Take Control of Numbers, 3rd Edition

Sort Data

This chapter starts with the basics of how Numbers sorts letters, numbers, and blank cells. You’ll see how to quickly Sort with Column Menus, and Sort with the Organize Inspector for more-sophisticated sorts—including a way to Sort Part of a Table. You’ll learn to Master Unsorting, and Deal with Special Sorting Issues such as how sorting interacts with headers, footers, merged cells, and hidden rows.

Learn About Sorting Order

If you think sorting order is simple and obvious, then you need more variety in your tables. Here’s how Numbers determines sorting order:

• Formula cells: Cells with formulas in them are sorted according to their results—that is, what’s displayed in the cell.

• Numeric values: Numbers are always first. ...