InfoQube IM - Community

Submitted by carloscadu on 2019/05/29 13:32

Hi,

I'd appreciate help.

As shown in the snapshot, even with "Grid>Sort>None(Manual)" set, when I close/reopen IQ the sorting changes automatically.

My manual sorting is kept just during the same session, being overlapped by IQ automatic sorting each new session.

How to avoid it, and stick with TRUE manual sorting?

Thank you!

Carlos

Comments

Is there a sort saved in the grid properties?

(Still should not change sort imo...)

Here a recent post from the thread: "items order"

[quote=WayneK]

Do you have your grid set to manual sort? (Grid>Sort>None(Manual))

Maybe Pierre can confirm, but I believe that if the grid is set to manual sort it should maintain the current sort unless you move the items manually or apply a sort command.

My experience has been the manual sort doesn't always maintain the current sort. I experience this most often when I'm going into and out of hoisting.

If your field is sorted alphabetically, it's easy enough to apply a new sort to put things back in proper order.

If you want the field sorted by time created, you can display the ItemCreated column and sort by that.

When I have a list of items where it's important to maintain a sort (eg a long series of notes on a book), I use a "sequence" text field where each note receives a sequential number (this can be entered manually or using the renumber tool, which is very helpful). That way I know that no matter what happens, I can always put everything back into proper order by applying an alphanumeric sort to that column.

If you use a text column for sorting numbers, put an appropriate number of zero's at the beginning (eg if you anticipate 100 notes, number them 001, 002 etc)

Wayne

[/quote]

Carlos,

I use the same manual setting, and have never noticed the manual sort being overridden when the file is opened. I'm pretty sure I'd have noticed if this was happening regularly. I just closed and re-opened one of my files and confirmed that the sort was maintained. So I'm afraid I don't have any advice to offer.

I came on here to post my own issue with manual sorting. Since it's similar to yours, I'll just add it here, if you don't mind. When Pierre gets time later on, maybe he can address these.

Manual Sort Issue Using Filter + Hoist

1) Grid>Sort>None (Manual)

2) Apply column filter (Ctrl-G) for some search term; get multiple results

3) Select filter results and hoist

4) Turn off filter (so all subitems can be view)

5) Unhoist

6) Manual sort is lost

It appears that the filter + hoist sequence causes InfoQube to lose track of the manual sort.

I'm not sure if this is something that needs fixing, especially since I've found a way around it:

Reverse steps 3) and 4), the sort is maintained (ie select the filter results; turn off the filter (selections are maintained); hoist).

Wayne

I've got to read up on sort order again, but I've wondered how sort order is stored in the database. The sort order of TLIs in a grid might be handled differently from the sort order of subitems under an parent item. The sort order of TLIs in a grid would seem to be a property of the grid, but the sort order of subitems would seem to be a property of the parent item. In either case it might be a comma separated list of item numbers. Just thinking out loud.

[quote=jimspoon]

[/quote]

Bingo

I could add the possibility to save sets of grid orders... Or restore the previous sort order

Pierre_Admin

IQ Designer

It's a very important issue to me because sometimes maintaining critical to preserving the meaning, for example, a list of events in chronological order. If you lose the sort you lose the very item of information you were trying to record and preserve.

If the sort is alphabetical then all you're risking is the mild inconvenience of having to repeatedly manually sort again.

For other situations that don't have an inherent sort order, I use a sorting column. For notes on a book or article, I use a sequence number consisting of a page number plus sequence (eg 015.01, 015.02 = 1st note on page 15, 2nd note on page 15). The automatic numbering tool is fantastic for making this easy.

For notes sorted by time I used a timeline text column with dates formatted for correct sorting (eg 2019.05.30. Sometimes I also embed the date as the opening text in the item column itself as a further fail-safe.

One time I had a long list of notes which I'd neglected to number. They got scrambled. Having to re-read pages of material and reassemble my notes in the correct order was not something I want to go thru again (though even here you can get help by doing a rough sort by date created).

Wayne

[quote=jimspoon]

[/quote]

Hi Jim,

Chronological sorting is easy... Grid sort on a date column, source bar sort on a date field or should on the calendar

Pierre_Admin

IQ Designer

Thanks all of you for the replies and fruitful discussion!

[quote=WayneK]

[/quote]

I am more aware of the issue now, which happens when I am exploring different views of the same grid (opened through the command show in a new tab). I recorded my screen showing the issue in context: http://bit.ly/2W1unXI

In the absence of the right IQ terms in my vocabulary (need to study the manual), I'm naming:

Base grid: The last state of a unique grid, before other grid views are created based on that (using the command show in a new tab).

Expanded grids: New views created having the same base grid as reference.

1. If just the base grid is opened, it retains the manual sorting when closing/reopening IQ.

2. If you create an expanded grid, and you change the base grid manual sorting, it will not retain the new sorting, being reset to the last state of the expanded grid.

3. And if you change the base grid sorting, it doesn't affect its expanded grid. (Actually, I could expect the inverse, the base grid, affecting expanded grid, or even all views affecting each other).

My intention on creating expanded grids was to visualize/organize/have insights through different representations/views of the same base grid, without affecting its sorting (since it is the BASE, my main reference view, I was expecting its manual sorting to be kept FOREVER, under any circumstances).

For the expanded grids, I was expecting they could keep independent sorting views, not affecting each other (what isn't happening for current IQ behavior shown in the screencast).

Because of the sorting issue with the expanded grid, do you suggest any alternative workflow to visualize/organize/have insights through different representations/views of the same base grid, keeping independent sorting (each view not affecting the sorting of the other)?

Maybe I'm just using the wrong IQ tool (command show in a new tab) to accomplish my aim...

Thank you!

Carlos

Carlos,

OK, I see. Without spending too much time on this, I think you're going to continue to have issues keeping things straight when you're looking

at multiple views of the same grid, and carrying out operations like sorting on one of the views.

It seems like this could be a solution for you:

1) Instead of creating copies of your base grid, create new grids.

2) For each new grid, set the source as the same field as the base grid (eg field = BaseGrid):

Grid>Grid Properties>Source>change to "BaseGrid"

If you do the above, you will have new grids with all the same items as the base grid and they'll be automatically updated every time you add or delete an item in the base grid.

Each grid will be fully independent and your sorting problem should be solved. You can also change the column arrangement without affecting the other grids.

Note that with the above set up, when you add a new item to one of the other grids, it'll also be added to the base grid.

I think this would work for you but you can try it and see if any unexpected problems crop up.

Wayne

For each grid name, a simple rule... Last one saved wins !

Pierre_Admin

IQ Designer

Carlos, have you tried the Grid > Save As function? You might try that to save multiple versions of the same basic grid with different sort orders, filters, etc.

Many thanks for this and other threads replies.

Learning a lot from all of you!