Sorting

Sorting

Rows can be put in order based on their values in a certain column. This sorting can be done once on demand, or can persist as the rows are edited.

Children of rows with their Sort children setting (in the Advanced section of the Row inspector) disabled will not be sorted.

Generally the column to be sorted by and the sort order are set using a menu (either a contextual menu or a submenu of Reorganize). The menu lists each column of the outline and a sort order such as "A-Z" or "Lowest to Highest". Empty items will be sorted to the bottom regardless of the sort order.

Sort once

These procedures will rearrange rows into order and then leave them alone.

To sort specific rows once:

Select at least two adjacent rows you would like to sort.
From Reorganize ‣ Sort Selected Rows or the contextual menu's Sort Once, select the column to sort by and the sort order.

To sort a whole section of the outline once:

Hoist the section you would like to sort.
From Reorganize ‣ Sort Hoisted Outline, select the column to sort by and the sort order.

To sort the whole outline once:

Make sure you have no rows selected and no sections hoisted.
From Reorganize ‣ Sort Outline, select the column to sort by and the sort order.

When persistent sorting is on, rows will rearrange themselves into order as you create and edit them. A column being sorted by will have a triangle near its title, representing the sort order.

OmniOutliner Pro can sort by multiple columns at once; the priority of columns goes from left to right.

To turn on sorting:

From the Reorganize menu, open the Keep Sorted submenu.
From Keep Sorted, select the column to sort by and the sort order.

A quick way to turn sorting on or off is to option-click a column title. This will cycle among sorting in ascending order, sorting in descending order, and not sorting.

To turn off all sorting, select Reorganize ‣ Keep Sorted ‣ Clear Sorting.

To temporarily turn off sorting so that rows don't jump around while you're working on them, select Reorganize ‣ Keep Sorted ‣ Postpone Sorting. While this is selected, a check mark appears next to the menu item and no sorting takes place. When you select it again, the check mark disappears and rows are again sorted according to whatever rules you have in place.