diff --git a/phpgwapi/inc/class.egw_grid_columns.inc.php b/phpgwapi/inc/class.egw_grid_columns.inc.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..13f35c663c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/phpgwapi/inc/class.egw_grid_columns.inc.php
@@ -0,0 +1,333 @@
+<?php
+/**
+ * eGroupWare API: egw action grid columns classes
+ *
+ * @link http://www.egroupware.org
+ * @license http://opensource.org/licenses/gpl-license.php GPL - GNU General Public License
+ * @package api
+ * @subpackage egw action grid
+ * @author Andreas Stöckel
+ * @copyright (c) 2011 Stylite
+ * @version $Id$
+ */
+
+/**
+ * The egw_grid_columns class in this file is the PHP counterpart to the implementation
+ * in the JS file egw_grid_columns.js. It can generate column json data, verify
+ * it and store user settings for columns in the preferences
+ */
+
+class egw_json_object
+{
+	private $supported_properties = array(
+		"id" => array(
+			"types" => "string",
+			"default" => ""
+		)
+	);
+
+	protected $data = array();
+
+	/**
+	 * Merges the given properties into the supported properties array.
+	 *
+	 * @param array $props are the supported properties which will be added to the
+	 * 	object.
+	 */
+	protected function add_supported_properties($props)
+	{
+		$this->supported_properties = array_merge($this->supported_properties, $props);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Reads the object data from the 
+	 */
+	public function load_assoc(array $assoc)
+	{
+		/**
+		 * Calls the magic setter for each data element
+		 */
+		foreach ($assoc as $key => $data)
+		{
+			$this->$key = $data;
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns an associative array with the object data
+	 */
+	public function store_assoc($include_defaults = false)
+	{
+		$result = array();
+
+		foreach ($this->supported_properties as $key => $opt)
+		{
+			if (!array_key_exists("store", $opt) || $opt[$store])
+			{
+				$val = $this->$key;
+
+				if ($val != $opt["default"] || $include_defaults )
+				{
+					$result[$key] = $val;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+
+		return $result;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Magic setter function - checks whether the specified key is supported by the
+	 * the object and the given value is of the supported type.
+	 */
+	public function __set($key,$val)
+	{
+		if (array_key_exists($key, $this->supported_properties))
+		{
+			$sup_entry = $this->supported_properties[$key];
+
+			// Test for the type (PHP-Docu says not to use gettype here)
+			$correct_type = true;
+
+			if (array_key_exists("types", $sup_entry))
+			{
+				$types = explode(",", $sup_entry["types"]);
+
+				foreach ($types as $type)
+				{
+					switch ($type)
+					{
+						case "bool":
+							$correct_type = $correct_type || is_bool($val);
+							break;
+						case "string":
+							$correct_type = $correct_type || is_string($val);
+							break;
+						case "int":
+							$correct_type = $correct_type || is_int($val);
+							break;
+						case "float":
+							$correct_type = $correct_type || is_float($val);
+							break;
+					}
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Set the value in the data array or call a setter function an inherited
+			// class might have specified
+			if ($correct_type)
+			{
+				if (method_exists($this, "set_".$key))
+				{
+					call_user_func(array($this, "set_".$key), $val);
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					$this->data[$key] = $val;
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Magic getter function - returns the default value if the data key has not
+	 * been set yet, returns null if the property does not exists.
+	 */
+	public function __get($key) {
+		if (array_key_exists($key, $this->supported_properties))
+		{
+			// Check whether the inherited class has a special getter implemented
+			if (method_exists($this, "get_".$key))
+			{
+				return call_user_func(array($this, "get_".$key), $val);
+			}
+			else
+			{
+				if (array_key_exists($key, $this->data))
+				{
+					return $this->data[$key];
+				}
+				else
+				{
+					return $this->supported_properties[$key]["default"];
+				}
+			}
+		}
+		return null;
+	}
+}
+
+
+/**
+ * Define some constants as they occur in egw_grid_columns.js
+ */
+define("EGW_COL_TYPE_DEFAULT", 0);
+define("EGW_COL_TYPE_NAME_ICON_FIXED", 1);
+
+define("EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_ALWAYS", 0);
+define("EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_VISIBLE", 1);
+define("EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_INVISIBLE", 2);
+
+define("EGW_COL_SORTABLE_NONE", 0);
+define("EGW_COL_SORTABLE_ALPHABETIC", 1);
+define("EGW_COL_SORTABLE_NUMERICAL", 2);
+define("EGW_COL_SORTABLE_NATURAL", 3);
+
+define("EGW_COL_SORTMODE_NONE", 0);
+define("EGW_COL_SORTMODE_ASC", 1);
+define("EGW_COL_SORTMODE_DESC", 2);
+
+define("EGW_COL_DEFAULT_FETCH", -10000);
+
+/**
+ * Object which represents a single column
+ */
+class egw_grid_column extends egw_json_object
+{
+	public function __construct($id = "")
+	{
