Formatting/sorting my DVD list

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mike JB
  • Start date Start date
M

Mike JB

Can someone please help me figure this one out? I have a standard no frills
listing of my DVD collection. Here's a small example of the way my titles
are listed:

001 Beyond The Fringe
002 Cat People
003 Dead or Alive
004 Easy Rider

As you can see, they are listed in alphabetical order. The example above is
just that. My real list runs to about 1,800 titles.

What I want to know is, is there a way to A-Z sort this list ignoring the
three digits at the beginning of each line? Lets say I type a new title at
the end of the list like this:

001 Beyond The Fringe
002 Cat People
003 Dead or Alive
004 Easy Rider
808 Cool Runnings

So as you can see, ideally Cool Runnings would need to be moved just
underneath Cat People, however doing a standard sort would leave the
positions as they are as the numerical positions of the digits would take
priority.

Is it possible to sort this list whilst ignoring the beginning three digits
on each line?

Thanks for reading,

Mike.
 
It's definitely possible, but there are several significant variables that
will determine *how* to go about it.

1 - What version of Word are you using?

2 - Is the list in a Table? ( A 2 column table would make it quite simple.)

3 - If not a table, have you at least separated the numbers from the titles
by pressing Tab (rather than using the spacebar)? That's just as good as a
table for easier sorting of the list.

4 - If you've just used the spacebar to separate the numbers from the titles
it will make it much more difficult to sort. Depending on how may items it
might be best to replace the spaces with Tabs first.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac



On 10/20/07 2:07 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "Mike JB" <[email protected]>
wrote:

Can someone please help me figure this one out? I have a standard no frills
listing of my DVD collection. Here's a small example of the way my titles
are listed:

001 Beyond The Fringe
002 Cat People
003 Dead or Alive
004 Easy Rider

As you can see, they are listed in alphabetical order. The example above is
just that. My real list runs to about 1,800 titles.

What I want to know is, is there a way to A-Z sort this list ignoring the
three digits at the beginning of each line? Lets say I type a new title at
the end of the list like this:

001 Beyond The Fringe
002 Cat People
003 Dead or Alive
004 Easy Rider
808 Cool Runnings

So as you can see, ideally Cool Runnings would need to be moved just
underneath Cat People, however doing a standard sort would leave the
positions as they are as the numerical positions of the digits would take
priority.

Is it possible to sort this list whilst ignoring the beginning three digits
on each line?

Thanks for reading,

Mike.
 
Select the list and use Table | Sort to sort on Word 2 (with Word 3 and Word
4 if necessary as the secondary and tertiary sort keys).

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
Thanks for the reply Bob.

To answer your questions:

1. I'm using Word 2000 (9.0.2720) though I do have access to Word 2007 at my
office.

2. No, unfortunately not, but I can do that, however wouldn't putting the
titles in one column and the numbers in another separate them completely in
a sort?

3. Yes, the digits are separated from the DVD titles by a single tab.

Mike.
 
Word is able to sort a table letting you select the primary column for the
sort. So you can alphabetize the table on the column of names whilst keeping
the rows locked.

This is important in your case as adding new titles later (presuming your
collection will grow) will be easy whilst in numerical order. So you can
switch between order as required.
 
But what you're all missing is that this particular data collection can be
sorted outside a table.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
Just so it's clear; I need the digits to stick with the title. On other
words, in my example, the three digits 808 next to the title Cool Runnings,
must always remain 808. It must move with the title as it is sorted. Cool
Runnings will always remain item #808 regardless of how many other titles
are added.

I'll try all your suggestions later this evening after work. Thanks to all
for your help.
 
I tested the collection you posted. The result of the sort I described was:

001 Beyond The Fringe

002 Cat People

808 Cool Runnings

003 Dead or Alive

004 Easy Rider


--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA

Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
See in line below:

On 10/20/07 3:26 PM, in article
(e-mail address removed), "Mike JB" <[email protected]>
wrote:

Thanks for the reply Bob.

To answer your questions:

1. I'm using Word 2000 (9.0.2720) though I do have access to Word 2007 at my
office.

2000 is just fine:-) The feature is simply in a different place in 2007.

2. No, unfortunately not, but I can do that, however wouldn't putting the
titles in one column and the numbers in another separate them completely in
a sort?

Based on 3, that won't be necessary:-)

3. Yes, the digits are separated from the DVD titles by a single tab.

Then all you need to do is select the list then go to Table>Sort. Click the
Options button, confirm that it is set to Separate Fields at Tabs & click
OK. Then open the Sort By list, select "Field 2" & click OK.

Repeat the process after adding new titles to the list.

Just a thought, but have you considered putting this list in an Excel
worksheet rather than in a Word doc?

Mike.

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac
 
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