Excel Sort Behaviour

  • Thread starter Thread starter Halmyre
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Halmyre

Apologies if this has cropped up before (I couldn't find a reference
to it in a Google search), but why, when you sort in Excel, is the
default behaviour to SORT BY ONLY THE COLUMN SELECTED? By which I
mean, you select a column and click on the AZ sort button. It promptly
sorts the desired column, leaving all the (presumably connected) other
columns untouched. Is there any situation in the real world for which
this behaviour is desirable?

Halmyre
 
Halmyre, if you click a cell in the column you want to sort by, not the
column header, excel will sort by that column and move the data that is in
the connected columns
--
Paul B
Always backup your data before trying something new
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Using Excel 97 & 2000
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The only time Excel does this, is when you the user does not select the area of
data that needs to be sorted together. Excel cant assume what you want it to
do, as a matter of fact, I find it annoying when Excel pops up and says, there
is data in a column next to the sort area, do you want to include it. IF I
wanted to include it I would have selected it

I sort single columns in spreadsheets all the time. I also sort entire sheets
of data all the time.

Learn to save before sorting - it will save hours of frustration



: Apologies if this has cropped up before (I couldn't find a reference
: to it in a Google search), but why, when you sort in Excel, is the
: default behaviour to SORT BY ONLY THE COLUMN SELECTED? By which I
: mean, you select a column and click on the AZ sort button. It promptly
: sorts the desired column, leaving all the (presumably connected) other
: columns untouched. Is there any situation in the real world for which
: this behaviour is desirable?
:
: Halmyre
 
In excel 2002, ms added a warning that there is data adjacent to the selected
column.

It asks if you want to expand the range or just sort the selection.

(For what it's worth, I never let excel guess--unless I only have a one column
worksheet.)
 
If you just select one cell in one column of a range of contiguous cells, Excel will Sort all the columns in the range, keeping the information in each row together. If you have a header row, don't select any cells in the header row. Select one of the cells beneath it

tj
 
I don't trust excel to guess right may have been better phrased as "I don't
trust myself to remember the rules that excel applies".

I use this same philosophy with sorts, pivottables, autofilters, anything that I
can mess up.

And sometimes, I don't know if the data is contiguous. I inherit (and help(?)
others) with their workbooks. I find it just easier to do ctrl-End,
ctrl-shift-home then the sort.
 
Apologies if this has cropped up before (I couldn't find a reference
to it in a Google search), but why, when you sort in Excel, is the
default behaviour to SORT BY ONLY THE COLUMN SELECTED? By which I
mean, you select a column and click on the AZ sort button. It promptly
sorts the desired column, leaving all the (presumably connected) other
columns untouched. Is there any situation in the real world for which
this behaviour is desirable?

Halmyre
Click to expand...

Thanks to all who replied.

Halmyre
 
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