+		// Add the supported properties
+		$this->add_supported_properties(array(
+			"width" => array("types" => "bool,int,string", "default" => false),
+			"maxWidth" => array("types" => "int,bool", "default" => false),
+			"caption" => array("types" => "string", "default" => ""),
+			"visibility" => array("types" => "int", "default" => EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_VISIBLE),
+			"visible" => array("types" => "bool", "default" => true, "store" => false),
+			"sortable" => array("types" => "int", "default" => EGW_COL_SORTABLE_NONE),
+			"sortmode" => array("types" => "int", "default" => EGW_COL_SORTMODE_NONE),
+			"default" => array("types" => "string,int", "default" => EGW_COL_DEFAULT_FETCH),
+			"type" => array("types" => "int", "default" => EGW_COL_TYPE_DEFAULT),
+		));
+
+		// Set the column id
+		$this->id = $id;
+	}
+
+	public function get_visible()
+	{
+		return $this->visibility != EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_INVISIBLE;
+	}
+
+	public function set_visible($val)
+	{
+		if ($this->visibility != EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_ALWAYS)
+		{
+			$this->visibility = $val ? EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_VISIBLE : EGW_COL_VISIBILITY_INVISIBLE;
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+class egw_grid_columns
+{
+	private $app_name;
+	private $grid_name;
+
+	private $grid_data = array();
+
+	public function __construct($app_name, $grid_name = "main")
+	{
+		$this->app_name = $app_name;
+		$this->grid_name = $grid_name;
+	}
+
+	public function load_grid_data($data)
+	{
+		foreach ($data as $col)
+		{
+			$colobj = new egw_grid_column();
+			$colobj->load_assoc($col);
+
+			$this->grid_data[] = $colobj;
+		}
+	}
+
+	private function get_col($id)
+	{
+		foreach ($this->grid_data as $col)
+		{
+			if ($col->id == $id)
+			{
+				return $col;
+			}
+		}
+
+		return null;
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Loads the given column data in the user preferences for this grid
+	 */
+	private function get_userdata()
+	{
+		if ($GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['preferences'][$this->app_name][$this->grid_name.'_column_data'])
+		{
+			return unserialize($GLOBALS['egw_info']['user']['preferences'][$this->app_name][$this->grid_name.'_column_data']);
+		}
+		return array();
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Stores the given column data in the user preferences for this grid
+	 */
+	private function set_userdata($data)
+	{
+		$GLOBALS['egw']->preferences->read_repository();
+
+		$GLOBALS['egw']->preferences->change($this->app_name, $this->grid_name.'_column_data',
+			serialize($data));
+
+		$GLOBALS['egw']->preferences->save_repository(true);
+	}
+
+	public function load_userdata()
+	{
+		// Read the userdata from the user preferences
+		$data = $this->get_userdata();
+
+		error_log(__METHOD__.print_r($data, true));
+
+		// Merge the userdata into the column data
+		foreach ($data as $col_id => $col_data)
+		{
+			$col = $this->get_col($col_id);
+			if ($col && is_array($col_data))
+			{
+				$col->load_assoc($col_data);
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
+	public function store_userdata($data)
+	{
+		$store_data = array();
+
+		// Check whether the specified columns exists
+		foreach ($data as $col_id => $col_data)
+		{
+			$col = $this->get_col($col_id);
+			if ($col)
+			{
+				$store_data[$col_id] = $col_data;
+			}
+		}
+
+		// Store the verified data columns
+		$this->set_userdata($store_data);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns the associative array containing the column data which can be
+	 * JSON-encoded and sent to the client
+	 */
+	public function get_assoc()
+	{
+		$result = array();
+		foreach ($this->grid_data as $col)
+		{
+			$result[] = $col->store_assoc();
+		}
+
+		return $result;
+	}
+}
+
diff --git a/phpgwapi/js/egw_action/egw_grid.js b/phpgwapi/js/egw_action/egw_grid.js
index 6358051c4f..1c13ffa4c0 100644
--- a/phpgwapi/js/egw_action/egw_grid.js
+++ b/phpgwapi/js/egw_action/egw_grid.js
@@ -18,11 +18,14 @@ uses
 	egw_action_columns
 */
 
-function egwGrid(_parentNode, _columns, _objectManager, _fetchCallback, _context)
+function egwGrid(_parentNode, _columns, _objectManager, _fetchCallback, _columnChangeCallback, _context)
 {
 	this.parentNode = _parentNode;
 	this.objectManager = _objectManager;
 
+	this.columnChangeCallback = _columnChangeCallback;
+	this.context = _context;
+
 	this.width = 0;
 	this.height = 0;
 
@@ -134,6 +137,22 @@ egwGrid.prototype.selectcolsClick = function(_at)
 	var self = this;
 	menu.setGlobalOnClick(function(_elem) {
 		column_data[_elem.id].visible = _elem.checked;
+
+		if (self.columnChangeCallback)
+		{
+			// Create the user data column visibility set
+			var set = {};
+			for (k in column_data)
+			{
+				set[k] = {
+					"visible": column_data[k].visible
+				};
+			}
+
+			// Call the column change callback with the user data
+			self.columnChangeCallback.call(self.context, set);
+		}
+
 		self.columns.setColumnVisibilitySet(column_data);
 	});