diff --git a/nw/enum.py b/nw/enum.py
index 63be9e73..61540882 100644
--- a/nw/enum.py
+++ b/nw/enum.py
@@ -38,15 +38,15 @@ class nwItemClass(Enum):
 
 class nwItemLayout(Enum):
 
-    NO_LAYOUT   = 0
-    TITLE       = 1
-    BOOK        = 2
-    PAGE        = 3
-    PARTITION   = 4
-    UNNUMBERED  = 5
-    CHAPTER     = 6
-    SCENE       = 7
-    NOTE        = 8
+    NO_LAYOUT  = 0
+    TITLE      = 1
+    BOOK       = 2
+    PAGE       = 3
+    PARTITION  = 4
+    UNNUMBERED = 5
+    CHAPTER    = 6
+    SCENE      = 7
+    NOTE       = 8
 
 # END Enum nwItemLayout
 
diff --git a/nw/gui/doctree.py b/nw/gui/doctree.py
index c35d443c..8844866c 100644
--- a/nw/gui/doctree.py
+++ b/nw/gui/doctree.py
@@ -92,11 +92,8 @@ class GuiDocTree(QTreeWidget):
     def newTreeItem(self, itemType, itemClass):
 
         pHandle = self.getSelectedHandle()
-        if pHandle is None:
-            self.makeAlert("No valid parent item selected", nwAlert.ERROR)
-            return False
 
-        if itemClass is None:
+        if itemClass is None and pHandle is not None:
             itemClass = self.theProject.getItem(pHandle).itemClass
         if itemClass is None:
             self.makeAlert("Failed to find an appropriate item class for item %s" % pHandle, nwAlert.BUG)
@@ -296,8 +293,7 @@ class GuiDocTree(QTreeWidget):
 
     def buildTree(self):
         self.clear()
-        for tHandle in self.theProject.treeOrder:
-            nwItem = self.theProject.projTree[tHandle]
+        for nwItem in self.theProject.getProjectItems():
             self._addTreeItem(nwItem)
         return True
 
diff --git a/nw/project/project.py b/nw/project/project.py
index f468e73d..a2462d4d 100644
--- a/nw/project/project.py
+++ b/nw/project/project.py
@@ -368,6 +368,47 @@ class NWProject():
         logger.error("No tree item with handle %s" % str(tHandle))
         return None
 
+    def getProjectItems(self):
+        """This function is called from the tree view when building the tree. Each item in the
+        project is returned in the order saved in the project file, but first it checks that it has
+        a parent item already sent to the tree.
+        """
+        sentItems = []
+        iterItems = self.treeOrder.copy()
+        n    = 0
+        nMax = len(iterItems)
+        while n < nMax:
+            tHandle = iterItems[n]
+            tItem   = self.getItem(tHandle)
+            n += 1
+            if n > 10000:
+                return # Just in case
+            if tItem is None:
+                # Technically a bug since treeOrder is built from the same data as projTree
+                continue
+            elif tItem.parHandle is None:
+                # Item is a root, or already been identified as an orphaned item
+                sentItems.append(tHandle)
+                yield tItem
+            elif tItem.parHandle in sentItems:
+                # Item's parent has been sent, so all is fine
+                sentItems.append(tHandle)
+                yield tItem
+            elif tItem.parHandle in iterItems:
+                # Item's parent exists, but hasn't been sent yet, so add it again to the end
+                logger.warning("Item %s found before its parent" % tHandle)
+                iterItems.append(tHandle)
+                nMax = len(iterItems)
+            else:
+                # Item is orphaned
+                logger.error("Item %s has no parent in current tree" % tHandle)
+                tItem.setParent(None)
+                yield tItem
+
+    ##
+    #  Class Methods
+    ##
+
     def findRootItem(self, theClass):
         for aRoot in self.treeRoots:
             if theClass == self.projTree[aRoot].itemClass:
diff --git a/sample/sampleNovel/nwProject.nwx b/sample/sampleNovel/nwProject.nwx
index 0c44701b..0d421f0e 100644
--- a/sample/sampleNovel/nwProject.nwx
+++ b/sample/sampleNovel/nwProject.nwx
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>
-<novelWriterXML appVersion="0.1.3" fileVersion="1.0" timeStamp="2019-05-18 20:51:40">
+<novelWriterXML appVersion="0.1.3" fileVersion="1.0" timeStamp="2019-05-19 14:27:22">
   <project>
     <name>Sample Project</name>
     <title>Sample Project</title>
@@ -8,10 +8,10 @@
   </project>
   <settings>
     <spellCheck>True</spellCheck>
-    <lastEdited>636b6aa9b697b</lastEdited>
+    <lastEdited>4cd0bd12b087d</lastEdited>
     <lastViewed>636b6aa9b697b</lastViewed>
   </settings>
-  <content count="15">
+  <content count="14">
     <item handle="7031beac91f75" order="0" parent="None">
       <name>Novel</name>
       <type>ROOT</type>
@@ -112,55 +112,43 @@
       <paraCount>1</paraCount>
       <cursorPos>0</cursorPos>
     </item>
-    <item handle="73eee34351f85" order="2" parent="None">
+    <item handle="15c4492bd5107" order="2" parent="None">
       <name>Locations</name>
       <type>ROOT</type>
       <class>WORLD</class>
       <status>0</status>
       <expanded>True</expanded>
     </item>
-    <item handle="b3e74dbc1f584" order="0" parent="73eee34351f85">
+    <item handle="b3e74dbc1f584" order="0" parent="15c4492bd5107">
       <name>Earth</name>
       <type>FILE</type>
       <class>WORLD</class>
       <status>0</status>
       <expanded>False</expanded>
       <layout>NOTE</layout>
-      <charCount>66</charCount>
-      <wordCount>13</wordCount>
-      <paraCount>1</paraCount>
+      <charCount>0</charCount>
+      <wordCount>0</wordCount>
+      <paraCount>0</paraCount>
       <cursorPos>0</cursorPos>
     </item>
-    <item handle="f75dac270c2a7" order="3" parent="None">
+    <item handle="98acd8c76c93a" order="3" parent="None">
       <name>Trash</name>
       <type>TRASH</type>
       <class>TRASH</class>
       <status>0</status>
       <expanded>True</expanded>
     </item>
-    <item handle="4cd0bd12b087d" order="0" parent="f75dac270c2a7">
-      <name>Orphaned File 1</name>
+    <item handle="4cd0bd12b087d" order="0" parent="98acd8c76c93a">
+      <name>Orphaned File 2</name>
       <type>FILE</type>
       <class>NO_CLASS</class>
       <status>0</status>
       <expanded>False</expanded>
       <layout>NO_LAYOUT</layout>
-      <charCount>0</charCount>
-      <wordCount>0</wordCount>
+      <charCount>14</charCount>
+      <wordCount>3</wordCount>
       <paraCount>0</paraCount>
-      <cursorPos>0</cursorPos>
-    </item>
-    <item handle="879437bde105e" order="1" parent="f75dac270c2a7">
-      <name>New File</name>
-      <type>FILE</type>
-      <class>CHARACTER</class>
-      <status>0</status>
-      <expanded>False</expanded>
-      <layout>NOTE</layout>
-      <charCount>0</charCount>
-      <wordCount>0</wordCount>
-      <paraCount>0</paraCount>
-      <cursorPos>0</cursorPos>
+      <cursorPos>1</cursorPos>
     </item>
   </content>
 </novelWriterXML>