diff --git a/DataControlPlugin.cc b/DataControlPlugin.cc
index 609ce57f88b5c1a0a53ed8037386035a5821b3d6..cc244c457c8e35eeb5dc3140a7aa8dada013e648 100644
--- a/DataControlPlugin.cc
+++ b/DataControlPlugin.cc
@@ -162,6 +162,9 @@ void DataControlPlugin::initializePlugin()
             this,        SLOT(slotHeaderCustomContextMenuRequested ( const QPoint & ) ));
 
    emit addToolbox("Data Control", tool_);
+   
+   onlyDown_ = 0;
+   onlyUp_   = 0;
 }
 
 
@@ -172,25 +175,44 @@ void DataControlPlugin::initializePlugin()
  */
 void DataControlPlugin::slotObjectSelectionChanged( int _identifier )
 {
-
+  
   BaseObjectData* obj = 0;
 
   if ( PluginFunctions::getObject( _identifier, obj) )
     updateBoundingBox (obj);
 
-  model_->objectChanged( _identifier );
+  // if onlyUp_ > 0 --> _identifier is a group and the selection
+  // does not have to be applied
+  if (onlyUp_ == 0)
+    model_->objectChanged( _identifier );
 
+  
   //check for changes in the tree
   BaseObject* object = 0;
 
   if ( PluginFunctions::getObject( _identifier, object) ){
-    propagateUpwards(object->parent(), 2); // 2 = source-target
+    
+      // if we are allowed to propagate up
+      if ( onlyDown_ == 0 ){
+  
+        onlyUp_++;
+    
+        propagateUpwards(object->parent(), 2); // 2 = source-target
+
+        onlyUp_--;
+      }
+    
+      // if we are allowed to propagate down
+      if ( onlyUp_ == 0 ){
 
-    if ( object->isGroup() )
-      propagateDownwards(object, 2); // 2 = source-target
-  }
+        onlyDown_++;
 
-  emit updateView();
+        if ( object->isGroup() )
+          propagateDownwards(object, 2); // 2 = source-target
+      
+        onlyDown_--;
+      }
+  }
 }
 
 
@@ -201,17 +223,40 @@ void DataControlPlugin::slotObjectSelectionChanged( int _identifier )
  * @param _identifier id of an object
  */
 void DataControlPlugin::slotVisibilityChanged( int _identifier ){
-  //inform the model
-  model_->objectChanged( _identifier );
+
+  // if onlyUp_ > 0 --> _identifier is a group and the selection
+  // does not have to be applied
+  if (onlyUp_ == 0){
+    //inform the model
+    model_->objectChanged( _identifier );
+  }
 
   //check for changes in the tree
   BaseObject* obj = 0;
 
   if ( PluginFunctions::getObject( _identifier, obj) ){
-    propagateUpwards(obj->parent(), 1); // 1 = visibilty
 
-    if ( obj->isGroup() )
-      propagateDownwards(obj, 1); // 1 = visibilty
+    // if we are allowed to propagate up
+    if ( onlyDown_ == 0 ){
+    
+      onlyUp_++;
+
+      propagateUpwards(obj->parent(), 1); // 1 = visibilty
+
+      onlyUp_--;  
+
+    }
+
+    // if we are allowed to propagate down
+    if ( onlyUp_ == 0 ){
+
+      onlyDown_++;
+      
+      if ( obj->isGroup() )
+        propagateDownwards(obj, 1); // 1 = visibilty
+
+      onlyDown_--;
+    }
   }
 
   BaseObjectData* object = 0;
@@ -323,7 +368,7 @@ void DataControlPlugin::slotDataChanged ( int _id, int _column, const QVariant&
   BaseObject* obj = 0;
   if ( !PluginFunctions::getObject( _id, obj) )
     return;
-
+  
   switch ( _column ) {
     // Name
     case 0:
@@ -457,9 +502,6 @@ void DataControlPlugin::loadIniFileOptionsLast( INIFile& _ini ) {
 
       group = dynamic_cast< BaseObject* >( new GroupObject( current, dynamic_cast< GroupObject* >(parentItem ) ) );
 
