What determines the location of scripts in the filter lists?

For example, the list in my Filters > Animation is a hodge podge. Few are alphabetical. The list is very long and it's easy to miss finding a script.

Good question. Some type of order would be very helpful. I've even noticed scripts changing location in the list. I am already confused enough, haha. If there was some way to order them it would make using them much easier -- well, finding them anyway.

That is a great question.
One of many Gimysteries in life.

Yes, I've noticed that too. A script is down in the list, use it, and it may be at the top of the list when you look for it again.

They should be alphabetical except for those entries which 1) have been assigned to a particular menu group, or 2) have been added after starting GIMP (these will be sorted alphabetically after restarting GIMP).

Can you post a screenshot of your Animation menu?

well Saulgoode was faster anyway

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It is the alphabetic order but may confuse because it is a alphabetic order that include numbers and simbols,and even blanc spaces (number get before then letters,

as example i wished a script be on top of its submenu, and i got that simply adding a blanc space before the filter name as from
<Image> /Filters/ Light and Shadows/Contrast Mask to <Image> /Filters/ Light and Shadows/ Contrast Mask

the blank space before Contrast make that filter the topmost but i believe would be the same using * or even -

But about fiters jumping i have no clue never happened to me, in theory should not happen except when filters pushed down or up by new additions, but list should remain in alphabetic order

Except AS SOON you add a new scripts and refresh, but once reloaded gimp everything will be again in alphabetical order

It would be nice to have a script/plug-in organizer. Maybe we will see something like that in future releases.

I suspect (but never tried to prove it) that location of menu item may also depend on installation type (public vs private).

Doing so would not be trivial. In fact, figuring out a way of doing so would not be trivial.

The difficulty is that GIMP's plug-in system is dynamic and as plug-ins are added to the menus, there is no way of knowing what other plug-ins will be added to the menus (as subsequent plug-ins get registered). Or even to make any assumptions about which plug-ins have already been added to menus.

There is an internal mechanism for grouping menu commands which allows, for example, Select->Grow to appear directly after Select->Shrink in the menus; but I don't believe that mechanism has been made available to plug-ins yet. At least not the ability to define new groups -- one can register plug-ins to existing groups as demonstrated in my Edit->Isolate Script-fu (which registers itself as part of the "<Image>/Edit/Cut" menu group).

Here's my list. Actually, it's alphabetical sections. I only have to look in two places. I guess I'm just impatient to find what I'm looking for.