View source for Help:Sorting

{{About|sorting of tables|sorting of categories|Wikipedia:Categorization#Sort keys|sorting of article sections|WP:ORDER|sorting of AfD entries|WP:DELSORT|sorting of stubs|WP:STUBSORT}}
{{Wikipedia how to|WP:SORT|WP:TABLESORT}}
{{Wiki markup}}
{{TOC limit|3}}

== Using sortable tables ==
When browsing Wikipedia you may encounter [[Help:Table|tables]] that have been made ''[[Help:Table#Sorting|sortable]]''. A sortable table is identified by the arrows in one or more of its header cells. Clicking them will cause the table rows to sort based on the selected column, in ascending order first, and subsequently toggling between ascending and descending order.

The actual sorting process will happen on your computer using [[client-side JavaScript]]. For this reason it is only possible to use this functionality if you have JavaScript enabled in your web browser. The sorting process is also dependent on your computer and the amount of data. Sorting a very large table on a slow computer may take a long time.

=== Example ===
This is an example of a small ''sortable'' table.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more data
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}

=== Tables with complex headers ===

Tables with more complex headers than before now sort correctly. For example:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 | name
! colspan=2 | data columns
! rowspan=2 | another column
|-
! data
! more data
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
| 1
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
|}

=== Tables with complex datarows ===
:
Tables can have cells spanning multiple rows, using <code>|rowspan=''n''</code>. (See [[Help:Table#Cells spanning multiple rows or columns|Help:rowspan]]).

The number of rows must be indicated with each use of rowspan. Before any sorting can be done, the rowspan setup must be correct. An incorrect rowspan organisation breaks sorting option, leaving incorrect data.

See examples below.

When sorted all the rows are filled. Tables without rowspan are much easier to maintain by less experienced editors, and by editors who are stopping by only once to edit the table.

Correct rowspan numbers, with sorting in working order:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! popularity
! data
! more data
! year
|-
| cats
| rowspan=2 | popular pet
| 273
| 53
| 2013
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| rowspan=2 | 2014
|-
| mice
|
| 1,649
| 548
|}
Note that, after sorting, the rowspanning cells are cut into rows and their content is repeated (the year "2014" in the example).

Incorrect rowspan numbers breaking sorting, and causing mix-ups in rows and columns:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ {{!xt|1=Bad use of rowspan breaks sorting option}}
|-
! name
! popularity
! data
! more data
! year
|-
| cats
| rowspan=3 | popular pet
| 273
| 53
| 2013
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| rowspan=3 | 2014
|-
| mice
|
| 1,649
| 548
|}

==== Online table editors and rowspan ====

There is an easy online wiki table editor here:
* [http://wikitable.eu5.org wikitable.eu5.org]

It makes it easy to edit the text and links in individual cells of a table. It is especially easy when there are no rowspans in the body of a table. See the previous section. Without rowspans it is easier to change the underlying framework of a table, and move stuff around. Once the wikitext framework is simpler, the online table editor is simpler too, because you don't have to edit the wikitext as much in order to edit the table.

=== Options for more columns in a narrow screen ===

==== Vertical headers ====

:See: '''[[Template:Vert header]]'''

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! {{vert header|stp=1|name}}
! {{vert header|stp=1|data}}
! {{vert header|stp=1|more data}}
! {{vert header|stp=1|another column}}
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
| 1
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
|}

This template also works with headers that span rows or columns (using ''rowspan'' and ''colspan''). '''Note''' that there is no vertical bar <code>|</code> between <code>rowspan=2</code> and <code>{{vert header</code>

{| 
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|stp=1|name}}
! colspan=2 {{vert header|data columns}}
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|stp=1|another column}}
|-
! {{vert header|stp=1|data}}
! {{vert header|stp=1|more data}}
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
| 1
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
|}
|
<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|stp=1|name}}
! colspan=2 {{vert header|data columns}}
! rowspan=2 {{vert header|stp=1|another column}}
|-
! {{vert header|stp=1|data}}
! {{vert header|stp=1|more data}}
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
| 1
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
|}
</pre>
|}

==== Sorting buttons in a separate row ====

{{Accessibility dispute|section|reason=empty table headers complicate keyboard navigation and do not give meaningful screen reader output|talk="In a narrow space" empty headers are accessibility errors|date=March 2017}}
To make a table more compact in narrow screens, the sorting buttons can be put in an extra header row below the header cells containing text. The sorting button always ends up in the lowest header cell.

Add a line break <code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code> or non-breaking space <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> in one of the empty header cells. Otherwise the sorting row will be very narrow. Here is the table followed by the wikitext for the header cells.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 | name
! colspan=2 | data columns
! rowspan=2 | another column
|-
! data
! more data
|-
! <br>!! !! !!
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
| 1
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
|}
|
<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan=2 | name
! colspan=2 | data columns
! rowspan=2 | another column
|-
! data
! more data
|-
! <br>!! !! !!
|-
</pre>
|}

=== Secondary key ===
If a column contains a value multiple times then sorting the column preserves the order of the rows within each subset that has the same value in that column ([[Sorting algorithm#Stability|stable sorting]]). Thus sorting based on a primary, secondary, tertiary, etc. key can be done by sorting the least-significant key first, etc. For example, to sort the table below on the Text column, then the Numbers column, first click on the "Numbers" column heading (the secondary sort key), then the "Text" column heading (the primary sort key).

Another way to sort a table using multiple sort keys is to hold down the shift key while clicking on the column headings for the subsequent sort keys. For example, to sort the table below on the Text column, then the Numbers column, first click on the "Text" column heading (the primary sort key), then hold down the shift key and click on the "Numbers" column heading (the secondary sort key).

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Numbers!!Text!!Dates!!Currency!!More text
|-
|4||a||01.Jan.2005||4.20||row 1
|-
|5||a||05/12/2006||7.15||row 2
|-
|1||b||02-03-2004||5.00||row 3
|-
|1||a||03-02-2004||5.00||row 4
|-
|2||x||13-apr-2005||||row 5
|-
|2||a||13-apr-2005||||row 6
|-
|3||a||17.aug.2006||6.50||row 7
|-
|3||z||25.aug.2006||2.30||row 8
|-
|3||z||28.aug.2006||5.50||row 9
|-
|3||z||31.aug.2006||3.77||row 10
|-
|3||z||01.sep.2006||1.50||row 11
|-
|25||z||01.sep.2006||1.50||row 12
|-class="sortbottom"
!Bottom!!!!!!!!
|-
|}

== Creating sortable tables ==
[[File:Wikipedia VisualEditor Table Properties.png|thumb|The properties panel of a table in VisualEditor allows you to mark a table as sortable.]]
[[Help:Table|Tables]] can be made [[sorting|sortable]] via [[client-side JavaScript]] by adding <code>class="wikitable sortable"</code> to their top line. These tables need to be properly formatted, with the right amount of cells. Additionally you need to make sure that the headers of your column are properly indicated in the [[Help:Wiki markup|wikicode]]. For this the <code>!</code> character is used in the table syntax.

If you are using the [[Wikipedia:VisualEditor|Visual editor]], you can open the properties dialog of a table and select the sortable option.

=== Simple example ===
This is the wikisource of the table [[#Example|shown]] in the first section and shows the typical way to enable table sorting:
<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more data
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}
</pre>
The <code>!</code> indicates cells that are header cells. In order for a table to be sortable, the first row(s) of a table need to be entirely made up out of these header cells. You can learn more about the basic table syntax by taking the [[Help:Table/Introduction to tables|Introduction to tables]].

=== Initial sort order of rows ===

When users are first presented with a table, the rows will always appear in the same order as in the wikitext. If you want a table to appear sorted by a certain column, you must sort the wikitext itself in that order. This is usually done for the first column. The '''[[VisualEditor]]''' makes it easy to move individual table columns and rows around. For info about that, and also about putting a table in initial alphabetical order see the relevant section '''[[#initial alphabetical order|here]].'''

=== Restrictions ===
* Tables can only click-to-sort vertically downwards (clicking on a topmost-column-name will cause the rows of the table to re-order themselves in their up-and-down positions). It is not possible to click-to-sort horizontally across (there is no way to click on a leftmost-row-cell so as to cause the columns of the table to re-order themselves in their left-to-right positions).

=== Making a column unsortable ===

If you want a specific column not to be sortable, specify <code>class=unsortable</code> in the attributes of its header cell.

'''Wiki markup'''

 <nowiki>{|</nowiki>class="wikitable sortable"
 <nowiki>!</nowiki>Numbers!!Alphabet!!Dates!!Currency!!<b style="color:red">class=unsortable|</b>Unsortable
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>1||Z||02-02-2004||5.00||This
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>2||y||13-apr-2005||||Column
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>3||X||17.aug.2006||6.50||Is
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>4||w||01.Jan.2005||4.20||Unsortable
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>5||V||05/12/2006||7.15||See?
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>!</nowiki>Total: 15!!!!!!Total: 22.85!!
 <nowiki>|}</nowiki>

'''What it looks like in your browser'''

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Numbers!!Alphabet!!Dates!!Currency!!class=unsortable|Unsortable
|-
|1||Z||02-02-2004||5.00||This
|-
|2||y||13-apr-2005||||Column
|-
|3||X||17.aug.2006||6.50||Is
|-
|4||w||01.Jan.2005||4.20||Unsortable
|-
|5||V||05/12/2006||7.15||See?
|-
!Total: 15!!!!!!Total: 22.85!!
|}

== Configuring the sorting ==

=== Forcing a column to have a particular data type ===

{{hatnote|For more info see [[meta:Help:Sorting#Forcing the sort mode for a column]].}}

The <code>data-sort-type="..."</code> attribute can be added inside the header of a column to ensure that the cells underneath are all treated as a specified type of data.

