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Sorting on a spreadsheet

Asked by Cory

Pardon my newbie question, I'm working hard to break free from the usual office suite.

I've created a spreadsheet for a directory. On the first page, I entered everything in as I wish. On the second page I wanted to take the same information but sort it by one of the columns (D, in this case). I have done this with that other spreadsheet program, but can't seem to get this spreadsheet to move all of the row's contents when sorting based on a column.

When I place the cursor over the top item in the column I want to sort by, everything sorts alphabetically based on column A (this includes the titling I've placed in the top two rows). When I highlight the column I want to sort by, everything in column D sorts but the corresponding information does not move with it.

Is there an option I'm missing that would bind all the info on the rows together so they all shift when sorting by one column? Is there a different position I need to have the cursor?

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Revision history for this message
Jonathan Clarke (jooooooon) said : 		#1

What function are you using to do this copy and sort operation (is it from a menu, or a right click, if so what are the command names?).

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Cory (cberry-ironicdesign) said : 		#2

I used Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V to copy and paste the info from one sheet to the other.

As far as sorting, I've been using the ascending button on the toolbar. As I mention above, sometimes I click on the top item in the column to sort and others I've clicked the column as a whole.

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Jonathan Clarke (jooooooon) said : 		#3

If you select all your data in the new sheet, then go to the Tools menu, Sort item, you will get a dialog box offering you the chance to choose which column to sort on. Just choose column D here, and all the data in the other columns you selected will move too.

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Cory (cberry-ironicdesign) said : 		#4

I found Sort on the Data menu. I was able to sort everything according to the first parameter using that dialog (state) but have been unable to maneuver the info so the cities are in order (Column C) while keeping the states in alphabetical order (Column D). Despite trying several combinations, my program doesn't seem to sort past the first criteria. It does the first one and stops.

Well, at least I figured how to sort by one criteria.

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Jonathan Clarke (jooooooon) said : 		#5

In the Sort dialog (from the Data menu) you can specify more than one sort criteria (column D, then column C for example). Is this not what you're trying to do?

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Cory (cberry-ironicdesign) said : 		#6

I've put in several criteria for both the first, second, and third criteria, but the program doesn't seem to do anything other than the first criteria. I have plugged in various combinations of columns for the 2nd and 3rd criteria and as long as the 1st stays the same, there is no difference.

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Best Cory (cberry-ironicdesign) said : 		#7

Tried again today and everything sorted fine. Don't know of any changes I made. Gremlins, I guess.