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Posted by OPwebmaster at Jul 18, 2015, 8:19:48 PM
Custom Category Name sorting
Currently, the Custom Category names appear to be sorted in alphabetical order, and they are displayed from left to right that way when they are included on the public calendar. (I hide the Localendar default categories, so only my custom ones are displayed)

Because of that, I have to add unwanted letters to get them to sort the way I want them to be displayed. For example, if I wanted 'Basketball' to be sorted last, I would have to change its Category name to something like 'z-Basketball'.

Is there any way that I can change the sort order from alphabetical?


Harry

Posted by support at Jul 20, 2015, 3:50:01 AM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
We don't have any plans to offer custom sorting there now, but you can probably be a little sneaker than z-basketball. I bet *Basketball, **Basketball, and ***Basketball (or using other acsii punctuation characters) might look less obvious.
----------------------------------------
Marc Higgins
Support Associate, localendar.com
Follow us on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/localendar_news

Posted by OPwebmaster at Jul 20, 2015, 4:20:33 AM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
Marc:

>>We don't have any plans to offer custom sorting there now, but you can probably be a little sneaker than z-basketball.<<

Yes, I have looked at and used several, but they are just obvious workarounds. Sorry you don't plan to offer custom sorting.


Harry

Posted by support at Jul 21, 2015, 5:05:00 AM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
sorry; there is a trade-off in every new feature we add in terms of usability. Plus, with only so many resources, we have to balance the value of new enhancements, features, and bug fixes crying
----------------------------------------
Marc Higgins
Support Associate, localendar.com
Follow us on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/localendar_news

Posted by OPwebmaster at Jul 21, 2015, 8:33:57 PM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
Marc:
 
Plus, with only so many resources, we have to balance the value of new enhancements, features, and bug fixes crying

You have done so much to help me, and many others, let me share something that solves one of the Table problems I described earlier. Perhaps you can use it to help others.

I have used a trick that I use on my website, which is the hard coding of a non-breaking space using the ALT key, as originally created for the initial IBM PC's according to Wikipedia. The code is ALT+255.

It is used to not only prevent automatic line breaks, but because it is an invisible character, it also helps in text aligning and positioning. This character looks like a blank space in the program code but is processed and printed by many programs (including Localender) as a valid text character. That means not only does it help change the sort order, since it is the last of the ALT 255 characters, but since it is viewed as a valid character, it also will retain formatting, such as font size and color. This last feature is how I was able to format the Localendar table as I wanted.

To access the ALT codes, you MUST use the number keypad on your computer (not the numbers at the top of the keyboard) and switch on Num Lock. Some laptops have no keypad, so cannot be used. Others have a Num Lock. For those, switch on Num Lock, and then use the numbers ON the keyboard: i.e., the little numbers under letters (for example U->4 J->1).

If you go here:
http://www.localendar.com/public/OJPpatrol?rss_link=false

You can see how I used it in the Custom Category sort without adding any viewable characters. And if you click on any of the July 2015 entries, you will see the results of some samples I created.

Here is the Source Code for the table:

Source Code for OJPpatrol Description, which includes the formatting for the larger font & colored 'X' in the middle table column, using ALT+255 code (7/20/2015)

<table style="height: 60px;" width="469">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 135px;"><strong>My Name:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 350px; border-color: red; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td><strong>Partner(s):</strong></td>
<td style="width: 225px; border-color: red;">&nbsp;</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="height: 29px;" width="469">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Mountain Bike - Both</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Mountain Bike - Jermain</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Mountain Bike - Ottawa</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Ottawa - Paved Path</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Jermain - Athletics</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Ottawa - Ice Rink or Tennis</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 70px; height: 20px;"><strong>Location:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 30px; height: 20px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; color: #ff0000;">&nbsp;</span></td>
<td>&nbsp;<strong>Ottawa - Amphitheater</strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<table style="height: 34px;" width="467">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 20px;">
<td style="width: 102px; vertical-align: top;"><strong>Comments:</strong></td>
<td style="width: 350px; text-align: left; vertical-align: top;" scope="row">&nbsp;This is the MASTER to schedule patrol time & date.</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p>&nbsp;</p>

If you create a new event on one of your calendars and enter this Source Code, you will see how my table is structured. With any of the lines headed 'Locations:' click on the middle column (30px x 20ps) and you will get a red vertical line. Enter any letter, normal or capital, and the line will disappear, with the letter remaining.

You will see which lines contain the code for this. I guess that you could just add the appropriate line to any existing Source Code, but I found that entering ALT+255 from the keyboard was quicker and more foolproof.

Now if you would just add to your long, long list a way that I could add code so the Update & Delete buttons would be disabled ( so that my Volunteers could not change or delete my masters), I would be all set with OJPpatrol.


Harry

Posted by OPwebmaster at Oct 6, 2016, 4:55:49 AM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
Marc:
On July 21, 2015 you wrote:
 
sorry; there is a trade-off in every new feature we add in terms of usability. Plus, with only so many resources, we have to balance the value of new enhancements, features, and bug fixes crying

Since having complete flexibility for ordering Custom Category Names, is not something you are focusing on, perhaps you could make a minor tweak, like one of the following:
1. Allow sorting by Alt codes >122. Currently it appears that for the first character in the name, only ALT codes 1-122 function. Nothing above 122, when entered as the first characer, is recognized for the sort.
2. Allow sort by increasing ID number. This requires more work for the user, because some of the Names and Colors would have to be changed to fit the ID number order. But it would also work.


Harry

Posted by support at Oct 14, 2016, 7:35:16 PM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
omg. The alt-code thing would be a disaster, methinks. crying

If you really want to sort the category names, just use regular spaces in front (they are so small in the final HTML your users wont even notice)

For example, if the current order is:
Cat1, Cat2, Cat3
and you want it to be:
Cat3, Cat2, Cat1

Rename them like this:
<space><space>Cat3
<space>Cat2
Cat1 (no change required)
----------------------------------------
Marc Higgins
Support Associate, localendar.com
Follow us on Twitter! http://www.twitter.com/localendar_news

Posted by OPwebmaster at Oct 14, 2016, 8:57:23 PM
Re: Custom Category Name sorting
Marc:
 
If you really want to sort the category names, just use regular spaces in front (they are so small in the final HTML your users wont even notice)

Great suggestion. In fact the spaces don't appear to take any space at all !

Harry


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