The following (case-insensitive) values are valid for <code>data-sort-type</code>:
* <code>text</code>
* <code>number</code>
* <code>currency</code>
* <code>url</code> for website addresses
* <code>IPAddress</code> for numeric [[IP address|internet protocol addresses]]
* <code>date</code> for language specific standard date format.
* <code>isoDate</code> for dates in the ISO YYYY-MM-DD format. See: [[ISO date]].
* <code>usLongDate</code> for dates in the US format (with the month before the day)
* <code>time</code>

For example:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Wikitext
! Without any <code>data-sort-type</code>
! With <code>data-sort-type=text</code>
|-
| <source lang="text" enc="div">
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=text | Album
|-
 ... etc ...
|}
</source>
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Album
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[Matinée (album)|Matinée]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[Everything Is New]]''
|-
| ''[[Love & War (Daniel Merriweather album)|Love & War]]''
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=text | Album
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[Matinée (album)|Matinée]]''
|-
| ''[[21 (Adele album)|21]]''
|-
| ''[[19 (Adele album)|19]]''
|-
| ''[[Everything Is New]]''
|-
| ''[[Love & War (Daniel Merriweather album)|Love & War]]''
|}
|}

Without <code>data-sort-type=text</code> in the header, the tablesorter gets confused by the numeric titles in the first few rows into treating the entire column as numeric. This results in it wrongly sorting the non-numeric titles as zero regardless of the alphabetical ordering of their text.

Note that if a column without declared sort-type contains only numeric values, ''but with a reference'' <code><nowiki><ref>...</ref></nowiki></code> immediately after the last digit of at least one number, this may cause the column to be sorted as text (alphanumeric) by default, <code>1 12 2 27 289 3{{dummy ref|17}} 4 5 ...</code> This can be avoided by declaring the sort type:<code>! data-sort-type="number"|Elev. (ft)</code> instead of <code>! Elev. (ft)</code>.<!--this does happen & causes confusion as it is not obvious. An incorrect sort because of this was reported in April 2014, but remained without response or correction until October 2016. See [[Template talk:Wikitable#"sort" function not working correctly on table/list article (re mtn elevations)]]-->

=== Default data type of a column ===

If you do not specify a <code>data-sort-type</code>, the sort modes (the [[data type]]s, which, in addition to the choice "ascending" or "descending", determine the sorting order) are as follows:
* date (see also below)
** criterion: the first non-blank element is of the form "DD-MM-YYYY", "DD-MM-YY", or "DD mmm YYYY"
** order: numeric value of YYYYMMDD; The string DDsMMsYYYY of length 10 (if characters positioned at s are equal together and are either '/' or '-' separator) is positioned as YYYYMMDD, the string DDsMMsYY of length 8  (if characters positioned at s are equal together and are either '/' or '-' separator) as 19YYMMDD if YY >= 50 and 20YYMMDD otherwise, and the string "DD mmm YYYY" with mmm an (abbreviated) month name. 
* isoDate (ISO 8601)
** criterion: format "±YYYY-MM-DD", with 1-4 digits for year "YYYY" from -9999 to 9999, month only with digits, format "±YYYY-MM-DDThh:mm:ss.sss±TH:TM" with time hour "hh", minutes "mm", seconds "ss.sss", and time zone offset "TH:TM, right values are optional.
** order: numeric, with time in milliseconds after 01 January, 1970 UTC.
* "currency" (this mode can be useful for other data also)
** criterion: the first non-blank element starts with $, £, €, or ¥
** order: numeric, ignoring these symbols and all ordinary letters and commas, but not spaces; note that scientific notation cannot be used, as e and E are removed
* numeric
** criterion: the first non-blank element consists of just digits, points, commas, spaces, "+", "-", possibly followed by "e" or "E" and a string consisting of "+",  "-", digits
** order: after removing the commas and spaces, if any, if the string starts with a number the order is numeric according to the first number in the string ([https://web.archive.org/20121226161834/www.devguru.com/technologies/ecmascript/QuickRef/parsefloat.html parseFloat] is applied); it is regarded as zero if it is empty; in other cases (parseFloat returns [[w:NaN|NaN]]), the element is positioned like -∞.
:::''proposed internationalisation: in German etc., treat comma as a decimal point''
* string
** criterion: all other cases; to avoid one of the other modes, start e.g. with a hidden "&"; this can be done conveniently with {{tim|sms}}, which also allows more hidden text, as a [[sort key]]; while the similar templates above are called at the end of a table element, call this one at the start
** order: after conversion of capitals to lowercase the order is [[w:ASCII|ASCII]] - partial list showing the order: !"#$%&'()*+,-./09:;<=>?@[\]^_'az{|}~é— (see also below; a blank space comes before every other character; a [[non-breaking space]] code <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> counts as a space; two adjacent ordinary blank spaces count as one; for multiple blank spaces one can use <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> or alternate <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> and ordinary blank spaces)

If more than one possible type matches, the first type in the above order is chosen. For example, "24-12-2007" matches as a date, so is not treated as a number. Formatting and markup tags are ignored when determining the matching type.

The sort mode is determined by the first 5 non-blank rows below the header after loading the page. This can also change after deleting a row, or adding a column. Therefore it is wise to make sure that every element matches the criterion for the required data type. Using a [[Help:Table#Row template|row template]] this can be done very conveniently.

The method of making sure the sort mode of each column is as desired, is specify a <code>data-sort-type</code>, see [[#Forcing a column to have a particular data type|up]].

=== Specifying a sort key for a cell ===
Sometimes the value of a cell is not correctly parsed or one wants to sort the row in a special way. (e.g. a cell containing 'John Doe' should actually be sorted as 'Doe' and not as 'John'). This can be easily achieved by setting the <code>data-sort-value</code> attribute.
{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
'''Wiki markup'''

 <nowiki />{|class="wikitable sortable"
 <nowiki />!Name and Surname!!Height
 <nowiki />|-
 <nowiki />|<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Smith, John"</b>|John Smith||1.85
 <nowiki />|-
 <nowiki />|<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Ray, Ian"</b>|Ian Ray||1.89
 <nowiki />|-
 <nowiki />|<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Bianchi, Zachary"</b>|Zachary Bianchi||1.72
 <nowiki />|-
 <nowiki />!Average:||1.82
 <nowiki />|}
|
'''This gives:'''

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name and Surname!!Height
|-
|data-sort-value="Smith, John"|John Smith||1.85
|-
|data-sort-value="Ray, Ian"|Ian Ray||1.89
|-
|data-sort-value="Bianchi, Zachary"|Zachary Bianchi||1.72
|-
!Average:||1.82
|}
|}
It is especially handy to sort military ranks in rank-seniority order.

'''Wiki markup'''

 <nowiki>{|class="wikitable sortable"</nowiki>
 !Name and Surname!!Rank
 |-
 |<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Smith, John"</b>|John Smith||<b style="color:blue">data-sort-value="16"</b>|<nowiki>[[Corporal|Cpl]]</nowiki>
 |-
 |<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Ray, Ian"</b>|Ian Ray||<b style="color:blue">data-sort-value="8"</b>|<nowiki>[[Captain (OF-2)|Capt]]</nowiki>
 |-
 |<b style="color:red">data-sort-value="Bianchi, Zachary"</b>|Zachary Bianchi||<b style="color:blue">data-sort-value="10"</b>|<nowiki>[[2nd Lieutenant|2 Lt]]</nowiki>
 |}

This gives:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name and Surname!!Rank
|-
|data-sort-value="Smith, John"|John Smith||data-sort-value="16"|[[Corporal|Cpl]]
|-
|data-sort-value="Ray, Ian"|Ian Ray||data-sort-value="8"|[[Captain (OF-2)|Capt]]
|-
|data-sort-value="Bianchi, Zachary"|Zachary Bianchi||data-sort-value="10"|[[2nd Lieutenant|2 Lt]]
|-
|}

See also [[mw:Help:Sorting#Specifying a sort key]].

'''If you have a list where all the entries start with quotes ("),''' and you want to set a sort key for one of the entries, then you will need to use the '''[http://www.ascii.cl/htmlcodes.htm HTML name or number]''' for quotes at the beginning of that sort key. See '''[[List of XML and HTML character entity references#Character entity references in HTML|here]]''' too. Lists of song titles for example sometimes have each song title in quotes. So to sort by a particular word in a song title use one of these:

<code style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">data-sort-value="&amp;quot;WORD"</code>

<code style="color:red; font-weight:bold;">data-sort-value="&amp;#34;WORD"</code>

=== Keeping some rows together ===
<code>data-sort-value</code> can be used to keep certain rows together. The specified order of these rows is preserved. An example is to keep "South Holland" immediately after "Netherlands", whatever the sort order or column:
{|
|style="vertical-align:top;" | <pre><nowiki>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Country/province!!Capital
|-
|France||Paris
|-
|Netherlands||Amsterdam
|-
|data-sort-value=Netherlands|South Holland||data-sort-value=Amsterdam|The Hague
|-
|UK||London
|}
</nowiki></pre>
| style=vertical-align:top; |<!--
-->
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Country/province!!Capital
|-
|France||Paris
|-
|Netherlands||Amsterdam
|-
|data-sort-value=Netherlands|South Holland||data-sort-value=Amsterdam|The Hague
|-
|Poland||Warsaw
|-
|UK||London
|}
|}

If you have rows that contain colspans, this might become a little difficult. You can also use the <code>class="expand-child"</code> on a row; it will then always be below the row just above it in the table source, wherever that row may be sorted in the table.

{|
|style=vertical-align:top; | <pre><nowiki>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="width:9.3em"|Country!!Capital
|-
|'''France'''
|Paris
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | In Paris is the Eiffel Tower.
|-
|'''UK'''
|London
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | In the U.K. you cannot pay with euros,
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | and you drive on the left.
|-
|'''Germany'''
|Berlin
|- class="expand-child"
|colspan="2" | Germany includes the former DDR.
|}</nowiki></pre>
| style="vertical-align:top;" |<!--
-->
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!style="width:9.3em"|Country!!Capital
|-
|'''France'''
|Paris
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | In Paris is the Eiffel Tower.
|-
|'''UK'''
|London
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | In the U.K. you cannot pay with euros,
|- class="expand-child"
| colspan="2" | and you drive on the left.
|-
|'''Germany'''
|Berlin
|- class="expand-child"
|colspan="2" | Germany includes the former DDR.
|}
|}

== Numerical sorting problems ==
{{hatnote|1=Most of these problems can now be fixed by manually specifying the sort mode of a column by putting <code>data-sort-type=number</code> in the column header. See the example tables below, and see also [[meta:Help:Sorting#Sort modes]] and the section about forcing the sort mode of a column. In the case of a table with a separate row of sorting buttons (see section higher up about sorting buttons in a separate row) <code>data-sort-type=number</code> needs to be in that row. }}

{| style="float:right; margin-left:9px;"
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ By default
! Estimated attendance
|-
| 500,000
|-
| 200,000 - 400,000
|-
| 100,000
|-
| 60,000 - 350,000
|-
| 40,000
|-
| 35,000 - 50,000
|-
|  20,000 - 100,000
|-
| 10,000 - 100,000
|-
| 6,000 - 7,000
|-
| 5,000 - 10,000
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ With<br>{{Nowrap begin}}<code>data-sort-type=number</code>{{Nowrap end}}
! data-sort-type=number |Estimated attendance
|-
| 500,000
|-
| 200,000 - 400,000
|-
| 100,000
|-
| 60,000 - 350,000
|-
| 40,000
|-
| 35,000 - 50,000
|-
|  20,000 - 100,000
|-
| 10,000 - 100,000
|-
| 6,000 - 7,000
|-
| 5,000 - 10,000
|}
|}
Text breaks default numerical sorting if it is before a number. Text after a number can sometimes break default numerical sorting. See more info below.

References <code><nowiki><ref>...</ref></nowiki></code> after a number no longer break default numerical sorting. 

The {{tl|N/A}} template in any cell in a numerical column breaks numerical sorting of that column. This problem with {{tl|N/A}} can be fixed by putting <code>data-sort-type=number</code> in the column header,

Even when using <code>data-sort-type=number</code> in the column header, text in front of a number in any cell breaks numerical sorting. Text after a number is not a problem if the sort order of a column is specified by using <code>data-sort-type=number</code>.

A dash, of any kind, in a blank cell breaks numerical sorting of a column. A dash is only allowed in front of a number. Dashes are allowed anywhere in cells if <code>data-sort-type=number</code> is used in the column header.

A dash after a number breaks numerical sorting of a column. Therefore a range (30-40) breaks numerical sorting of a column. Click the sorting button in the first table to the right, and see that sorting does not work. One solution is to use 2 columns for a range. See and experiment with preview views of the table in [[15 October 2011 global protests]]. Using two columns there allows one to sort by either the minimum estimated crowd sizes, or by the maximum estimated crowd sizes.

Another option is to use one column and add <code>data-sort-type=number</code> in the column header. Click the sorting button in the table to the far right. For more info see [[meta:Help:Sorting#Sort modes]] and the section about forcing the sort mode for a column.

A plus sign (+) in front of a number does ''not'' break numerical sorting of a column. A plus sign in an otherwise empty cell can break numerical sorting of a column if the first non-empty cell going down a column consists of just a plus sign. A plus sign after a number can break numerical sorting if the first non-empty cell going down a column consists of a number followed by a plus sign. See and experiment with preview views of the table in [[15 October 2011 global protests]].

"'''c.'''" ([[circa]], indicates "approximately") is often found in columns of numbers. It needs to be put after the number in order for numerical sorting to work. Alternatively, it can be moved to a different column. The addition of <code>data-sort-type=number</code> to the column header does not allow c. to be put in front of the number. 

Leading zeroes are not necessary for numerical sorting of a column. If it seems that way, then that means the column is being sorted alphabetically. Check for cells with anything other than numbers, and correct those cells according to the above rules.

== Date sorting problems ==

=== Year only ===

See [[List of countries by income equality]]. Year sorting of a column works as long as no text is the first thing in a cell in the column. The year must be first. Adding <code>data-sort-type=date</code> to the column header does not change this.

Text is OK ''after'' a year in a cell. "FY" ([[fiscal year]]), for example, should go after the year. References after the year are OK. Put "c." after the year, or use "est." after the year instead. 

A dash, of any kind, in a blank cell breaks year sorting of a column. Dashes after the year are OK.

Unlike for numerical sorting the {{tl|N/A}} template in any cell in a year column does ''not'' break year sorting of that column.

If there are problems with year sorting check for any cells in the column with text or a dash (of any kind) as the first thing in a cell. Remove that text or dash, and the column should sort correctly.

=== Year and month ===

Date sorting '''does not work''' for columns with only the year before the month (no day). Adding <code>data-sort-type=date</code> or <code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code> to the column header '''does not help.''' Click each column header a couple times in the tables below to see. Note the column headed <code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code> may sort correctly in some browsers, but it is not reliable.
<br>'''Year and month in numerical form (YYYY-MM) works with <code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code>''' (see relevant section farther down).

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year and month
|-
| 1999 Dec
|-
| 1999 Jan
|-
| 2004 May
|-
| 2004 Aug
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year and month
|-
| 1999 December
|-
| 1999 January
|-
| 2004 May
|-
| 2004 August
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Year and month<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| 1999 Dec
|-
| 1999 Jan
|-
| 2004 May
|-
| 2004 Aug
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Year and month<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| 1999 December
|-
| 1999 January
|-
| 2004 May
|-
| 2004 August
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Year and month<br><code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code>
|-
| 1999 December
|-
| 1999 January
|-
| 2004 May
|-
| 2004 August
|}
|}

=== Month and year ===

Date sorting '''does not work''' for columns with only the month before the year (no day). Adding '''<code>data-sort-type=date</code>''' to the column header '''does not help.'''

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Month and year
|-
| Dec 1999
|-
| Jan 1999
|-
| May 2004
|-
| Aug 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Month and year
|-
| December 1999
|-
| January 1999
|-
| May 2004
|-
| August 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Month and year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| Dec 1999
|-
| Jan 1999
|-
| May 2004
|-
| Aug 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Month and year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| December 1999
|-
| January 1999
|-
| May 2004
|-
| August 2004
|}
|}

=== Month, day, and year ===

Sorting works correctly in all the tables below. Years before 100 (for example, year 99) break sorting. If a number for a day is missing, sorting is broken.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Month, day, year
|-
| Dec 5, 1999
|-
| Jan 7, 1999
|-
| May 14, 2004
|-
| Aug 4, 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Month, day, year
|-
| December 5, 1999
|-
| January 7, 1999
|-
| May 14, 2004
|-
| August 4, 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Month, day, year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| Dec 5, 1999
|-
| Jan 7, 1999
|-
| May 14, 2004
|-
| Aug 4, 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Month, day, year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| December 5, 1999
|-
| January 7, 1999
|-
| May 14, 2004
|-
| August 4, 2004
|}
|}

=== Day, month, and year ===

Sorting works correctly in all cases below. Years before 100 break sorting. For example; year 99. If a number for a day is missing, sorting is broken.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Day, month, year
|-
| 5 Dec 1999
|-
| 7 Jan 1999
|-
| 14 May 2004
|-
| 4 Aug 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Day, month, year
|-
| 5 December 1999
|-
| 7 January 1999
|-
| 14 May 2004
|-
| 4 August 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Day, month, year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| 5 Dec 1999
|-
| 7 Jan 1999
|-
| 14 May 2004
|-
| 4 Aug 2004
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=date | Day, month, year<br><code>data-sort-type=date</code>
|-
| 5 December 1999
|-
| 7 January 1999
|-
| 14 May 2004
|-
| 4 August 2004
|}
|}

=== Before year 100. Any date format ===
:'''''Note:''' See related section that follows this one.''

Sorting can be done via the hidden '''<code>data-sort-value</code>''' using the [[ISO date]]. Combined with '''<code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code>''' 

'''Note:''' The sorting wikitext is the same for the 2 tables below. '''Any date format can be shown to the readers.''' 

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date
|-
| data-sort-value="111-12-05" | 5 Dec 111
|-
| data-sort-value="35-01-07" | 7 Jan 35
|-
| data-sort-value="207-12-05" | 5 Dec 207
|-
| data-sort-value="-111" | 111 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-35-01-07" | 7 Jan 35 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-207-12" | Dec 207 BC
|}
|
<pre>
{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" 
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date
|-
| data-sort-value="111-12-05" | 5 Dec 111
|-
| data-sort-value="35-01-07" | 7 Jan 35
|-
| data-sort-value="207-12-05" | 5 Dec 207
|-
| data-sort-value="-111" | 111 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-35-01-07" | 7 Jan 35 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-207-12" | Dec 207 BC
|}
</pre>
|}

The table below uses the same isoDate values for '''<code>data-sort-value</code>''' as the above table. But multiple formats are used for showing the dates to the reader.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date
|-
| data-sort-value="111-12-05" | 5 Dec 111
|-
| data-sort-value="35-01-07" | 7 January 35
|-
| data-sort-value="207-12-05" | Dec 5, 207
|-
| data-sort-value="-111" | about 111 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-35-01-07" | Jan 7, 35 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-207-12" | December 207 BC
|}
|
<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date
|-
| data-sort-value="111-12-05" | 5 Dec 111
|-
| data-sort-value="35-01-07" | 7 January 35
|-
| data-sort-value="207-12-05" | Dec 5, 207
|-
| data-sort-value="-111" | about 111 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-35-01-07" | Jan 7, 35 BC
|-
| data-sort-value="-207-12" | December 207 BC
|}
</pre>
|}

=== Year, month, day. Using numbers. ISO date ===
:''For examples; see tables in [[Android One]].''

