diff --git a/main/src/com/google/refine/io/FileProjectManager.java b/main/src/com/google/refine/io/FileProjectManager.java
index beccf4c5a..e56c0f97f 100644
--- a/main/src/com/google/refine/io/FileProjectManager.java
+++ b/main/src/com/google/refine/io/FileProjectManager.java
@@ -430,6 +430,11 @@ public class FileProjectManager extends ProjectManager {
             try {
                 boolean found = false;
                 JSONObject placeHolderJsonObj = userMetadataPreference.getJSONObject(index);
+                
+                if (!isValidUserMetaDataDefinition(placeHolderJsonObj)) {
+                    logger.warn("Skipped invalid user metadata definition" + placeHolderJsonObj.toString());
+                    continue;
+                }
 
                 for (int i = 0; i < jsonObjArray.length(); i++) {
                     JSONObject jsonObj = jsonObjArray.getJSONObject(i);
@@ -452,6 +457,17 @@ public class FileProjectManager extends ProjectManager {
             }
         }
     }
+    
+    /**
+     * A valid user meta data definition should have name and display property
+     * @param placeHolderJsonObj
+     * @return
+     */
+    private boolean isValidUserMetaDataDefinition(JSONObject placeHolderJsonObj) {
+        return (placeHolderJsonObj != null &&
+                placeHolderJsonObj.has("name") &&
+            placeHolderJsonObj.has("display"));
+    }
 
     protected void recover() {
         boolean recovered = false;
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/edit-metadata-dialog.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/edit-metadata-dialog.js
index 29aac1fc5..2f85cf1cc 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/edit-metadata-dialog.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/edit-metadata-dialog.js
@@ -14,29 +14,31 @@ function EditMetadataDialog(metaData, targetRowElem) {
 
       var td2 = tr.insertCell(2);
       
-      $('<button class="button">').text($.i18n._('core-index')["edit"]).appendTo(td2).click(function() {
-        var newValue = window.prompt($.i18n._('core-index')["change-metadata-value"]+" " + key, value);
-        if (newValue !== null) {
-          $(td1).text(newValue);
-          metaData[key] = newValue;
-          $.post(
-            "command/core/set-metaData",
-            {
-              project : project,
-              name : key,
-              value : newValue
-            },
-            function(o) {
-              if (o.code === "error") {
-                alert(o.message);
-              } 
-            },
-            "json"
-          );
-        }
-        
-        Refine.OpenProjectUI.refreshProject(targetRowElem, metaData);
-      });
+      if (key !== "modified" && key !== "rowNumber" && key !== "importOptionMetaData" && key !== "id")  {
+          $('<button class="button">').text($.i18n._('core-index')["edit"]).appendTo(td2).click(function() {
+            var newValue = window.prompt($.i18n._('core-index')["change-metadata-value"]+" " + key, value);
+            if (newValue !== null) {
+              $(td1).text(newValue);
+              metaData[key] = newValue;
+              $.post(
+                "command/core/set-metaData",
+                {
+                  project : project,
+                  name : key,
+                  value : newValue
+                },
+                function(o) {
+                  if (o.code === "error") {
+                    alert(o.message);
+                  } 
+                },
+                "json"
+              );
+            }
+            
+            Refine.OpenProjectUI.refreshProject(targetRowElem, metaData);
+          });
+      }
   };
   
   this._createDialog();
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
index 8bb616bdc..97c95740c 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/scripts/index/open-project-ui.js
@@ -264,11 +264,24 @@ Refine.OpenProjectUI.prototype._renderProjects = function(data) {
       renderProject(projects[i]);
     }
     
+    $.tablesorter.addParser({
+        id: "isoDateParser",
+        is: function(s) {
+            return (/^\d{4}[\/\-]\d{1,2}[\/\-]\d{1,2}T\d{2}:\d{2}:\d{2}[\+,\-\.]\d{3}/).test(s);
+        },
+        format: function(s, table) {
+            return $.tablesorter.formatFloat((s !== "") ? (new Date(s).getTime() || "") : "", table);
+        },
+        type: "numeric"
+    });
 
     $(table).tablesorter({
         headers : {
+            0: { sorter: false },
+            1: { sorter: false },
+            2: { sorter: false },
             3 : {
-                sorter : "time"
+                sorter : "isoDateParser"
             }
         }
     });
diff --git a/main/webapp/modules/core/styles/index/open-project-ui.less b/main/webapp/modules/core/styles/index/open-project-ui.less
index 170cdc5a8..1244c984f 100644
--- a/main/webapp/modules/core/styles/index/open-project-ui.less
+++ b/main/webapp/modules/core/styles/index/open-project-ui.less
@@ -87,6 +87,14 @@ OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
   opacity: 0.2;
   }
 
+#projects-container > table {
+  table-layout: fixed
+}
+
+#projects-container > table > tbody > tr > td {
+  word-wrap: break-word;
+}
+
 #metadata-body tr:nth-child(even) {background: #CCC}
 #metadata-body tr:nth-child(odd) {background: #FFF}