Random sort
Unlike Excel, OOo Calc does not have random sort feature. It is straightforward to work around this.
Consider the table below - we wish to randomly sort the rows.
Step 1: Add a random number for each row in a seperate column as shown below.
Step 2: Select all columns and invoke the sort dialog as shown below…
We will be sorting our original two columns based on the column of random numbers…
The final result. You can delete the column of random numbers - they have served their purpose.
August 14th, 2007 at 12:03 am
I’m not having success with this technique when using Calc in Open Office 2.2.1 under Windows XPsp2. When I sort on the random number colum, I get a new order but it’s NOT sorted by either Ascending or Descending.
Perhaps some clarification is needed on precisely HOW you add the random numbers to the temporary column. I entered the random()*20 formula in the top cell and then copied it down through all the rows I wished to randomly sort. Maybe sorts are not possible on columns containing formulas and require fixed values?
Any help would be greatly appreciated as I definitely need to find a way to randomly sort rows of data.
Thanks in advance for any light and/or assistance.
Tom
February 7th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hi Tom,
Your guess was right. I had the same problem as you (the sort didn’t appear to work properly when the cells contained a formula). I used ‘paste special’ to copy across the random numbers into another column, but selected ‘numbers’ only in the paste special dialogue box, and sorted on this column. It then worked fine.
Cheers,
Michael.
February 11th, 2008 at 12:12 am
Can we sort data with option endwith? (like msoffice)
February 21st, 2008 at 2:41 am
Hi Michael,
I am trying to sort my data randomly. May i know what do you mean by paste special dialogue box? And which column you mean in “sorted in this column”?
Thanks very much and i really appreciate your kindness…
March 3rd, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Hi Choo,
The paste special dialogue can be found under the Edit Menu, or alternatively press Control+Shift+V, and allows you to copy across values only, not the formulas.
‘This column’ refers to the column where you paste the values (using the paste special function mentioned above).
Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Michael.