-      parentItem->appendChild(group);
-      group->setParent(parentItem);
-
       emit emptyObjectAdded( group->id() );
 
       // in the groups vector we only need the lowest groups
@@ -579,6 +621,7 @@ void DataControlPlugin::saveIniFileOptions( INIFile& _ini ) {
  */
 void DataControlPlugin::propagateUpwards(BaseObject* _obj, int _column ){
 
+  
   if ( _obj == PluginFunctions::objectRoot() || (!_obj->isGroup()) )
     return;
 
diff --git a/DataControlPlugin.hh b/DataControlPlugin.hh
index 7d272a845c9f4ab96195ab44fb116b1ddf06b6ec..5fe129d20146cc4355d715e4a8a039d08d608541 100644
--- a/DataControlPlugin.hh
+++ b/DataControlPlugin.hh
@@ -176,6 +176,10 @@ class DataControlPlugin : public QObject, BaseInterface, ToolboxInterface, KeyIn
     void propagateDownwards(BaseObject* _obj, int _column );
     void propagateUpwards(BaseObject* _obj, int _column );
 
+    //variables to restrict propagation direction
+    int onlyDown_;
+    int onlyUp_;
+    
 /** @} */
 
 //===========================================================================
diff --git a/TreeModel.cc b/TreeModel.cc
index a15451bd30dddd48d1e31064a21d48e4ca5a7862..ace3877868d8d2e7010308b4453af6e9e2b37f08 100644
--- a/TreeModel.cc
+++ b/TreeModel.cc
@@ -379,9 +379,12 @@ void TreeModel::objectChanged(int _id) {
 
         item->name( obj->name() );
 
-        QModelIndex index = getModelIndex(item,0);
-        if ( index.isValid() )
-          emit dataChanged( index, index);
+        //TODO actually we do not need to update the whole row but single column somehow doesn't work
+        QModelIndex index0 = getModelIndex(item,0);
+        QModelIndex index1 = getModelIndex(item,3);
+
+        if ( index0.isValid() && index1.isValid() )
+          emit dataChanged( index0, index1);
       }
 
       //update visibility
@@ -407,9 +410,13 @@ void TreeModel::objectChanged(int _id) {
 
         item->source( obj->source() );
 
-        QModelIndex index = getModelIndex(item,2);
-        if ( index.isValid() ){
-          emit dataChanged( index, index);
+        //TODO actually we do not need to update the whole row but single column somehow doesn't work
+        QModelIndex index0 = getModelIndex(item,0);
+        QModelIndex index1 = getModelIndex(item,3);
+
+        if ( index0.isValid() && index1.isValid() ){
+          //the whole row has to be updated because of the grey background-color
+          emit dataChanged( index0, index1);
           propagateUpwards(item->parent(), 2, false );
         }
 
@@ -422,9 +429,13 @@ void TreeModel::objectChanged(int _id) {
 
         item->target( obj->target() );
 
-        QModelIndex index = getModelIndex(item,3);
-        if ( index.isValid() ){
-          emit dataChanged( index, index);
+        //TODO actually we do not need to update the whole row but single column somehow doesn't work
+        QModelIndex index0 = getModelIndex(item,0);
+        QModelIndex index1 = getModelIndex(item,3);
+
+        if ( index0.isValid() && index1.isValid() ){
+          //the whole row has to be updated because of the grey background-color
+          emit dataChanged( index0, index1);
           propagateUpwards(item->parent(), 3, false );
         }
 
@@ -709,6 +720,7 @@ bool TreeModel::setData(const QModelIndex &index, const QVariant &value, int /*r
 
   emit dataChangedInside( itemId(index), index.column(), value );
 
+  
   return true;
 }