Ascending/Descending sorting numbers in file and email titles
If you get regular files from others and they use numbers either in their file or email titles invariably they don’t think how the numbers are going to be sorted by your computer, the using a number in the title. For example, using a list number or year, month, and date in the file name.
Here’s what it looks like when you sort things.
|
Alphabetical |
Single Number |
Double Number |
Single Only |
|
Apple |
1 Charlie |
01 Bravo |
1 Bravo |
|
Bravo |
2 Echo |
02 Apple |
11 Apple |
|
Charlie |
Apple |
Charlie |
2 Delta |
|
Delta |
Bravo |
Delta |
Charlie |
|
Echo |
Delta |
Echo |
Echo |
How do you fix this? If you intend to have any numbers in your file or email titles add the number of digits to how many numbers you intend to use. If you are only using 1-9, then use only one digit. If you intend to use from 1-99, then use two digits such as 1 being 01 and 9 being 09 so that the sorting keeps things inline. If you intend to use 1-999, then you would use 1 as 001 or 34 as 034.
If you don’t use this type of numbers you’ll look like the far right column and the sort will look awful to your customer, especially if you use a sequence of numbers somewhere in your title.
