Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated December 11, 2021)
This tip applies to Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365
A WordTips reader wrote asking how to use Word to sort some data which had been collected over the course of years. The data is for a legal firm, so the names could have suffixes, such as the following:
John Davis, Esq.
The question was how to sort this correctly, as the reader was able to do under WordPerfect. The best long-term solution, of course, is to convert the data to a database format, such as Access or even to a spreadsheet, such as Excel. Short of that, however, the following macro will allow the list to be sorted correctly:
Sub CustomSort() Set myrange = Selection.Range For Each p In myrange.Paragraphs p.Range.Select If InStr(1, p, ",") > 0 Then CharCount = InStr(1, p, ",") - 1 Selection.StartOf Selection.MoveRight Unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=CharCount Else Selection.EndOf Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=1 End If Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdWord, Count:=1 Selection.MoveLeft Unit:=wdCharacter, _ Count:=1, Extend:=wdExtend Selection.TypeText Text:=vbTab Next p myrange.Select Selection.Sort ExcludeHeader:=False, _ FieldNumber:="Field 2", _ SortFieldType:=wdSortFieldAlphanumeric, _ SortOrder:=wdSortOrderAscending, _ FieldNumber2:="Field 1", _ SortFieldType2:=wdSortFieldAlphanumeric, _ SortOrder2:=wdSortOrderAscending, _ FieldNumber3:="", _ SortFieldType3:=wdSortFieldAlphanumeric, _ SortOrder3:=wdSortOrderAscending, _ Separator:=wdSortSeparateByTabs, _ SortColumn:=False, _ CaseSensitive:=False, _ LanguageID:=wdLanguageNone End Sub
To use this macro, simply select the paragraphs you want to sort, and then run the macro. It searches for a comma in each paragraph, and then finds the word just before the comma. It replaces the space (or tab) just before that word with a tab. Thus, each paragraph is separated into two fields: the first and possibly middle name is the first field, while the last name and possible suffix is the second field. The selection is then sorted according to the second field.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (10077) applies to Microsoft Word 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, and Word in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Word here: Odd Sorting.
Do More in Less Time! Are you ready to harness the full power of Word 2013 to create professional documents? In this comprehensive guide you'll learn the skills and techniques for efficiently building the documents you need for your professional and your personal life. Check out Word 2013 In Depth today!
Word gives you the option to sort selected groups of text. You can do text, date or number sorts on whole paragraphs or ...
Discover MoreSorting lists of names by last name is easy if they are listed in a LAST, FIRST order. But what if the names are in FIRST ...
Discover MoreWhen you sort information either in a table or the body of you document, Word follows a very specific set of rules to do ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
2021-12-13 11:04:40
Andrew
This solution is good and simple. Good programming practice in a more general solution might also suggest leaving the data intact, by replacing the inserted tabs with spaces after sorting.
But what to do if there might already be tabs? A more complicated solution might be to replace tabs with a known "marker" not likely to otherwise be used (e.g., "$#$@") and then insert a tab before the word preceding the comma. Then after sorting, delete the inserted tabs and finally replace occurrence of the marker text with tabs to restore the text.
Andy.
Got a version of Word that uses the ribbon interface (Word 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the menu interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2023 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments