diff --git a/openide.explorer/apichanges.xml b/openide.explorer/apichanges.xml
--- a/openide.explorer/apichanges.xml
+++ b/openide.explorer/apichanges.xml
@@ -50,6 +50,24 @@
 <apidef name="explorer">Explorer API</apidef>
 </apidefs>
 <changes>
+    <change id="OutlineView_setPropertyColumnAttribute">
+        <api name="explorer"/>
+        <summary>setPropertyColumnAttribute() method added to OutlineView</summary>
+        <version major="6" minor="44"/>
+        <date day="4" month="4" year="2012"/>
+        <author login="mentlicher"/>
+        <compatibility binary="compatible" source="compatible" deprecation="no" deletion="no" addition="yes"/>
+        <description>
+            In order to conveniently set attributes to column properties,
+            setPropertyColumnAttribute() method is added to OutlineView.
+            After OutlineView.setProperties() method was deprecated, the preferred
+            way how to add columns is via addPropertyColumn()/setPropertyColumns().
+            But then there's no Node.Property to set additional attributes on.
+            This is why setPropertyColumnAttribute() method is introduced.
+        </description>
+        <class package="org.openide.explorer.view" name="OutlineView"/>
+        <issue number="208713"/>
+    </change>
     <change id="OutlineView_with_quicksearch">
         <api name="explorer"/>
         <summary>QuickSearch attached to OutlineView</summary>
diff --git a/openide.explorer/manifest.mf b/openide.explorer/manifest.mf
--- a/openide.explorer/manifest.mf
+++ b/openide.explorer/manifest.mf
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@
 OpenIDE-Module: org.openide.explorer
 OpenIDE-Module-Localizing-Bundle: org/openide/explorer/Bundle.properties
 AutoUpdate-Essential-Module: true
-OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 6.43
+OpenIDE-Module-Specification-Version: 6.44
 
diff --git a/openide.explorer/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineView.java b/openide.explorer/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineView.java
--- a/openide.explorer/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineView.java
+++ b/openide.explorer/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineView.java
@@ -635,6 +635,33 @@
         setProperties (props, true);
     }
     
+    /**
+     * Set an attribute value for the property column
+     * representing properties that have the passed programmatic (not display)
+     * name.
+     *
+     * @param columnName The programmatic name (Property.getName()) of the
+     * column
+     * @param attributeName The name of the attribute that is to be set
+     * @param value The value of the attribute
+     * @throws IllegalArgumentException if the column name is not found.
+     * @since 6.44
+     */
+    public final void setPropertyColumnAttribute(String columnName, String attributeName, Object value)
+                      throws IllegalArgumentException {
+        Property[] props = rowModel.getProperties();
+        boolean found = false;
+        for (Property p : props) {
+            if (columnName.equals(p.getName())) {
+                p.setValue(attributeName, value);
+                found = true;
+            }
+        }
+        if (!found) {
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException("Unknown column "+columnName);
+        }
+    }
+
     /** Enable/disable displaying popup menus on tree view items.
     * Default is enabled.
     * @param value <code>true</code> to enable
diff --git a/openide.explorer/test/unit/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineViewTest.java b/openide.explorer/test/unit/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineViewTest.java
--- a/openide.explorer/test/unit/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineViewTest.java
+++ b/openide.explorer/test/unit/src/org/openide/explorer/view/OutlineViewTest.java
@@ -234,6 +234,19 @@
         assertEquals ("[2]", view.getOutline ().getValueAt (3, 0).toString ());
         assertEquals ("[2-index from 200 to 299]", view.getOutline ().getValueAt (101, 0).toString ());
     }
+    
+    public void testColumnSortability() throws Exception {
+        ETableColumnModel etcm = (ETableColumnModel) view.getOutline().getColumnModel();
+        ETableColumn etc = (ETableColumn) etcm.getColumn(1);
+        boolean sortable = etc.isSortingAllowed();
+        assertEquals("Has to be sortable, initially.", true, sortable);
+        view.setPropertyColumnAttribute("unitTestPropName", "SortableColumn", Boolean.FALSE);
+        sortable = etc.isSortingAllowed();
+        assertEquals("Should not be sortable after attribute change.", false, sortable);
+        view.setPropertyColumnAttribute("unitTestPropName", "SortableColumn", Boolean.TRUE);
+        sortable = etc.isSortingAllowed();
+        assertEquals("Sortable, again.", true, sortable);
+    }
 
     private class OutlineViewComponent extends JPanel implements ExplorerManager.Provider {