See: '''[[ISO date]].''' "±YYYY-MM-DD", with 1 to 4 digits for year "YYYY" from -9999 to 9999. Year by itself is fine. If month is used, then it must use two digits. Sorting is broken if the month uses a single digit without the preceding zero. One digit is fine for the day. Some stuff before and after the date is allowed. Such as "'''c.'''" (for [[circa]]) before the date, and references after the date. Remember to leave a space in the wikitext before years that are a negative number. 

Sorting works best with '''<code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code>''' added to the column header. BC or BCE can be added then too. Test other additions before and after the date.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(year-month-day)<br><small>Wrong. M versus MM.<br>Sorting is broken</small>
|-
| -90
|-
| c. 90
|-
| 90-1-13
|-
| 90-12-5
|-
| 1011-08-01<sup style="color:gray">[2]</sup>
|-
| c. 207-11<sup style="color:gray">[1]</sup>
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(year-month-day)<br><small>isoDate is correct.<br>Sorting works</small>
|-
| -90
|-
| c. 90
|-
| 90-01-13
|-
| 90-12-5
|-
| 1011-08-1<sup style="color:gray">[2]</sup>
|-
| c. 207-11<sup style="color:gray">[1]</sup>
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(year-month-day)<br><small>isoDate is correct,<br>but BCE breaks sorting</small>
|-
| -90 BCE
|-
| c. 90
|-
| 90-01-13
|-
| 90-12-5
|-
| 1011-08-1<sup style="color:gray">[2]</sup>
|-
| c. 207-11<sup style="color:gray">[1]</sup>
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! data-sort-type=isoDate | Date<br>(year-month-day)<br><small>works better with</small><br><code>data-sort-type=isoDate</code><br><small>Sorting works with BCE</small>
|-
| -90 BCE
|-
| c. 90
|-
| 90-1-13
|-
| 90-12-5
|-
| 1011-8-1<sup style="color:gray">[2]</sup>
|-
| c. 207-11<sup style="color:gray">[1]</sup>
|}
|}

=== Dts template. Day and month. Many other date formats ===

These example tables use the '''{{t|Dts}}''' template. They all sort correctly. See the wikitext ("edit source"). The wikitext for the first entry in each table is shown in the table header.

'''Note:''' None of the table columns use the <code>data-sort-type=</code> modifier. Using <code>data-sort-type=</code> can sometimes break sorting.

The {{t|Dts}} template can be used with many date formats. See [[Template:Dts]] for many more options.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:text-top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(Day and month)<br><code><nowiki>{{dts|4 Jan}}</nowiki></code>
|-
| {{dts|4 Jan}}
|-
| {{dts|28 Aug}}
|-
| {{dts|3 Jan}}
|-
| {{dts|29 Aug}}
|-
| {{dts|14 Dec}}
|-
| {{dts|1 Jan}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(Month and day)<br><code><nowiki>{{dts|January 4}}</nowiki></code>
|-
| {{dts|January 4}}
|-
| {{dts|August 28}}
|-
| {{dts|January 3}}
|-
| {{dts|August 29}}
|-
| {{dts|December 14}}
|-
| {{dts|January 1}}
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date<br>(Month, day, year)<br><code><nowiki>{{dts|1990|4|27}}</nowiki></code>
|-
| {{dts|1990|4|27}}
|-
| {{dts|1989|8|8}}
|-
| {{dts|2006|2|3}}
|-
| {{dts|2006|10|4}}
|-
| {{dts|2004|11|1}}
|-
| {{dts|2004|1|11}}
|}
|}

== Examples of datatype auto detection ==
The script sees what the cells contains at the first 5 data rows. The sorting mode becomes '''numeric''' if the first cells contains <u>a number only</u> (comma and full-stop used in number formatting are accepted as number). The sorting order will work properly even though other cells contains text <u>after</u> numbers (e.g. "80 approx"). Empty cell is treated as "zero" when sorting numerically.

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!sort-type: number
|-
|123,456,789
|-
|2,500,000,000
|-
|300,000,000
|-
|3,000,000
|-
|5,000,000
|-
|2,000 <span style="color:green">text</span>
|-
| -4,000
|-
| aaa
|-
| -9,999
|-
|4,000
|-
|9,999
|-
|800,000
|-
|900,000
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!sort-type: text
|-
|123 564,589.7e12
|-
|9
|-
|70
|-
| -80
|-
|80 <span style="color:red">approx</span>
|-
|abc 80
|-
|600
|}
|}

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!currencies
|-
|$ 9
|-
|$ 80
|-
|$ 70
|-
|$ 600
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!currencies
|-
|€ 9
|-
|€ 80
|-
|€ 70
|-
|€ 600
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!currencies
|-
|£ 9
|-
|£ 80
|-
|£ 70
|-
|£ 600
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!currencies
|-
|¥ 9
|-
|¥ 80
|-
|¥ 70
|-
|¥ 600
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!text
|-
|a 9
|-
|a 80
|-
|a 70
|-
|a 600
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!text
|-
|e 9
|-
|e 80
|-
|e 70
|-
|e 600
|}
|}

The example with "a" gives alphabetic sorting; that with "e" ditto, the data are not mistaken for numbers in scientific format.

{|
|- style="vertical-align:top;"
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!mixed notations
|-
| {{#expr:1000000000000000000/7}}
|-
| 1000000000000000000
|-
| -1000000000000000000
|-
| .0000000000000000001
|-
| -.0000000000000000001
|-
| {{#expr:-1000000000000000000/7}}
|-
| {{#expr:.000000000001/7}}
|-
| {{#expr:-.000000000001/7}}
|-
|89 123 456 788
|-
|89,123,456,789
|-
|333
|-
|1e10
|-
|e 9
|-
|e 80
|-
|e 70
|-
|e 600
|-
|999e9
|-
|88e80
|-
|7e270
|-
|999e-9
|-
|88e-80
|-
|7e-270
|-
| -999e9
|-
| −999e9
|-
| -88e80
|-
| -7e270
|-
| -999e-9
|-
| -88e-80
|-
| -7e-270
|-
|e3
|-
| -e3
|-
|1e3
|-
|e9
|-
|e80
|-
|e270
|-
|6e11
|-
|8e11
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!first number in each element counts
|-
|7-4
|-
|2
|-
|4
|-
|22/7
|-
|111
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!percentage
|-
|7%
|-
|2
|-
|4
|-
|22
|-
|111
|}
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!mixed notations
|-
| 14
|-
| -14
|-
| 11
|-
| -12 (retrograde)
|-
| 12 or 13
|-
| 12 (?)
|-
| c. 12
|-
| 12 (approx.)
|-
| ?
|}
|}

The first example demonstrates that text is positioned at zero, and that e.g. e3 for 1000 is not allowed; use 1e3 instead. It also shows that "-" should be used, not "−".

The second example shows that expressions are not sorted according to their evaluated value, but according to the first number.

The third example shows that a percentage is accepted for numeric sorting mode, but ignored in the actual sorting, so if a column contains percentages, ''all'' numbers have to be written as a percentage.

The fourth example shows again that "c. 12" sorts at 0, as opposed to 12 with some text after it, which sorts at 12. In case such an element arrives at the top of a column, it causes alphabetic sorting mode.

== Background colors in sortable headers ==

A background color in a header may cause that column to lose its sorting button – see [https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=31755 bug 31755]. Example:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! style="background:navajowhite" |Name!![[Surname]]!![http://example.com Height]
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|- class="sortbottom"
|colspan="2" |Average: ||1.82
|}

<code>style="background:...;"</code> causes the problem.

'''Use <code>style="background-color:...;"</code> to make the color show.''' Correct method:
<source lang="trac-wiki" highlight="3-5">
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | Name
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | [[Surname]]
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | [http://example.com Height]
|-
|John
|Smith
|1.85
|-
|Ron
|Ray
|1.89
|-
|Mario
|Bianchi
|1.72
|- class="sortbottom"
|colspan="2" |Average: 
|1.82
|}
</source>

Produces this sortable table:
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | Name
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | [[Surname]]
!style="background-color:navajowhite" | [http://example.com Height]
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|- class="sortbottom"
|colspan="2" |Average: ||1.82
|}

== Tips and tricks ==

=== Excluding rows from sorting ===

Sometimes it is helpful to exclude the last row of a table from the sorting process. There are two methods to achieve this.

==== Header as a footer ====
You want a repeat of the header at the bottom. You do this by using the ! (Exclamation mark) syntax for all cells in the last row of the table. This will be recognized as a footer and the row will not be part of the sorting.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
'''Wiki markup'''

 <nowiki>{|</nowiki>class="wikitable sortable"
 <nowiki>!</nowiki>Name!!Surname!!Height
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>John||Smith||1.85
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>Ron||Ray||1.89
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>Mario||Bianchi||1.72
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>!</nowiki>Name!!Surname!!Height
 <nowiki>|}</nowiki>
|
'''What it looks like in your browser'''

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!Surname!!Height
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|-
! Name !! Surname || Height
|}
|}

This applies to all rows at the end of the table that are consecutive and fully made up out of header cells.

