out of stock.

You can see that it is not ordering the variants by code as I would expect it to - if it did this it would list them in the order expected.
I see some people have in the past asked for the ability to sort the variant order - this would be useful but in the meantime can you explain why this is happening?

I am careful to add the characteristics one by one and save between each addition. I've also checked to make sure the characteristic values have a specified order.

However - I have noticed that the order does not translate to the characteristic value's ID number - could this be what is throwing it out? If yes, where in Hikashop (if there is such a thing) can I specify it to generate the variant list according to the value order number, not the ID?

Hope that makes sense - otherwise, Love Hikashop!