Sorting literature alphabetically online. Sort strings alphabetically in Word

Working with documents in Word often involves compiling lists in alphabetical order. Thus, students need to prepare lists of references, managers or their secretaries - lists of employees. Of course, for ease of work, you need to know how to create an alphabetical list automatically in Word. It's pretty simple. This article describes how to create simple and numbered lists based on dividing text into paragraphs.

Preparation

Before making an alphabetical list in Word, materials (items of the future list) need to be prepared. They must satisfy a simple requirement: each position must be separated from the other by a paragraph mark. At this stage, your materials will already be a list, but it will lack structure.

A common mistake when making lists is adding extra paragraphs. For example, if each position is not a single line, but a paragraph of complex structure (say, and an abstract), it is easy to miss the extra paragraph mark that separates the book's output from its description. This error is fraught with the fact that the program will read these two parts as independent, make them into different positions, and, accordingly, distribute them in the alphabet far from each other.

The second common mistake is the absence of paragraph marks at position boundaries. It may be replaced by another character (for example, a space). This often happens when a paragraph occupies a line, and the transfer to a new one is carried out automatically, and not forcefully, that is, by pressing the Enter key. In this case, Word will not separate the list elements and, accordingly, will sort the “stuck together” elements by the first of them.

Therefore, before compiling an alphabetical list of references in Word, turn on the display mode for non-printable characters and make sure that, firstly, each future position is separated from the next by a paragraph mark, and secondly, there are no unnecessary divisions inside each paragraph.

Sort by alphabet

To sort the resulting list alphabetically, select it and on the “Home” tab, in the “Paragraph” tab, find the “Sorting” button.

In the window that opens, in the left field, select the “Paragraph” option, and in the right (“Type”) - the “Text” option.

Thus, the criterion for separating one fragment from another for the program will be a paragraph (Word will take it as a list unit), and sorting will occur not by date or by numbers, but by letters.

Please note that Word allows you to sort in descending and ascending order: just make the appropriate selection.

After clicking OK, your list will be sorted alphabetically.

Common mistake when creating a numbered list

Students and authors of other qualifying works are often interested in how to make an alphabetical list in Word that also contains numbering. It's quite simple if you don't make one mistake, which for some reason is quite common.

The fact is that the program can sort by both letters and numbers, so you can often see how the author of a work manually numbers a list and then tries to format it. This is the wrong way.

Create a numbered alphabetical list

In order for the list to be sorted alphabetically and still remain numbered, it must be formatted as numbered.

To do this, select the list and click the “Numbering” button on the “Home” tab. Each paragraph will be assigned a corresponding number. A numbered alphabetical list in Word is created using the same algorithm as an unnumbered one. When sorting, the numbering automatically changes (updates).

Continuation of the list

It is important to know not only how to make an alphabetical list in Word, but also how to continue it.

If the database of materials needs to be supplemented with one or many positions, it is not necessary to look for the appropriate place for them; it is enough to enter them as separate paragraphs, then select the entire list and sort again - the program will find the corresponding places for the new elements of the list, and the numbering will be updated again.

Formatting Features

Sometimes difficulties arise with the fact that the alphabetical list in Word 2010 (as in earlier versions) is not automatically formatted when new items are included in it. The most common problem is that the program does not number newly added elements and, when updating the sorting, moves them outside the boundaries of the general list.

To avoid this, it is necessary not only to add new paragraphs at the end of the list, but also to include them in the general numbering. Word is a rather capricious application, so at this stage it happens that the inserted elements are numbered, but their formatting differs from all other positions. Therefore, it is better to include new elements in the general numbering using the “Format by sample” button located on the left of the “Home” tab.

Place the cursor on the numbered part of the list, select one of the paragraphs in full, including the last one, double-click on the “Format Painter” button, and then select new paragraphs in the list. They will be included in the general list.

Now you can select the entire list and sort it again.

As often happens, the story of how to alphabetize a list in Word is much more complicated and longer than the procedure itself. It is enough to go through all the stages from beginning to end several times, and sorting the list will not present any difficulties.