==== Plain footer ====
This can be achieved using <code>class="sortbottom"</code> on the desired table row (line starting with <code>|-</code>).
{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
'''Wiki markup'''

 <nowiki>{|</nowiki>class="wikitable sortable"
 <nowiki>!</nowiki>Name!!Surname!!Height
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>John||Smith||1.85
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>Ron||Ray||1.89
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>Mario||Bianchi||1.72
 <nowiki>|-</nowiki> <b style="color:red">class="sortbottom"</b>
 <nowiki>|</nowiki>colspan="2" | Average:||1.82
 <nowiki>|}</nowiki>
|
'''What it looks like in your browser'''

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!Surname!!Height
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|- class="sortbottom"
|colspan="2" | Average:||1.82
|}
|}
It is possible to keep multiple lines fixed at the bottom, as long as the lines are consecutive.

==== Forcing proper sort type and positioning rows with a hidden sort key ====
{{hatnote|This methodology of forcing a sort type is '''deprecated''', in favor of using [[#Forcing a column to have a particular data type|<code>data-sort-type</code>]].}}

One way to ensure each row is sorted appropriately is to add identical hidden rows ( <code>|-style="display:none;"</code> ) to the top and bottom of the table.  If these contain very high and very low values of the appropriate type for sorting each column, then no matter what sorting is done, one of the rows always remains at the top and one at the bottom of the table, forcing the appropriate mode for the next sort.  If it is acceptable to keep ''identical'' rows fixed at the top and the bottom of a table, these can be implemented using less extreme high and low hidden sort key values.  The hidden rows to force proper sort type may be unnecessary if the rows for display at the top and bottom of the table contain the right sort of values.  For example, the hidden top and bottom rows in the example below can be deleted without harm, but if "''(meters)''" were added in the third column they would be needed.

Since the numeric sorting recognizes scientific notation, the number 9e99 and its negative are good candidates for forced numeric sorting when dealing with tables that contain large numbers. On the other hand, characters are ranked "[[ASCII#ASCII printable characters|ASCIIbetically]]", which places the exclamation mark (!) as the first sortable character and the tilde key (~) as the last; as such those two characters are good candidates for alphabetical sorting.

<source lang="html">
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!Surname!!Height
|-style="display:none;"
|!a||!a||-9e99
|-
|<span style="display:none;">!b</span>''(brief)''
|<span style="display:none;">!b</span>''(from records)''
|<span style="display:none;">-9998</span>
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|-
|<span style="display:none;">~y</span>''(brief)''
|<span style="display:none;">~y</span>''(from records)''
|<span style="display:none;">9998</span>
|-style="display:none;"
|~z||~z||9e99
|}
</source>

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Name!!Surname!!Height
|-style="display:none;"
|!a||!a||-9e99
|-
|<span style="display:none;">!b</span>''(brief)''
|<span style="display:none;">!b</span>''(from records)''
|<span style="display:none;">-9998</span>
|-
|John||Smith||1.85
|-
|Ron||Ray||1.89
|-
|Mario||Bianchi||1.72
|-
|<span style="display:none;">~y</span>''(brief)''
|<span style="display:none;">~y</span>''(from records)''
|<span style="display:none;">9998</span>
|-style="display:none;"
|~z||~z||9e99
|}

=== Sorting with a hidden key ===
You can customize the sorting on a table by placing a value that is easily sorted before the content, and then hiding that value with HTML/CSS. To do this, enclose the value you wish to hide in <code><nowiki><span class=sortkey></nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki></span></nowiki></code>, or <code><nowiki><span style="display: none;"></nowiki></code> and <code><nowiki></span></nowiki></code>, or use the template {{Tl|Hs}}. For example, this technique can be used to create a sortable table containing the months:

{|
|<source lang="html">{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Months
|-
|<span class=sortkey>01</span>January
|-
|<span class=sortkey>02</span>February
|-
|<span class=sortkey>03</span>March
|-
|<span class=sortkey>04</span>April
|-
|<span class=sortkey>05</span>May
|-
|<span class=sortkey>06</span>June
|-
|<span class=sortkey>07</span>July
|-
|<span class=sortkey>08</span>August
|-
|<span class=sortkey>09</span>September
|-
|<span class=sortkey>10</span>October
|-
|<span class=sortkey>11</span>November
|-
|<span class=sortkey>12</span>December
|}</source>
| style="padding-left:2em;"|
|<pre>{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Months
|-
|{{Hs|01}}January
|-
|{{Hs|02}}February
|-
|{{Hs|03}}March
|-
|{{Hs|04}}April
|-
|{{Hs|05}}May
|-
|{{Hs|06}}June
|-
|{{Hs|07}}July
|-
|{{Hs|08}}August
|-
|{{Hs|09}}September
|-
|{{Hs|10}}October
|-
|{{Hs|11}}November
|-
|{{Hs|12}}December
|}</pre>
| style="vertical-align: top; padding-left:2em;"|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Months
|-
|<span class=sortkey>01</span>January
|-
|<span class=sortkey>02</span>February
|-
|<span class=sortkey>03</span>March
|-
|<span class=sortkey>04</span>April
|-
|<span class=sortkey>05</span>May
|-
|<span class=sortkey>06</span>June
|-
|<span class=sortkey>07</span>July
|-
|<span class=sortkey>08</span>August
|-
|<span class=sortkey>09</span>September
|-
|<span class=sortkey>10</span>October
|-
|<span class=sortkey>11</span>November
|-
|<span class=sortkey>12</span>December
|}
|}
Javascript sorting sorts the text inside and outside the tags, without the tags themselves. A hidden key can be put at the start. Both in the case of alphabetic and that of numeric sorting the first parts determine the order. Both parts together are used to determine the sort mode, so for numeric sorting the whole should be a valid number.

=== Alphabetic sorting with hidden key ===
{{hatnote|1=This methodology is '''deprecated''', in favor of using [[#Specifying a sort key for a cell|<code>data-sort-value</code>]] combined with <code>data-sort-type=text</code>.}}
The key comes at the start and is separated from the displayed text in such a way that the latter does not affect the sorting order. For example, if there are no blank spaces in any key, then a blank space can be used for separation. If a single blank space ''is'' possible in a key, two <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> can be used. For table elements for which the text to be displayed is equal to the key, no duplication is needed, of course.

If the text inside and outside the tags together is of a form that would cause a sorting mode other than alphabetic (if and when the element is at the top), a character can be appended at the end of the key to avoid this, again making sure it does not affect the sorting order by putting a space or two <code>&amp;nbsp;</code>. This can be dispensed with if the element can never be at the top, but this can be complicated to assess as that can be caused by sorting other columns, with varying sorting modes, and it can change when deleting a row, adding a column, etc.

Instead of "display=none" another way is using a font color equal to the background, e.g. {{tlx|font color|params=#f9f9f9|content=999}} gives "{{font color|params=#f9f9f9|content=999}}". With this method the hidden code can be seen in selected text (e.g. with the mouse). Also the hidden text is included when copying the rendered text. The first may be an advantage or a disadvantage, the second seems only a disadvantage. A complication is also that if a user uses a background color different from the default, the specified text color may not match it; to make sure they are the same the background color can be specified also.

=== Numeric sorting with hidden key ===
{{hatnote|1=This methodology is '''deprecated''', in favor of using [[#Specifying a sort key for a cell|<code>data-sort-value="number"</code>]] combined with <code>data-sort-type=number</code>}}

If one needs to use alphabetic sort mode for numbers, one can construct a hidden alphabetic key for this purpose. The simple way of achieving this is to use template {{tl|nts}} or {{tl|ntsh}}.

It can also be done manually for all numbers between −1e100 and 1e100 in arbitrary precision as follows:
* where scientific notation is used, it is normalized such that the absolute value of the mantissa is between 1 and 10; the exponent is put first
* scientific notation is used for all negative numbers, and all positive numbers outside some interval (below: 1e-9 to 1e9), and not inside that interval
* where the absolute value of the exponent and/or the mantissa is a decreasing function of the number, the notation uses its complement with respect to 99 for exponents and 10 for mantissas; the code "c" is added in these cases
* numbers 0 ≤ ''x'' < 1000 get  a "+" in front
* positive numbers in scientific notation with a negative exponent get "+0" in front
* spaces inside the code and &-signs in front are added where needed:
** for numbers not in scientific notation the positions of all explicit and implicit decimal points are aligned
** for the starting position, i.e. the position of the first "-", "+", or "e", of other numbers, see the example table
** no code should satisfy the criterion for numeric sorting mode (below we have always either an ampersand or two letters e): although this matters only for the element at the top, any element might arrive at the top due to sorting another column
In the following the left column shows the code for alphabetic sorting, where cryptic followed by the regular notation. The second column contains the same (hence sorting the same), but with code hidden with CSS. The third column does not contain hidden parts and uses numeric sort mode. When sorting the first or second column "more than 1e9" is positioned suitably, while when sorting the third column it is positioned like 0. Moreover, if this cell would be at the top alphabetic sort mode would be used.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!full code for alphabetic sorting!! display form !!plain number
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|6|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|6}} || 6
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|7|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|7}} || 7
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^10}}|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^10}}}} || {{formatnum:{{#expr: 4^10}}}}
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|1234|}} </code>|||{{lsc11amp|1234}} || 1,234
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|123|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|123}} || 123
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^12}}|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^12}}}} || {{formatnum:{{#expr: 4^12}}}}
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^8}}|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^8}}}} || {{formatnum:{{#expr: 4^8}}}}
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^13}}|}} </code>||{{lsc11amp|{{#expr: 4^13}}}} ||  {{formatnum:{{#expr: 4^13}}}}
|-
|<code><span>e23 6</span> 6e23 </code>||<span style="display:none">e23 6</span> 6e23 || 6e23
|-
|<code><span>e09 1.01</span> more than 1e9 </code>||<span style="display:none">e09 1.01</span> more than 1e9 || more than 1e9
|-
|<code><span>e09 1</span> 1e9 </code>||<span style="display:none">e09 1</span> 1e9 || 1e9
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&+0 ec89 9.999,99 </span> 9.999,99e-10</code>||{{sort|&&&&&&&&+0 ec89 9.999,99|9.999,99e-10}}|| 9.999,99e-10
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&+</span>0.000,000,001 </code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&+</span>0.000,000,001 || 0.000,000,001
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&+0 ec87 6 </span>6e-12</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&+0 ec87 6 </span>6e-12|| 6e-12
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&+0 ec86 7 </span>7e-13</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&+0 ec86 7 </span>7e-13|| 7e-13
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&+0 ec87 5 </span> 5e-12</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&+0 ec87 5 </span> 5e-12|| 5e-12
|-1
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&&-e-10 c0.000,01</span> -9.999,99e-10 </code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&&-e-10 c0.000,01</span> -9.999,99e-10 || -9.999,99e-10

