QuickBooks 2005: The Missing Manual

Sorting Lists

QuickBooks usually sorts lists alphabetically by name, which is what you want most of the time. The only reason to sort a list otherwise is if you're having trouble finding the entry you want to edit. For example, if you have a problem with a social security number in payroll, you could sort the Employee List by social security number to find the entry you have to correct. Sorting a list in the list window doesn't even change the order that entries appear in drop-down lists.

Just in case you want to modify the sort order, Figure 5-10 shows you how to do so—and change it back.

Note

In a list window, the small black triangle in the column heading points up when the list is sorted in ascending order and points down for descending order.

If you change the column used to sort a list, QuickBooks displays a gray diamond to the left of the column heading that it uses to sort the list initially. For example, the Item List shows items listed in alphabetical order by Name. If you sort the list by Account instead, the gray diamond appears to the left of the Name heading. To return the list to the order that QuickBooks uses, click the diamond.

Figure 5-10. To sort a list by a column, click the column heading, such as Soc. Sec. #. The first time you click a column heading, QuickBooks sorts the list in ascending order. To toggle between ascending and descending order, click the same column ...