Q: How do I sort only selected rows?

It is one of the reasons I can't get rid of Excel. numbers doesn't compete

One way to sort on multiple columns is to create an extra column at the end. If the columns you want to sort are (say) A, D and E, with greatest significance to E then A then D put this in the end cell of the top item:

=E&" "&A&" "D

That puts the contents of cell En space An space Dn in the end column.

Select the column, then sort whichever way you want the main one to go.

Lots of disadvantages - for instance you can't alternate increasing and decreasing values, but it worked on my data.

Bob

Sorry - I should have said that you need to replicate the formula all the way down - select the cell it is in and then click and hold on the small (orange on mine) square selector in the middle of the cell edge and drag it down to the bottom row.......

Bob

Or a combination of a filter (multicolumn if you want) and then a sort can give you all kinds of views on your data:

SG

What an absolute pain. Its so easy to sort selected rows.

Why "fix" something that ain't broke.

Crock of Horse%^£%

Dp apple know thgat some people actually use thier computers for business, and while the software might "look" nicer, taking away vital funtions is just in-excusable.

GIVE US BACK THE "RE-ORGANIZE" ICON/PANEL/MENU OPTION

Numbers (current version and previous versions) was never able to sort selected rows.  The easiest, quickest workaround is to select the rows you want to sort, copy, paste into a new table, sort, then copy and paste back.  It is actually pretty quick once you try it.

Numbers makes little attempt to be Excel. so if there is a more appropriate tool you should use it.

Rubbish.

I have used the sort selected rows for YEARS.

That workaround is pointless. I have over 100 old files that were all setup to sort selected rows.

This is a really bad show by Apple.

They spent so long trying to attract business users and now lose one loyal user with this pathetic so-called "Enhancement"

Once again I say - "IF IT AIN'T BROKE - DON'T FIX IT!"

Hi Wayne,

Even with your method, there is no way of adding an additional sort.

Back to the old version for me.

This one is just horrific.

So many steps backwards in so many ways. If I wanted a tablet version, I'd use my iPad!

I'm with you Pablo. GIVE US BACK V2 PLEASE!

My bad.  I misred the post.  You could, as shown, sort selected rows but not particular cells in a column that spanned multiple rows.

Sorting in Numbers has gone from OK to terrible in my opinion.

Pable,

It's tedious but possible, and not too bad, to sort a portion of a table is Numbers V3.

Select celles in the rows to be sorted

Cut the cell content (Command-X)

Paste to the Canvas

Sort

Copy

Paste back into the area of the table where the rows' content was removed.

Illustration:

Jerry

Hi SpesafGB,

I'm not saying V3.0 is great, but I would point out:

• THEY NEVER TOOK AWAY V2.  You've still got it.  And now you've got V3 too, for free. V3 is disappointing, but it's really not such a bad deal when you think about it.

• Wayne's posts are not Rubbish. Many of us in the community learning Numbers find them very helpful.

• If you know how Apple could make the Reorganize panel work in iOS and in a browser I'm sure they'd love to hear about it. Give them feedback via the menu: Numbers>Provide Numbers Feedback.

• If you're doing a lot of partial sorts of your data you can filter and then sort (as demonstrated upthread). It's pretty easy.  Or use Jerry's method, which is even easier. If you're really doing partial sorting a LOT, that might be a sign there are better ways to organize your data anyway.

• If you need to do single column sort, it's really easy.  If you need to do multicolumn sort, as Wayne says, V3.0 is terrible. But, meanwhile, there is an old workaround that is quick: add a new column, concatenate the columns to be sorted in the new column in the order you want them sorted, and sort on that column.

SG

Hi SG,

Firstly, I wasn't saying that Wayne's posts were rubbish, I said his comment about V2 not having sorts by rows was rubbish as I proved with my image. I am just really frustrated professional person who has been signing Apples and Numbers praises that has been left feeling really let down.

Personally, I do not wan't an OSX version Numbers to be the same as the IOS version. My old IOS version was perfectly adequate as was my OSX vesrion. I'm not interested in doing this on my phone or iPad BUT when I am at work on my 27" iMac, I don't want to use a piece of software that is written to be more compatible with a mobile device so I couldnt care if the IOS version has a Reorganize panel.

I'm saying that they (Apple) shouldn't dress this up as V3 of numbers. They should call it

NUMBERS LITE COMPATIBLE WITH IOS DEVICES

Which is really what it is, and then most of us who require a serious spreadsheet, wouldn't have bothered downloading it and wasted hours only to find out that it is not fit for purpose.

The problem I have is that there will no longer be any improvements to V2 so this is now what we are stuck with with the only alternative being to return to Excel, which I hate with a vengence.

Also, we are stuck with this version if we want to use sheets we create in OSX in our ipads. Once again, not even close to being acceptable.

All in all, not what I expect from Apple, or is this just the type of thing we have to expect from them now.

Spencer

Hi SpensafGB,

So you can continue to use V2.  (I do, at the same time that I explore V3.)  In that sense, nothing has been taken away from you. You've gotten something new for free and if you don't like it you don't have to use it.

The OSX version, by the way, can do things the iOS version can't.

And don't forget that Numbers now runs on Windows too, via any modern browser.  That's a big deal. It's in the early stages, but it's amazing to me how well the thing actually does work.  No mean software engineering feat.

I think Apple's vision is to have a Numbers to Go that can be used wherever you are whenever you need to access and work on your documents.

That, unfortunately, requires design compromises, especially at this early stage.  iOS devices are getting much more powerful so maybe the compromises will tilt in our favor over time. Anyway, it seems this IS what we should expect from Apple. They are, after all, far more than a computer company these days; their main business already is in mobile devices and things are growing much faster there.

Meanwhile, we Mac users have workarounds. And, of course, the old version. And, yes, Excel, a real workhorse, not nearly as pretty, but surely not deserving to be an object of hate.

SG