|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&&-e-08 c6.8 </span> −3.2e-8</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&&-e-08 c6.8 </span> −3.2e-8|| −3.2e-8
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&&&-ec86 c0.3 </span> −9.7e13</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&&&-ec86 c0.3 </span> −9.7e13|| −9.7e13
|-
|<code><span>&&&&&&&&&&&-ec99 c7.7 </span> −2.3</code>||<span style="display:none">&&&&&&&&&&&-ec99 c7.7 </span> −2.3|| −2.3
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|0|}}  </code>||{{lsc11amp|0}}  || 0
|-
|<code>{{lsc11amp|0|}}.3  </code>||{{lsc11amp|0}}.3  || 0.3
|}

=== Padding ===
Sometimes entries are padded on the left for alignment purposes. This can adversely affect how they are sorted.

==== Non-breaking spaces ====
The effect of left-padding with [[non-breaking space]] codes <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> which render as blank spaces, depends on the browser: in IE they are (unlike actual blank spaces) counted for sorting as leading blank spaces, so in a list of numbers with text (for which the alphabetic sorting mode applies) they could be used to equalize the number of characters before the explicit or implicit decimal separator. However, in Firefox they are ignored for the purpose of sorting.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!Sorting using <code>&amp;nbsp;</code> works on IE but not on Firefox
!Name
|-
|100.3 FM
|Third
|-
|&nbsp;89.5 FM
|First
|-
|107.3 FM
|Fourth
|-
|&nbsp;95.3 FM
|Second
|}

See also [[Talk:List of U.S. states and territories by population/Archive 1#Sortable Table]].

==== Padding with zeros ====
Example:
* {{padleft:{{#expr:12*13}}|6|0}}

Formatnum can be combined with padleft:

Integer:

<nowiki>{{formatnum:{{padleft:299792458|16|0}}}}</nowiki> gives:
* {{formatnum:{{padleft:299792458|16|0}}}}

Real:

<nowiki>{{formatnum:{{padleft:{{#expr:((299792458.056 - .5) round 0)}}|16|0}}}}.{{padleft:{{#expr:(1000000*(299792458.056 - ((299792458.056 - .5) round 0))) round 0}}|6|0}}</nowiki> gives:
* {{formatnum:{{padleft:{{#expr:((299792458.056 - .5) round 0)}}|16|0}}}}.{{padleft:{{#expr:(1000000*(299792458.056 - ((299792458.056 - .5) round 0))) round 0}}|6|0}}

=== Dates ===
{{hatnote|Note: {{tl|dts}} is being merged with another template. Click its link for info.}}

The simplest way to format sortable dates in a table is to use the {{tl|dts}} template. In accordance with the [[WP:MOS|manual of style]], the template would be invoked using the following format:
* <code><nowiki>{{dts|4 July 1776}}</nowiki></code>

Please see the documentation of the template {{tl|dts}} for full details on how to use this.

==== Issues ====
{| style="float:right;padding:0 20px 0 0;"
|-
|
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!String sort mode
|-
| <span style="display:none">2006-12-03</span>2006-12-03
|-
| <span style="display:none">-0000-03-27</span>-0000-03-27
|-
| <span style="display:none">2006-12 </span>December 2006
|-
| <span style="display:none">!9936-04 </span>April 64 BC
|-
| <span style="display:none">!9900-07-13</span>-0099-07-13
|-
| <span style="display:none">!9937-09-23</span>-0062-09-23
|-
| <span style="display:none">!9937-10-08</span>-0062-10-08
|-
| <span style="display:none">!9998-12-21</span>-0001-12-21
|-
| <span style="display:none">2006-11-08</span>2006-11-08
|-
| <span style="display:none">0304-12-31</span>0304-12-31
|-
| <span style="display:none">2005-05-15</span>2005-05-15
|}
|}
Date sorting works by formatting dates so they can be sorted numerically. For example:
* <code>'''yyyy mm dd'''</code>

or
* <code>'''2001 07 21'''</code>

...for 21 July 2001. The "display:none" style can be used to hide a sortable numeric date before the displayed date. {{tl|dts}} does this automatically, and is recommended in most cases.

You can use {{dts|2012-07-07}} etc. to get sortable dates. Example:
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Date
|-
| {{dts|2012-07-07}}
|-
| {{dts|2012-05-07}}
|}
For years BC, <code>!9937-09-23</code> can be used for -0062-09-23 (62 BC): Simply subtract the year BC from 10,000.
* See also: [[bugzilla:8226]]{{-}}

==== Numeric sort for BC/AD years ====

In certain circumstances the following sort technique may be used to provide a simple intuitive numeric sort for BC/AD years which are often surrounded by qualifying text. The sort in the BC/AD column (the fourth column in the example) is forced to be numeric (just as the other columns are forced to be alphabetic) by the inclusion of the first two hidden rows. These rows contain extreme values which will mean that these rows will ALWAYS be sorted to the top and bottom of the table, regardless of which column is sorted. As the sort mechanism determines the sort type to be used by examining the first cell in the column to be sorted the hidden rows ensure that a purely numeric value is always found in the first or last cell.

The mechanisms used here are explained in the current article at: [[#Forcing proper sort type and positioning rows with a hidden sort key]] and [[#Examples]].

With numeric sorting guaranteed all that is needed is to precede the BC/AD text with a positive or negative year number in a hidden sort key (<code><nowiki> {{Hs|-9999 ! }} </nowiki></code>) which suitably represents the cell text. As this number will be the first thing the sort code sees it will sort it as a number, in the order <code>large negatives -> zero -> large positives</code>, or the opposite. Once the sort type is fixed at the start of a sort the presence of alphabetic values in subsequent rows is ignored. The sort is done numerically on the first text in each row. The detail of the exclamation mark after the positive/negative year number in the hidden sort key is to clearly mark an end to the number which the sort mechanism must consider. In certain circumstance, if the exclamation mark is not present, and the hidden sort key is immediately followed by another number, that number may be treated as a continuation of the hidden sort key number, to produce an incorrect sort.

The tables in the article: [[List of cities by time of continuous habitation]] have been modified to used this sort. The following example is modified (maintaining some defects in the content which will need resolving in the original!) from one of those tables:

<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Historical region
! Location
! Continuously inhabited since
! class="unsortable" | Notes

<!-- force numeric sorting on the hidden values in col 4 with hidden extreme max and min rows -->
|-style="display:none;"
|!a||!a||!a||-9e99

|-style="display:none;"
|~z||~z||~z||9e99

|-
| [[Ife]] || || {{Hs|Nig}}[[Osun State]], [[Nigeria]] || {{Hs|-500 !}}c. 500 BC ||

|-
| [[Axum]] || [[Kingdom of Axum]] || [[Ethiopia]] || {{Hs|-400 !}}c. 400 BC || Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum
.
.
.
|-
| [[Mogadishu]] || || [[Somalia]] || {{Hs|900 !}}c. 900 || settled by Arab traders

|-
| [[Dar es Salaam]] || || [[Tanzania]] || {{Hs|1865 !}}1865 || Founded by the Sultan of [[Zanzibar]].

|}
</pre>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Name
! Historical region
! Location
! Continuously inhabited since
! class="unsortable" | Notes

<!-- force numeric sorting on the hidden values in col 4 with hidden extreme max and min rows -->
|-style="display:none;"
|!a||!a||!a||-9e99

|-style="display:none;"
|~z||~z||~z||9e99

|-
| [[Ife]] || || {{Hs|Nig}}[[Osun State]], [[Nigeria]] || {{Hs|-500 !}}c. 500 BC ||

|-
| [[Ife]] || || {{Hs|Nig}}[[Osun State]], [[Nigeria]] || {{Hs|750 !}}c. 8th century || earliest traces of habitation date to the 4th century BC.

|-
| [[Yeha]] || [[D'mt]] || [[Ethiopia]] || {{Hs|-700 !}}c. 700 BC || Oldest site of continuous habitation in [[Sub-Saharan Africa]].

