I was busy automating the prize-giving process at school so that certificates and PowerPoint presentations could be produced easily and consistently for the annual award ceremony. As part of this process, I needed to sort a set of award “statements” that are in paragraph format in descending order. I know that you can sort tables in Word but was amazed to see how easy it is to sort in other ways.
Below is an example of a set of awards that must be printed on a certificate. The awards must be listed in descending order by the percentage mark achieved:
Mathematics 80% Physical Sciences 76% Life Sciences 82% Computer Applications Technology 76% Life Orientation 90%
This can be done as follows:
- Select all the paragraphs
- Select the Sort command on the Home ribbon
- Select Paragraphs from the Sort by options
- Select Number from the Type options
- Select the Descending option
- Click the OK button
The above technique works with numbered and bulleted lists. Tables can also be sorted on a selected column.