{{ transformations:SortAction.png}}
====== SORT ======
Category: Transform / Basic\\

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=====Description=====
This action sorts the table by one or more columns in ascending or descending order. Order of the columns matters.

Since the values of a column can be of mixed types, the sorting order depends on the value type.  For ascending sorting, the order is the following:
  * Errors
  * Empty cells
  * Boolean values
  * Text
  * Numbers

In descending order, the sorting order is the reverse.\\

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=====Use cases=====
  *To find the least/greatest amounts in a column. (numeric)
  *To create an alphabetized list.  (text)
  *To establish a date-time ordered list.  (date)
  *To discover errors in a column by grouping them at the top/bottom of the column.  (error)


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=====Action settings=====
^Setting^Description^
|Columns|Select the column to arrange the values of. |
|Sort order|Options:  //Ascending// and //Descending//.  This setting determines the order of the sort for the selected column.|
Additional columns can be added to the sorting criteria by clicking the //Sort by more columns// option.\\

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=====Examples=====
**Example 1 (single-column sort):**  Arrange the rivers in alphabetical order.

**Source table:** The longest rivers in the world

^River  ^Length (km)  ^Continent  ^
| Nile  |  6650|Africa  |
| Amazon  |  6400|South America  |
| Yangtze  |  6300|Asia  |
| Mississippi  |  6275|North America  |
| Yenisei  |  5539|Asia  |
| Yellow River  |  5464|Asia  |
| Ob  |  5410|Asia  |
| Paraná  |  4880|South America  |
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**Action parameters:**
>  Column: River
>  Sorting order: Ascending

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**Result table:**
^River  ^Length (km)  ^Continent  ^
| Amazon  |  6400|South America  |
| Mississippi  |  6275|North America  |
| Nile  |  6650|Africa  |
| Ob  |  5410|Asia  |
| Paraná  |  4880|South America  |
| Yangtze  |  6300|Asia  |
| Yellow River  |  5464|Asia  |
| Yenisei  |  5539|Asia  |

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**Example 2 (two-column sort):**  Arrange values in ascending order by Continent, then River (using the source table above).\\
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**Action parameters:**
>  Column, Sorting order: Continent, ascending
>  Column, Sorting order: River, ascending

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**Result table:**
^River  ^Length (km)  ^Continent  ^
| Nile  |  6650|Africa  |
| Ob  |  5410|Asia  |
| Yangtze  |  6300|Asia  |
| Yellow River  |  5464|Asia  |
| Yenisei  |  5539|Asia  |
| Mississippi  |  6275|North America  |
| Amazon  |  6400|South America  |
| Paraná  |  4880|South America  |

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====Community examples====
  * [[https://community.easymorph.com/t//675/5|Compare two Excel sheets with EasyMorph]] ([[https://community.easymorph.com/uploads/short-url/xQLWtAogCqcMrglyfXLKmrAF7aR.morph|Project]]; Module: //Main//; Group: //Compare data//; Table: //Mismatching rows//;\\ Action position: //4//)
  * [[https://community.easymorph.com/t//1865/4|Dynamical generating of path based on previous step]] ([[https://community.easymorph.com/uploads/short-url/70xVAnShgK4EiXuSa4HgMJtFAM2.morph|Project]]; Module: //Import and send//; Group: //Tab 1//; Table: //Create XML//;\\ Action position: //4//)
  * [[https://community.easymorph.com/t//2017/3|Duplicating rows based on a condition]] ([[https://community.easymorph.com/uploads/short-url/blETeOO6qUVzskyO2eYqMiNvjPP.morph|Project]]; Module: //Main//; Group: //Tab 1//; Table: //Table 1 (2)//; Action position: //9//)

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=====Shortcuts=====
Fast ways to create the action:\\

  *Right-click on the heading of the column to sort and select "Sort".
  *To sort by multiple columns, select the columns included in the sort.  Right-click on one of the selected column headings and select "Sort".  Columns will be sorted in left-to-right column order.