Everyone has to make lists in Microsoft Word. First - while studying at school or university. After all, when preparing essays, coursework, and diplomas, teachers require you to create a list of references in Word and sort it alphabetically.

This knowledge will be useful at work in the future. For example, when writing articles for websites, blogs, and online stores, lists are required, because they improve the readability of the text. They can also be useful when preparing reports or any documents.

In a word, today you can’t live without it. Therefore, below we will consider detailed instructions on how to make a list in Word 2010, 2007 and 2003, and then arrange it alphabetically (if necessary).

First, a little theory. There are 3 types of lists in Microsoft Word:

• marked;
• numbered;
• multi-level.

Marked ones use dots by default. But instead of them, you can choose checkmarks, arrows, squares and other special symbols.

With numbered ones, everything is clear from the name. Usually Latin numerals are used here, although Roman numerals and even English letters can be used instead.

Finally, multi-level ones are those that consist of sub-levels. For example, there is point 1, and then there are 1a, 1b, etc. In this case, they can be either marked or numbered.

This completes the short course in theory, let's move on to practice.

Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make a list of different versions in Word. To save time, you can immediately scroll through the page to the desired section.

How to make a list in Word 2003?

Creating lists in Word couldn't be easier. And now you will see this for yourself.

For example, you need to create a bulleted list in Word 2003. Write a couple of lines, highlight them and click the following icon:

If you don’t have it, then select “View – Toolbars” in the top menu and check the “Format” box.

If you want to choose another symbol instead of dots, then open the “Format-List” items in the menu.

Go to the "Marked" tab and choose what you like best. If you don’t like anything, then select the most suitable option and click the “Change” button.

Here you can change the indentation of the list in Word (this is important when preparing abstracts, term papers and dissertations), the icon or the picture.

In the latter case, symbols of various colors and shapes are offered to choose from, so there will always be something to choose from.

Now, to make an alphabetical list in Word, select “Table – Sorting” in the top menu.

In the window that opens, check the box next to “Ascending” and click “OK.”

Ready. This is how easy it is to make an alphabetical list in Word.

If you want to arrange it in reverse order, then select Descending.

To create a numbered list in Word 2003, select a new pair of lines (or the same ones) and click on this icon (how to display it is written just above):

As a result, Latin numerals will be displayed instead of dots. If you want to put something else, go to the “Format-List” again, open the “Numbered” section and choose what you like best.

Making a multi-level list in Word 2003 is also easy. Select a couple of lines, select the same items in the menu and go to the “Multi-level” section. Then highlight the option you like and click OK.

Initially it will be normal. To make it multi-level, highlight the desired item and press Tab. It will “move” a little to the right and the letter or number opposite it will change. To make it clearer, look at the screenshot below.

Now about how to make a bibliography in Word:

1. Copy the titles of books or other sources into a text editor.
2. Create a numbered list.
3. Sort it alphabetically.

This is how easy it is to create a bibliography in Word 2003. Let's move on.

How to create a list in Word 2007?

Word 2007 has undergone several changes compared to the previous version. However, making a list in Word 2007 is also easy. Let's start in order.

To create a bulleted list in Word 2007, select any piece of text, go to the "Home" section and click on the following icon:

If you want to remove it, click the icon again.

Please note that there is a small arrow next to this icon. When you click on it, settings will open where you can select another symbol - a checkmark, a square, etc. In this version of the text editor, this has already been implemented much more conveniently.

To make numbering in Word 2007, select the required lines and click on this icon:

If you want to choose a different design, click on the small arrow (as in the previous example) and choose what you like best - for example, Latin numbers with brackets.

A multi-level list is created in a similar way in Word 2007. In this case, you need to click on this icon and select the design you like:

Then select the necessary items one by one and, pressing the Tab button, configure it the way it should look.

Finally, to make a bibliography in Word 2007 alphabetically:

1. Copy the list of books into a Word text editor.
2. Select them and create a numbered list.
3. To sort it alphabetically, click on the following icon, select Ascending and click OK.

