PDF (adobe.com)

Sort tables

You can sort the rows of a table based on the contents of a single column. You can also perform a more complicated table sort based on the contents of two columns.

You cannot sort tables that contain colspan or rowspan attributes—that is, tables that contain merged cells.

  1. Select the table or click in any cell.
  2. Select Commands > Sort Table, set the options in the dialog box, and click OK.
    Sort By
    Determines which column’s values will be used to sort the table’s rows.

    Order
    Determines whether to sort the column alphabetically or numerically, and whether to sort it in ascending order (A to Z, lower numbers to higher numbers) or descending order.

    When the contents of a column are numbers, select Numerically. An alphabetic sort applied to a list of one- and two-digit numbers results in the numbers being sorted as if they were words (resulting in ordering such as 1, 10, 2, 20, 3, 30) rather than being sorted as numbers (resulting in ordering such as 1, 2, 3, 10, 20, 30).

    Then By/Order
    Determines the sorting order for a secondary sort on a different column. Specify the secondary-sort column in the Then By pop‑up menu, and the secondary sort order in the Order pop‑up menus.

    Sort Includes The First Row
    Specifies that the first row of the table should be included in the sort. If the first row is a heading that should not be moved, do not select this option.

    Sort Header Rows
    Specifies to sort all the rows in the table’s thead section (if any) using the same criteria as the body rows. (Note that thead rows remain in the thead section and still appear at the top of the table even after sorting.) For information about the thead tag, see the Reference panel (select Help > Reference).

    Sort Footer Rows
    Specifies to sort all the rows in the table’s tfoot section (if any) using the same criteria as the body rows. (Note that tfoot rows remain in the tfoot section and still appear at the bottom of the table even after sorting.) For information about the tfoot tag, see the Reference panel (select Help > Reference).

    Keep All Row Colors The Same After The Sort Has Been Completed
    Specifies that table row attributes (such as color) should remain associated with the same content after the sort. If your table rows are formatted with two alternating colors, do not select this option to ensure that the sorted table still has alternating-colored rows. If the row attributes are specific to the content of each row, then select this option to ensure that those attributes remain associated with the correct rows in the sorted table.