|-
| [[Axum]] || [[Kingdom of Axum]] || [[Ethiopia]] || {{Hs|-400 !}}c. 400 BC || Ancient capital of the Kingdom of Axum

|-
| [[Benin City|Igodomigodo]] || [[Kingdom of Benin]] || [[Nigeria]] || {{Hs|-400 !}}c. 400 BC || City of Benin, one of the oldest cities in Nigeria

|-
| [[Djenné-Jeno]] || || [[Mali]] || {{Hs|-200 !}}c. 200 BC || oldest known city in [[sub-Saharan Africa]]

|-
| [[Mogadishu]] || || [[Somalia]] || {{Hs|900 !}}c. 900 || settled by Arab traders

|-
| [[Cape Town]] || [[Cape Colony]] || [[South Africa]] || {{Hs|1652 !}}1652 || Founded by Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company

|-
| [[Monrovia]] || || [[Liberia]] || {{Hs|1822 !}}1822 || Settled by freed American slaves through the [[American Colonization Society]]

|-
| [[Dar es Salaam]] || || [[Tanzania]] || {{Hs|1865 !}}1865 || Founded by the Sultan of [[Zanzibar]].

|}

=== Controlling sorting and display ===
Text undesired for sorting but needed for display:
* In '''numeric''' sorting mode, text breaks numerical sorting whether the text is before or after the number. Sorting then becomes alphanumeric. Empty cell is treated as "zero" when sorting numerically.
* In '''date''' sorting mode, this text needs to be put in a separate column; in the case of a cell containing a range of dates or numbers (e.g. from .. to ..), text in surplus of what is required for sorting is put in the extra column. If the first part of the text is used for sorting, then the extra column needs to be the following one; conversely, if the last part of the text is used for sorting, then the extra column needs to be the previous one; depending on the table format, this dividing of an item over two cells may look ugly.
* In '''alphabetic''' sorting, any footnotes etc. do not require a separate column; they can simply be put at the end of the element.

Text undesired for display but needed for sorting:
* can be put as hidden text in the column to be sorted

Combining the two, we can have displayed text independent of text used for sorting, by fully hiding the latter, and fully putting the former in a separate column (in date sorting mode and numeric sorting mode) or in the same column after the hidden text (in alphabetic sorting). Fully putting the displayed text in a separate column may look ugly if it is not done consistently for a whole column, but only for elements that require this (e.g. if most entries in a column are single numbers, but some are ranges).

=== Static column ===
A static column, e.g. with row numbers, can be obtained with two side-by-side tables with for each row the same height set in both tables:

{|
|-
|
{| class="wikitable"
!Number
|- style="height:100px"
|1
|- style="height:100px"
|2
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Country
!Capital
|- style="height:100px"
|The Netherlands || Amsterdam (although The Hague is the seat of government)
|- style="height:100px"
|France || Paris
|}
|}

The style can be adjusted to make it appear as a single table. If for some row the height of that row is too small for the text in a cell on one of the sides, the browser increases it, and there is no longer a match.

A static column can also be created by enclosing the sortable table with the templates {{tl|static column begin}} and {{tl|end}}. See the documentation of {{tl|static column begin}} for details.

=== Maintaining tables sorted by rank ===

Tables in rank order may become difficult to maintain as the list is updated. People keep adding more rows to the table, but fail to renumber all the ranks each time a new one is added, because it seems too laborious.

One way to resort a table that has been updated is to copy the table (in [[wiki markup]]), remove the table code ("|-", etc.), replace the cell separation code ("||") with [[Tab key#Tab characters|Tab characters]] using [[Notepad (software)|Notepad]] (included with [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]]) or [[TextEdit]] (included with [[OS X]]) and paste the table data into [[Microsoft Excel|Excel]] or [[Google Docs]] (free of charge). Type "1" and "2" in the first two rows of the rank column, select both cells and then fill out the rest by dragging down the little blue square on the lower-right corner of the second cell. Copy the table from the spreadsheet and paste it into a text editor. Finally, add back the wiki table code with the text editor.

=== Putting a table in initial alphabetical order ===
<span id="initial alphabetical order"></span>
:'''''Note:''' For more info see the Visual Editor sections at the end of [[Help:Table]].''

There are fast and slow ways to do this. Scroll down for fast ways. Unfortunately, the [[WP:VE|Visual Editor]] does not have a fast way to quickly alphabetize a table. You can manually move rows around one at a time. Click on a cell in a row. Then click on the arrow that shows up at the left of the row. Then click on "move above" or "move below" as needed. 

If this is buggy or is not working, the rows can be moved around in the wikitext by cutting and pasting rows in the wikitext. 

A fast way is to launch free '''[[w:LibreOffice Calc|LibreOffice Calc]],''' or another spreadsheet program. See [[List of spreadsheet software]]. Go to the Wikipedia page or user sandbox with the table. Select and copy the table right off the page (do not go into the wikitext or the HTML). Paste it into a new Calc page. 

In Calc click on any cell in the column you want sorted, and then click on one of the sort options in the data menu at the top of the Calc window. Click on "ascending" or "descending" to sort alphabetically or numerically depending on the column contents. Click on "sort" for more options. Then convert the Calc table back to wikitext by pasting it into '''[http://tools.wmflabs.org/magnustools/tab2wiki.php tab2wiki].''' 

Or copy directly from the spreadsheet, and then paste directly into a new Visual Editor table where the first header cell has been selected. It may take up to a minute. You can copy the whole table or selected columns. For more info see [[commons:Commons:Convert tables and charts to wiki code or image files|Commons:Convert tables and charts to wiki code or image files]].

----

There is another way to alphabetize a table. One can use '''[[NoteTab]] Light''' (freeware version of NoteTab). It installs quickly and easily. But the wikitext must be in compressed table format. All the wikitext for a row must be on one line. That means the cells in that row are separated by double bars {{big|'''<code><nowiki>||</nowiki></code>'''}}.

To alphabetize the list by the first column paste the table wikitext into a new NoteTab Light page. Select the rows you want to alphabetize. Then click on the "modify" menu, then "lines", then "sort", and then "ascending". That will put "A" at the top and "Z" at the bottom.

Then put back {{big|'''<code><nowiki>|-</nowiki></code>'''}} (wikitext for row) between each line. Do that via find-and-replace by replacing {{big|'''<code>^p</code>'''}} with {{big|'''<code>^p<nowiki>|</nowiki>-^p</code>'''}}

:{{big|'''<code>^p</code>'''}} is the underlying text editor code for line breaks in NoteTab.
:{{big|'''<code><nowiki>|</nowiki>-</code>'''}} is the wikitext for a table row.

If there are blank lines between the entries replace {{big|'''<code>^p^p</code>'''}} with {{big|'''<code>^p<nowiki>|</nowiki>-^p</code>'''}}

Copy the wikitext and paste it back into the article. Save the page.

=== Initial alphabetical sort versus initial sort by rank order ===

{{see also|:Category:Tables that may need a separate rank column}}
{{hatnote|Note: A template that can be added to article or talk pages: {{t|Rank order}}. Or copy this link wikitext to talk pages:
:''<code><nowiki>[[Help:Sorting#Initial alphabetical sort versus initial sort by rank order]]</nowiki></code>''}}

It is a good idea to keep lists and tables in some kind of initial non-random sort order. Numbered rank order can be difficult to maintain as the list is updated, and as the rankings change. For example; in a nation list, updating the info for a single nation may require changing the rank numbers of many nations.

This discourages people from updating the list. If they do update the list, they may not bother to update the rank order. So the list becomes more and more incorrect over time. See lists of country data. See [[:Category:Lists of countries by per capita values]] and [[:Category:Lists of countries]].

{| class="wikitable"
|
It is much easier to keep a list in rank order if the numbered rank column (1,2,3) is removed from the table, and then put next to the table in a separate column. See how-to sections below. Just removing or separating the rank column (1,2,3) can greatly ease future updating of the table, whether the table is initially in rank order or alphabetical order.
|}

It can be even easier maintenance and updating in some cases if the list is initially in alphabetical order, especially if the sources and references are also in alphabetical order. Readers can be instructed to use the sort button to order a number column.

==== Removing a rank column (1,2,3) from a table ====

You can remove the rank column cells quickly. It is much easier now with the table editor in the [[VisualEditor]]. Click on a cell in the column you want to delete. An arrow will show up at the top of the column. Click the arrow, and then "delete column". 

=== Auto-ranking or adding a row numbering column (1,2,3) next to a table ===
{{hatnote|For examples see this hidden category: '''[[:Category:Article with table with fixed row numbers]]'''.}}
{{hatnote|Note: Copy separate row number table (1,2,3) from [[User:Timeshifter/Sandbox26|'''here''']]. It is 1 to 250. Use as much as is needed. See also [[User:Timeshifter/Sandbox25|'''this list''']] of just the numbers.}}

There are [[WP:Phabricator |Phabricator]] threads asking for a way to easily add static row numbers to tables. See '''[[phab:T42618]].''' It supersedes '''[[phab:T42634]].''' If a solution is implemented in Wikipedia it will be possible to use wide tables and wide note columns in tables with row numbers. Currently, adding a separate column of row numbers requires some complicated wikitext, and does not work with wide tables. Note the width of the tables here: [[:Category:Article with table with fixed row numbers]]

An integrated static row number column would be very helpful in a table initially sorted by region and subregion such as this '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate&oldid=876122887 wider version]''' of '''[[List of countries by intentional homicide rate]]:'''  Versus this '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate&oldid=858063940 narrower version].'''

See this example: '''[[List of countries by incarceration rate]].''' Its editing is explained in detail at [[commons:Commons:Convert tables and charts to wiki code or image files|Commons:Convert tables and charts to wiki code or image files]] (section about list of countries by incarceration rate). See also: '''[[List of countries by total health expenditure per capita]].''' 

