Sorting multiple columns as 1 list alphabetically?

**philpott** · 10-19-2005, 12:14 PM

Can anyone help with a solution for something i'm trying to achieve in excel?

I have a long list of names that spread many cells down as well as several columns across and i'm trying to sort the entire list into alphabetical order. I know I can sort one column at a time but that is not what i want to achieve. I need to be able to select all of the data and sort it into alphabetical order (with the a's starting in the first cell of the first column and the z's finishing in the last cell of the last column). What I really need to do is be able to link columns so that the data is viewed as one and then sorted.

Is there a solution to this problem? Any help would be greatly appreciated

**swatsp0p** · 10-19-2005, 12:36 PM

It is not easy, especially with text. Check out this thread...

http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...ltiple+columns

Good Luck...

**philpott** · 10-19-2005, 12:59 PM

Thanks for your reply, but your answer is way to technical for me. Surely there must be an easier way??

Jim Cone · 10-19-2005, 02:05 PM

pp,

My Excel add-in Special Sort will do that.
It has 12 sort features not found in the Excel sort utility.
The "Table" sort feature will sort a table (selection) across rows
or down columns.
It come with a two page Word.doc install/use file.
It is free upon email request. Remove XXX from my email address.

Jim Cone
San Francisco, USA

"philpott"wrote in message
news:[email protected]
Can anyone help with a solution for something i'm trying to achieve in
excel?
I have a long list of names that spread many cells down as well as
several columns across and i'm trying to sort the entire list into
alphabetical order. I know I can sort one column at a time but that is
not what i want to achieve. I need to be able to select all of the data
and sort it into alphabetical order (with the a's starting in the first
cell of the first column and the z's finishing in the last cell of the
last column). What I really need to do is be able to link columns so
that the data is viewed as one and then sorted.

Is there a solution to this problem? Any help would be greatly
appreciated
--
philpott