Ready. As you can see, arranging a list alphabetically in Word is not at all difficult. Go ahead.

How to make a list in Word 2010?

There is no point in talking about how to create a list in Word 2010. The reason is simple - outwardly it is completely no different from the text editor of the 2007 version. The same goes for Microsoft Word 2013 and 2016 packages. They look absolutely identical. Therefore, creating lists in Word 2010, 2013 and 2016 is done in exactly the same way as in the 2007 version.

So if you need to make a bibliography in Word 2010 and organize it alphabetically, follow the instructions described above.

Instead of a conclusion

That's all. Now you know how to format lists in Word 2010, 2007, 2003, how to correctly create a list of references and sort it in alphabetical order, and how to adjust indentations if your teachers require it.

As you can see, everything is as simple as shelling pears, the main thing here is to figure it out the first time. And then you will perform these operations automatically, without even thinking about what is being done and how.

Almost all more or less active users of this program know that you can create tables in the Microsoft Word word processor. Yes, everything here is not as professionally implemented as in Excel, but for everyday needs the capabilities of a text editor are more than enough. We have already written quite a lot about the features of working with tables in Word, and in this article we will look at another topic.

How to sort a table alphabetically? Most likely, this is not the most popular question among Microsoft users, but not everyone knows the answer to it. In this article, we'll show you how to sort the contents of a table alphabetically, as well as how to sort a specific column.

1. Select the table with all its contents: to do this, place the cursor in its upper left corner, wait until the sign for moving the table appears (a small cross located in a square) and click on it.

2. Go to the tab "Layout"(chapter "Working with tables") and click on the button "Sorting" located in the group "Data".

Note: Before you start sorting the data in the table, we recommend cutting or copying the information contained in the header (first row) to another location. This will not only make sorting easier, but will also allow you to keep the table header in its place. If the position of the first row of the table is not important for you, and it should also be sorted alphabetically, select it too. You can also simply select the table without a header.

3. Select the required data sorting options in the window that opens.

If you want the data to be sorted relative to the first column, in the Sort By, Then By, Then By sections, set Columns 1.

If each column of the table should be sorted in alphabetical order, regardless of the other columns, you need to do this:

• "Sort by"— “Columns 1”;
• "Then by"— “Columns 2”;
• "Then by"— “Columns 3.”

Note: In our example, we only sort the first column alphabetically.

In the case of text data, as in our example, the parameters "Type" And "By" for each line should be left unchanged ( "text" And "paragraphs", respectively). Actually, it is simply impossible to sort numerical data alphabetically.

The last column in the window " Sorting" is actually responsible for the sorting type:

• "Ascending"— in alphabetical order (from “A” to “Z”);
• "descending"- in reverse alphabetical order (from “Z” to “A”).

4. After setting the required values, click "OK" to close the window and see the changes.

5. The data in the table will be sorted alphabetically.

Don't forget to return the hat to its place. Click in the first cell of the table and click "CTRL+V" or button "Insert" in Group "Clipboard"(tab "Home").

Sort a single table column alphabetically

Sometimes you need to sort data in alphabetical order from only one column of a table. Moreover, this must be done in such a way that the information from all other columns remains in its place. If it concerns only the first column, you can use the method described above, doing it exactly the same way as we did in our example. If this is not the first column, do the following:

1. Select the table column that you want to sort alphabetically.

2. In the tab "Layout" in the tools group "Data" click the button "Sorting".

3. In the window that opens, in the section "First by" select initial sort option:

• data of a specific cell (in our example this is the letter “B”);
• indicate the sequence number of the selected column;
• repeat the same step for the “Then By” sections.

Note: Which sort type to choose (parameters "Sort by" And "Then by") depends on the data in the column cells. In our example, when the cells of the second column contain only letters for alphabetical sorting, it is enough to simply indicate "Columns 2". In this case, there is no need to perform the manipulations described below.

4. At the bottom of the window, select the option switch "List" to the required position:

• "Title Row";
• "No title line."