'''Flag icons are not currently a problem in country lists.''' It depends on the current state of the MediaWiki software, and the current state of the flag templates. Sometimes they mess up row alignment more and more as the text size used is smaller and smaller. The row alignment is more and more messed up the farther down one scrolls down the table. At the time this is written the flag icons are formatted in such a way that they are not causing a problem. 

The row number column never has to be updated, except to add more numbers at the end if necessary. For example; when adding more nations. This allows any initial sort order for the table. It allows any column to be sorted later via the sort button, and still see the same row numbering.

In the examples below click the sort button above a column in the main table to the right of the row number column. Note that the row number column on the left does not change. It sorts independently. This allows one to see rank order for any column. The row number column does not have to sort at all. Or it can be sorted independently for ascending and descending row numbering or ranking. It depends on the table needs and setup. A note can be added above the table; something like this:
{{hatnote|Click column heads to sort alphabetically or numerically. Can sort in ascending or descending order. The row number column on the left sorts independently from the columns to the right of it.}} Or: "The row number column is static and does not sort." Add '''<code>class=unsortable</code>''' to the column head.

'''A separate row number column only works when there is only one line per row in the table.''' So wide tables, or tables with a notes column are problematic. There could be 2 lines in some rows, depending on screen width, and the length of notes. Rows will wrap from being one line to two lines. Decrease your browser width to see. For example; see notes column here: [[List of countries and dependencies by area]]. Wide tables can be narrowed in some cases by using breaks in the header titles: '''<code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code>'''. Also, the sorting icons can be put in a separate header row.

'''Tables with references within the table are not currently a problem.''' Reference numbers are in '''[[superscript]],''' and this may or may not increase the line height of the row. It depends on the current state of the MediaWiki software, and whether it increases line height for rows with references. So a separate row number column may not work, especially when multiple cells in a column have references. The more rows with references, the more the misalignment as one goes down the table. One solution is to point to a notes section below the table. See: [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate]]. The notes are in a notes section below the table.

'''Italics within the table are not currently a problem.''' It depends on the current state of the MediaWiki software, and whether it changes the line height for rows with italics. 

==== Example tables ====

Here is how to put a main table adjacent to a separate row number table.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more data
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
|-
| 2
|-
| 3
|}

The two tables are combined by wrapping them within a 3rd table that does not have a border. Look at the wikitext to understand. See examples below. It is not necessary to put text in the header cell above the number column. You can leave it blank, but sortable. Add '''<code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code>''' so it is not too narrow. You can also choose to leave the number column unsortable. Specify '''<code>class=unsortable</code>''' in the attributes of its header cell. For more info see the section higher up called [[#Making a column unsortable|Making a column unsortable]].

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! class=unsortable |<br>
|-
| 1
|-
| 2
|-
| 3
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more data
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}
|}

'''Align the multiple headers''' across the tables below by adding '''<code><nowiki><br></nowiki></code>''' (multiple times if necessary) to the header cells of the row-number column. See the wikitext for the table below. See also: '''[[List of U.S. states by incarceration and correctional supervision rate]]''' and '''[[List of countries by intentional homicide rate#By country]].''' Those tables have several header rows.
{|
|- 
|

<pre>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <br><br>
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
</pre>
|
{|
|-

|

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <br><br>
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
|-
| 2
|-
| 3
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more<br>data
|-
! !! !! <br>
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}
|}
|}

'''You can remove the space between the 2 tables''' by adding '''<code>style="margin-right: -8px;"</code>''' to the top line of the wikitext of the row number table. It may not be a good idea to do this though in many cases. Fixed row numbering is more intuitive when there is a space between tables. Otherwise people may not understand why the numbers are not sorting along with the rest of the table. 

:<nowiki>{|</nowiki> class="wikitable sortable" <b style="color:red">style="margin-right: -8px;"</b>

{|
|-
|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin-right: -8px;"
|-
! <br><br>
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
|-
| 2
|-
| 3
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! name
! data
! more<br>data
|-
! !! !! <br>
|-
| cats
| 273
| 53
|-
| dogs
| 65
| 8,492
|-
| mice
| 1,649
| 548
|}
|}

With wider tables the rows only line up between the table and the row-number column if all the rows below the headers only use one line each. So it is a good idea to avoid tables that are too wide. For that reason avoid note columns, too. Narrow your browser window to see the problem with wider tables such as the one below. Another problem is that the row-number column can drop down out of sight when the tables are viewed on a narrow screen, or when the browser width is narrowed.

Adding '''<code>style=vertical-align:top;</code>''' will keep the tops aligned between the 2 tables at all browser widths. The row-number column will not drop down.

{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <br>
|-
! <br><br>
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
|-
| 2
|-
| 3
|}
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! rowspan="2" | name
! rowspan="2" | popularity
! colspan="2" | data columns
! rowspan="2" | another<br>column
! rowspan="2" | year
! rowspan="2" | notes
|-
! data
! more<br>data<!-- "more data" would be broken into two lines anyway if the screen is not as wide as the whole table -->
|-
! <br> !! !! !! !! !! !!
|-
| cats
| popular pet
| 273
| 53
| 1
| 2013
| To align headers add breaks to the header cells of the row-number column.
|-
| dogs
| popular pet
| 65
| 8,492
| 2
| rowspan="2" | 2014
| This does not align the tops of the 2 tables at narrow browser widths.
|-
| mice
| less popular
| 1,649
| 548
| 3
| Adding CSS for vertical alignment will keep the tops aligned.
|}
|}

For the above table here is the wikitext at the top of the wrapping table, followed by the header wikitext for the row-number column:
<pre>
{|
|- style=vertical-align:top;
|
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! <br>
|-
! <br><br>
|-
! <br>
|-
| 1
</pre>

=== Sorting the wikitext of a table ===
One difficult way to sort the ''wikitext'' itself by a certain column is to use the following 'trick'. You can make an auxiliary sortable table containing the wikitext for the original table, and sort it. You can then replace the original wikitext by this sorted wikitext.

Unfortunately this method is anything but quick and easy. The heavy modifications needed make it unsuitable for larger tables, while small tables generally are sorted faster by hand.

Example:

Original table:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!demo
|-
|9
|-
|12
|-
|11
|}

Auxiliary table:
<pre>
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!demo
{|class="wikitable sortable"
!header
|-
||-
| 9
|-
||-
|12
|-
||-
|11
|}
|}
</pre>
Now you can sort the above table, and copy the rendered text to the edit box. After deleting the "header" line, this renders as a new defaultly sorted table:

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!demo
|-
|12
|-
|11
|-
|9
|}

=== Alphabetic sorting order ===
Sort the following table to see an example of the alphabetic sort order. Note that sorting is case-insensitive: the two-character entries such as A1 demonstrate that A and a are at the same position.

{|class="wikitable sortable"
!demo
|-
|
|-
|<nowiki> </nowiki>
|-
|!
|-
| "
|-
| #
|-
| $
|-
| %
|-
| &
|-
| '
|-
| (
|-
| )
|-
| *
|-
| +
|-
|,
|-
| -
|-
| .
|-
| /
|-
| 0
|-
| 9
|-
|:
|-
|;
|-
| <
|-
| =
|-
| >
|-
|?
|-
| @
|-
| [
|-
| \
|-
| ]
|-
| ^
|-
| _
|-
| '
|-
| A
|-
| Z
|-
| a
|-
| z
|-
| A1
|-
| Z1
|-
| a1
|-
| z1
|-
| {
|-
| <nowiki>|</nowiki>
|-
| }
|-
| ~
|-
| —
|-
|É
|-
|é
|-
|É1
|-
|é1
|}

=== Sorting with increase/decrease/steady templates ===
{| class="wikitable sortable infobox"
!Example!!Without key!!With key
|-
|Apple||{{increase}}10||{{increase|10}}10
|-
|Banana||{{increase}}2||{{increase|2}}2
|-
|Cherry||{{decrease}}1||{{decrease|-1}}1
|-
|Durian||{{steady}}||{{steady|0}}
|}
To enable sorting of cells with [[Template:Increase]], [[Template:Decrease]] or [[Template:Steady]], add a sort key, e.g. <nowiki>{{increase|2}}2, {{decrease|-1}}1 or {{steady|0}}</nowiki>. To fix an existing table, use ''Search and replace'' (right icon in the Advanced toolbar) with ''Treat search string as a regular expression'' selected to do the following replacements:
:{| class="wikitable"
!Search for!!Replace with
|-
|(\{\{increase)(\}\})([0-9]*)||$1<nowiki>|</nowiki>$3$2$3
|-
|(\{\{decrease)(\}\})([0-9]*)||$1<nowiki>|</nowiki>-$3$2$3
|-
|(\{\{steady)(\}\})||$1<nowiki>|</nowiki>0$2
|}

== See also ==
* {{tl|Sortname}} - Sort by surname without placing first name and surname in two separate columns
* [[m:Help:Sorting]] – The general help page of this functionality (Not Wikipedia specific)
* [[Help:Collapsing#Sortable tables|Sortable collapsible table]]
* {{tiw|dts}} - sorting a table by a date column, while following [[w:Wikipedia:Manual of Style (dates and numbers)#Dates containing a month and a day]] for display
* [[:w:Category:Sorting templates|Category:Sorting templates]] – All templates that provide functionality related to sorting.
* [[OrganicDesign:How to put zebra stripes on sortable wiki tables|How to put zebra stripes on sortable wiki tables]]
* [[Commons: Category:Table sort icons]]. Useful in sorting notes. For example; [[File:sort both small.svg|10px]]

{{Wikipedia technical help|collapsed}}
[[Category:Nordic Larp Wiki tables]]