PRJ: How Microsoft Project Sorts Text Fields
Article ID: 124032
Article Last Modified on 1/19/2007
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Project 2000 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Project 98 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Project 4.1 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Project 4.1a
- Microsoft Project 3.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Project 3.0a
- Microsoft Project 4.0 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Project 3.0 for Macintosh
This article was previously published under Q124032
SUMMARY
Microsoft Project uses the "smart-sort" technique to sort data in text
fields. This type of sort is not strictly an alphabetical one. If a string
contains numbers, Microsoft Project treats those numbers as numeric values
instead of treating them as their string equivalents.
MORE INFORMATION
Example (Ascending Sort Order)
String1: G35L
String2: G325L
When these values are sorted in Microsoft Project, string1 is above string2. In an alphabetical sort, string2 would be ordered above string1.
Microsoft Project starts an alphanumeric comparison by comparing the "G" of
string1 to the "G" of string2. Because the next characters are numbers,
Microsoft Project treats them as numeric values, and compares the number 35
to the number 325. The number 35 is less than the number 325, therefore
Microsoft Project sorts string1 above string2.
Additional query words: prj2000 incorrect wrong bad 3.00a algorithm
Keywords: kbhowto kbusage KB124032