Note: The first parameter “attracts” the header to sorting, the second allows you to sort the column without taking into account the header.

5. Click the button below "Options".

6. In section "Sort Options" check the box next to the item "Columns only".

7. Closing the window "Sort Options"(“OK” button), make sure that the checkbox next to all sorting type items is checked "Ascending"(alphabetical order) or "descending"(reverse alphabetical order).

8. Close the window by clicking "OK".

The column you select will be sorted alphabetically.

That's all, now you know how to sort a Word table alphabetically.

In Microsoft Word documents you can often find various lists, for example, a list of goods, literature, students, etc. They can be written either simply from a new line on the sheet, or added to the table. By filling them out, the new data is simply printed at the end. But what if you need to arrange the data in alphabetical order to make it easier to find the information you need?

You don’t have to manually arrange all the items in alphabetical order; you can use the built-in text editor function for this. In this article we will touch on this topic and figure out how to alphabetize a list in Word.

For example, let's take this list of people.

Select the lines you need to work with. Then, on the “Home” tab, in the “Paragraph” group, click on the “Sort” button - it has the letters “A-Z” and an arrow pointing down.

A window will appear as in the below screenshot. In it, indicate how you want to sort, ascending or descending, and click OK.

The required list will be arranged in alphabetical order.

If you have different words or numbers in one line and you want to sort not by the first value, but by any other, then we do this. In the example, in the line, in addition to the person’s first and last name, his height is also indicated. Let's use it.

Select the list and click on the button with the letters A/Z.

In the window that opens, in the “Type” field, select “Number”, then specify in what order to sort, and click “OK”.

After this, the list will be modified and the numbers will be arranged in ascending order.

In order to sort a list inserted into a table in Word, you need to do everything exactly as described. First, select the required rows of the table, then click on the mentioned button.

Next you need to specify the column and what type of data to sort by (this is useful if one column contains text and numbers or dates). Then select ascending or descending and click OK.

This is what sorted data looks like in a table.

If you do not have the first column, then in the “Sorting” window select the one you need, then the data type by which you want to sort. Next, select ascending or descending and click “OK”.

In the example, I made a second column with numbers in ascending order.

I’ll finish here, because now you know how to sort a list alphabetically in Word. Moreover, it can be either regular or presented in the form of a table.

Today we will talk about how to sort different types of lists alphabetically in Word. Microsoft does not have the full range of capabilities for organizing user input. However, documents often need to be created in alphabetical lists, which is why the program includes the ability to sort strings. It's quite simple to use.

Instructions

First of all, to solve the question of how to sort a list alphabetically in Word, we launch the word processor itself. If edits need to be made to an existing document, load it and place the cursor in the required location. Please note that the list will appear as a separate paragraph of text. Thus, we need to provide for the separation of the selected fragment from the previous one.

Enter

At the next stage of solving the question of how to sort alphabetically in Word, we enter all the lines of the future list, without paying attention to the order. And so we finish each item by entering the character that is responsible for the “carriage return”, that is, by pressing Enter.

From A to Z"

In order to solve the question of how to sort alphabetically in Word, select all the lines in the list and expand which allows you to make text sorting settings. To call it, we use the buttons with the letters “A” and “Z”, as well as an arrow pointing down. This function is placed in the “Paragraph” group on the “Home” tab of the main Word menu. Please note that in the “First by” field the default value is “paragraphs” - we leave it unchanged. As for the neighboring one - “Type” - it needs to be adjusted only if the lines have dates or numbers. A little to the right there are a couple of fields that specify the sorting direction - “descending” and “ascending”. Select the desired option by clicking on it with the mouse. When a document fragment, in addition to the lines themselves, also includes a title, put a checkmark opposite the inscription “with a title line”, it is located at the bottom of the settings window. Initially, sorting is performed without taking into account the case of letters. If it is necessary for the list to contain lines that begin with capital letters first, and then lowercase ones, open additional settings. For this purpose, we use the “Options” button, which is located in the main settings window.

So we figured out how to alphabetically sort items in various lists in Word.