Is there a way to have documents in a library in non-alphabetical order?

Question

I have created a library on our SharePoint site and have uploaded multiple PowerPoint presentations, which by default have been ranked alphabetically. The powerpoints need to be opened up in a certain order as it is going to be used as a training tool for our employees, so it is best that they are listed from top to bottom in the order that they should be opened up regardless of the title of the presentation. Is there a way to set the library so that I can dictate where the powerpoints go in order?

Thanks

Answer 1

You can set sorting on different fields, ascending or descending. But you can not set a totally custom sort order.

My recommendation would be to prefix the document names with numbers like:

• 1 This is the first
• 2 This is the second
• 3 Oh I am number three

making them show in correct order no matter the names

Answer 2

you can create a new column to use as your filter say Sr# and assign the number to this column. Change the values according to the order, by which you want to display the items. Edit the view and Sort by this column name.

Answer 3

There is actually already a field made for this in SharePoint. There is also a page where you can change the order as you wish. This is already used in URL lists if I'm not mistaken, but you could do the following:

Visit the order page If you visit */_layouts/reorder.aspx?List={list id}*, you will see all the items in your list or library, and you can change their ordering.

Update the view Now your items have an order but it's not used in your views. You can modify the view (for example, in SharePoint Designer) and change the 'OrderBy' property to 'Order'.

Unfortunately I don't know if you can just add the column to your list and use it in the GUI. It appears that this is a hidden column of some sort.

Add a ribbon button to the order page This would make it much easier to modify the ordering in the future. You could do this via SharePoint Designer, or with an element file in a solution:

This page has more information about it: http://consultingblogs.emc.com/mattlally/archive/2012/01/16/add-change-item-order-to-a-custom-link-list.aspx