diff --git a/ui (gen4)/features/base.js b/ui (gen4)/features/base.js
index ffc377be..eeb63375 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/features/base.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/features/base.js	
@@ -1800,6 +1800,7 @@ module.CropActions = actions.Actions({
 			this.crop(this.data[selector](tags), flatten)
 		}],
 
+
 	// crop edit actions...
 	// XXX BUG? order does odd things...
 	addToCrop: ['- Crop/',
@@ -1883,21 +1884,7 @@ module.CropActions = actions.Actions({
 		{
 			browseMode: 'uncrop',
 			getUndoState: function(d){
-				d.placements = (d.args[0] instanceof Array ? d.args[0] : [d.args[0]] 
-						|| [d.current])
-					.map(function(g){ return [ 
-						g == null ? 
-							d.current
-							// get the images...
-							// NOTE: we store the list if gids and not the 
-							// 		ribbon as when undoing we have no info 
-							// 		on ribbon content...
-							: this.data.ribbons[g] ? this.data.getImages(g) : g, 
-						// get ribbon and ribbon order...
-						[this.data.getRibbon(g), this.data.getRibbonOrder(g)],
-						// XXX this is not needed here but is used by .uncollect.undo(..)
-						this.data.order.indexOf(g),
-					] }.bind(this)) },
+				d.placements = this.data.getImagePositions(d.args[0]) },
 			undo: function(d){ 
 				(d.placements || [])
 					.forEach(function(e){ 
diff --git a/ui (gen4)/features/collections.js b/ui (gen4)/features/collections.js
index 94158f7e..076cc3c4 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/features/collections.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/features/collections.js	
@@ -977,17 +977,14 @@ var CollectionActions = actions.Actions({
 		`,
 		{
 			browseMode: function(){ return !this.collection && 'disabled' },
-			/*/ XXX two ways to go:
+			// XXX two ways to go:
 			//		- .collect(..) + .data.placeImage(..)
 			//		- rewrite .collect(..) to use .data.placeImage(..) (like: .addToCrop(..))
-			//getUndoState: 'removeFromCrop',
 			getUndoState: function(d){
-				var base = this.getActionAttr('removeFromCrop', 'getUndoState')
-				base && base.call(this, d)
+				d.placements = this.data.getImagePositions(d.args[0]) },
 				d.collection = d.args[1] || this.collection
 			},
-			// XXX this does not work yet...
-			// XXX this use 
+			/*/ XXX this does not work yet...
 			undo: function(d){
 				var that = this
 				var gids = d.args[0] || [d.current]
diff --git a/ui (gen4)/imagegrid/data.js b/ui (gen4)/imagegrid/data.js
index 5d24afde..6a488112 100755
--- a/ui (gen4)/imagegrid/data.js	
+++ b/ui (gen4)/imagegrid/data.js	
@@ -1213,6 +1213,58 @@ var DataPrototype = {
 		return res
 	},
 
+	// Get image positions...
+	//
+	// 	Get current image position...
+	// 	.getImagePositions()
+	// 		-> positions
+	//
+	// 	Get positions of gid(s)...
+	// 	.getImagePositions(gid)
+	// 	.getImagePositions(gid, ...)
+	// 	.getImagePositions([gid, ...])
+	// 		-> positions
+	//
+	// The resulting positions will be sorted to .order, ribbon gids 
+	// are pushed to the end of the list and also sorted to .ribbon_order
+	//
+	// Returns:
+	// 	[
+	// 		[<image-gid>, 
+	// 			[<ribbon-gid>, <ribbon-order>]], 
+	// 			<image-order>],
+	// 		...
+	// 	]
+	//
+	// NOTE: if a ribbon gid is encountered it will be expanded to a 
+	// 		list of image gids...
+	getImagePositions: function(gids){
+		gids = arguments.length > 1 ? 
+			[].slice.call(arguments) 
+			: (gids || this.current)
+		gids = (gids instanceof Array ? gids : [gids])
+			// sort ribbon gids to .ribbon_order
+			.concat(this.ribbon_order
+				.filter(function(g){ 
+					var i = gids.indexOf(g)
+					return i >= 0 ? !!gids.splice(i, 1) : false }))
+		return this
+			// sort list...
+			// NOTE: ribbon gids will get pushed to the end...
+			.makeSparseImages(gids)
+			.map(function(g){ return [ 
+				// get the images...
+				this.ribbons[g] ? this.getImages(g) : g, 
+				// get ribbon and ribbon order...
+				[this.getRibbon(g), this.getRibbonOrder(g)],
+				// global order...
+				this.order.indexOf(g),
+			] }.bind(this))
+			// XXX do we need this???
+			// 		...removing this would also encode order...
+			.compact()
+	},
+
 	// Get ribbon...
 	// 
 	//	Get current ribbon: