diff --git a/ldoc.lua b/ldoc.lua
index ec53453..b402810 100644
--- a/ldoc.lua
+++ b/ldoc.lua
@@ -186,7 +186,7 @@ local ldoc_contents = {
    'alias','add_language_extension','new_type','add_section', 'tparam_alias',
    'file','project','title','package','format','output','dir','ext', 'topics',
    'one','style','template','description','examples', 'pretty', 'charset', 'plain',
-   'readme','all','manual_url', 'ignore', 'colon', 'sort',
+   'readme','all','manual_url', 'ignore', 'colon', 'sort', 'module_file',
    'boilerplate','merge', 'wrap', 'not_luadoc',
    'no_return_or_parms','no_summary','full_description','backtick_references', 'custom_see_handler',
 }
@@ -261,6 +261,27 @@ if args.module then
    end
 end
 
+local function fixup_module_file (file, fullpath)
+   if args.module_file then
+      for mname, f in pairs(args.module_file) do
+         if f == file then
+            args.module_file[mname] = fullpath
+            args.module_file[fullpath] = true
+            return "master for "..mname
+         end
+      end
+   end
+   return ''
+end
+
+-- partial sort of file list, where anything in module_file is now upfront!
+local function reorder_module_file (files)
+   if args.module_file then
+      local mf = args.module_file
+      table.sort(files,function(x,y) return mf[x] and not mf[y] end)
+   end
+end
+
 local abspath = tools.abspath
 
 -- a special case: 'ldoc .' can get all its parameters from config.ld
@@ -274,14 +295,16 @@ if args.file == '.' then
       lfs.chdir(config_path)
    end
    config_is_read = true
+   override 'module_file'
    args.file = ldoc.file or '.'
    if args.file == '.' then
       args.file = lfs.currentdir()
    elseif type(args.file) == 'table' then
       for i,f in ipairs(args.file) do
          args.file[i] = abspath(f)
-         print(args.file[i])
+         fixup_module_file(f,args.file[i])
       end
+      reorder_module_file(args.file)
    else
       args.file = abspath(args.file)
    end
@@ -345,7 +368,7 @@ local function process_file (f, flist)
    local ext = path.extension(f)
    local ftype = file_types[ext]
    if ftype then
-      if args.verbose then print(path.basename(f)) end
+      if args.verbose then print(f) end
       local F,err = parse.file(f,ftype,args)
       if err then
          if F then
diff --git a/ldoc/doc.lua b/ldoc/doc.lua
index f1fac61..f97672d 100644
--- a/ldoc/doc.lua
+++ b/ldoc/doc.lua
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ local function mod_section_type (this_mod)
    return this_mod and this_mod.section and this_mod.section.type
 end
 
-local function find_module_in_files (name)
+function File:find_module_in_files (name)
    for f in File.list:iter() do
       for m in f.modules:iter() do
          if m.name == name then
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ function File:finish()
             -- if name is 'package.mod', then mod_name is 'mod'
             package,mname = split_dotted_name(this_mod.name)
             if self.args.merge then
-               local mod,mf = find_module_in_files(item.name)
+               local mod,mf = self:find_module_in_files(item.name)
                if mod then
                   print('found master module',mf)
                   this_mod = mod
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ function File:finish()
          elseif item.type == 'submodule' then
             local mf
             submodule = true
-            this_mod,mf = find_module_in_files(item.name)
+            this_mod,mf = self:find_module_in_files(item.name)
             if this_mod == nil then
                self:error("'"..item.name.."' not found for submodule")
             end
diff --git a/ldoc/html.lua b/ldoc/html.lua
index c224a88..c940665 100644
--- a/ldoc/html.lua
+++ b/ldoc/html.lua
@@ -211,6 +211,7 @@ function html.generate_output(ldoc, args, project)
    ldoc.pairs = pairs
    ldoc.print = print
 
+   -- Bang out the index.
    -- in single mode there is one module and the 'index' is the
    -- documentation for that module.
    ldoc.module = ldoc.single
@@ -237,14 +238,16 @@ function html.generate_output(ldoc, args, project)
 
    args.dir = args.dir .. path.sep
 
-   check_file(args.dir..css, path.join(args.style,css)) -- has CSS been copied?
+   if ldoc.css then -- has CSS been copied?
+      check_file(args.dir..css, path.join(args.style,css))
+   end
 
    -- write out the module index
    out = cleanup_whitespaces(out)
    writefile(args.dir..args.output..args.ext,out)
 
    -- in single mode, we exclude any modules since the module has been done;
-   -- this step is then only for putting out any examples or topics
+   -- ext step is then only for putting out any examples or topics
    local mods = List()
    for kind, modules in project() do
       local lkind = kind:lower()
diff --git a/ldoc/tools.lua b/ldoc/tools.lua
index 22f34a2..bb5c5f1 100644
--- a/ldoc/tools.lua
+++ b/ldoc/tools.lua
@@ -18,31 +18,22 @@ local lfs = require 'lfs'
 
 -- this constructs an iterator over a list of objects which returns only
 -- those objects where a field has a certain value. It's used to iterate
--- only over functions or tables, etc.
+-- only over functions or tables, etc.  If the list of item has a module
+-- with a context, then use that to pre-sort the fltered items.
 -- (something rather similar exists in LuaDoc)
 function M.type_iterator (list,field,value)
    return function()
-      local i, fls = 1, {}
-      for j = 1,#list do
-         local val = list[j]
-         if val[field] == value then
-            fls[i] = val
-            i = i + 1
-         end
-      end
-      i = 0
-      local mod = fls[1].module
+      local fls = list:filter(function(item)
+         return item[field] == value
+      end)
+      local mod = fls[1] and fls[1].module
       local ldoc = mod and mod.ldoc
       if ldoc and ldoc.sort then
-         table.sort(fls,function(ia,ib)
+         fls:sort(function(ia,ib)
             return ia.name < ib.name
          end)
       end
-      return function()
-         i = i + 1
-         local val = fls[i]
-         if val ~= nil then return val end
-      end
+      return fls:iter()
    end
 end