Sorting allows you to organize the information in a list either in descending or ascending order.
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​For example: A ➡️ Z (ascending) or Z ➡️ A (descending)

But this can also apply to numbers, dates, or other information!

In this example, we’ll take a look at the Properties module. Upon first opening the Properties module, the list is not being sorted in any particular order.

To sort a list, click the Sort button at the top of the screen.

This opens the Sorting window, which shows how the list is currently being sorted if at all. We can see in this example that the list is currently not being sorted in any particular order.

In this example, we’d like to sort the list by Property Name. To do this, you can use the dropdown menu labeled Select One, or you can begin typing in the field to find the option you’re looking for. When you locate the option you’d like to choose, click on it to add it to the list.

Once the field name has been selected, the Sort Direction needs to be determined.

You can choose to sort the list in either ascending or descending order.

In columns with alphabetic values, such as Property Name, ascending will sort the list beginning with A and end with Z. Descending will sort the list beginning with Z and end with A.

In this example, we will sort the Properties list by Property Name in ascending order. Select “Apply” to see the changes reflected in the list.

Note that the Property Name column now has an arrow icon on it.

This indicates that the column is being sorted in ascending order. An inverted arrow (⬇️) indicates that the column is being sorted in descending order.

To quickly sort a column, you can click on the name of the display field.

Upon the first click, the column will sort in ascending order.

Clicking on the column header a second time will sort the column in descending order.

Clicking on the column header a third time will remove the sorting from the column.

To remove a sort field from a list, open the Sorting display box at the top. Click the trash can next to the field name you would like to remove a sort from.

Then, click Apply.

​When information is sorted, it is important to understand how characters are evaluated by the system.

💡 The ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) guidelines are followed in the Aspire Software System. This means internationally accepted standards for character values are used when determining the sort order. This is an industry standard amongst most software companies.

Below is a table that shows the highest sort rank (blank space) to the lowest sort rank (~ or delete). Consider this when building your items!

The table above means that when you create a sort from an Advanced Search inside of Aspire, blank spaces, hyphens (dashes), or other special symbols take priority in the sorting order over traditional letter characters.
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​For example, Black/Gray Wire Connector would show first in an item list because the slash ( / ) is higher ranked than the alpha character of G.

Over all other characters, blank spaces will sort the highest over other special characters.

For example, 1 Gal Accent Plant would show before 1-Gal because a blank space is ranked higher than the hyphen (-).

🧠 Knowing the sorting priority and having consistent naming conventions for fields ensures your lists will appear the way you need them!