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Define a Single-Column Sort

Add a sortBy array at the top level of your sheet configuration. Each entry specifies a columnId and optional direction: 
sortBy:
  - columnId: outlineNumber
    direction: asc
PropertyRequiredDescriptionDefault
columnIdYesDot-separated binding path to the column to sort by—
directionNoSort order: "asc" (ascending) or "desc" (descending)"asc"
The columnId value must match a binding path defined in your columns section.

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Define Multi-Column Sort

Multiple entries in the sortBy array create a multi-column sort. Rows are sorted by the first column, then ties are broken by the second, and so on: 
sortBy:
  - columnId: outlineNumber
    direction: asc
  - columnId: title
    direction: desc
diagram
Sorting is applied on the client side after data loads. The sort order specified in sortBy defines the initial view — users can change it interactively from the toolbar.

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Sort by Navigation Properties

You can sort by columns that use navigation binding paths (columns bound to related entities): 
sortBy:
  - columnId: systemRequirements.systemRequirement.title
    direction: asc
The columnId must be the exact binding path used in the columns section.

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Per-Column Sort Property

Individual columns also support a sort property that defines a default sort direction for that specific column: 
columns:
  outlineNumber:
    title: "#"
    width: 80
    sort: asc
The global sortBy array gives you explicit control over sort priority. The per-column sort property is applied in addition to the global sortBy configuration, which can lead to unexpected ordering if both are used.

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Interactive Sorting

Users can interactively sort by clicking column headers. Powersheet supports these sort interactions:
  • Click a column header to sort by that column (toggles ascending/descending)
  • Ctrl+Click a column header to add it to the multi-column sort chain
  • Column headers display a visual sort direction indicator when active
The default sort from sortBy is always re-applied after user-initiated sorts to maintain hierarchy stability.

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Complete Example

sortBy:
  - columnId: outlineNumber
    direction: asc

columns:
  outlineNumber:
    title: "#"
    width: 80
    isreadOnly: true
  title:
    title: Title
    width: 200
    hasFocus: true
  systemRequirements.systemRequirement.title:
    title: System Requirement
    width: 180

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Verify

After saving the sheet configuration, reload the powersheet document. You should now see rows ordered according to the sortBy configuration. Column headers of sorted columns display sort direction indicators.

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See also

KB ArticlesSource Code
  • prod-powersheet-src/com.nextedy.powersheet.client/cypress/fixtures/configurations/whole_rtm.template.yaml
  • prod-powersheet-src/com.nextedy.powersheet.client/cypress/fixtures/configurations/mip_undo_redo.template.yaml
  • prod-powersheet-src/com.nextedy.powersheet.client/ltc-repo/packages/sheet/commands/sort-reset.ts
  • prod-powersheet-src/com.nextedy.powersheet.client/ltc-repo/cypress/e2e/Sheet/sorting.spec.ts
  • powersheet.yaml