Lists
Sorting
A list can be shown in several orders, and the order is per list.
Where to change it
Open the list, then List settings from the ... menu in its header, and pick a Sort order. The Sort option in the same menu has a shorter version with the most common orders.
The orders
| Order | What it does | Can you drag? |
|---|---|---|
| Add to bottom | New things go at the bottom, so the list reads in the order you wrote it. | Yes |
| Add to top | New things go at the top, so the latest is always first. | Yes |
| A to Z | Alphabetical by text. | No |
| Z to A | Reverse alphabetical. | No |
| Oldest first | By when each thing was created, oldest at the top. | No |
| Newest first | By when each thing was created, newest at the top. | No |
| Last edited | Most recently edited first. | No |
| Least recently edited | Least recently edited first. | No |
| Auto-sort | Grouped into sections by kind. See auto-sort | Within a section |
Why Add to bottom is the default
Because it matches how days work, and because a list you wrote top to bottom reads back correctly. Add to top is better for anything you treat as a feed, like a running log where the latest entry is the one you want.
Add to bottom or Oldest first?
They look alike, but they answer different questions. Add to bottom keeps your own order: you can drag things around, and the list remembers where you put them. Oldest first always sorts by when each thing was created, so dragging is off and the order cannot drift. The same goes for Add to top and Newest first.
Setting a default for new lists
Settings Lists & things Default sort sets the order new lists start in: Add to bottom, Add to top, A to Z, Z to A, or Auto-sort. Changing it does not touch existing lists.
Going further
Sorting does not move anything. It is a view, not an edit. Switching a list to A to Z and back leaves the order you dragged things into intact underneath.
Completed things sort separately. Whether they stay in place or collect at one end is its own setting. See progress and completed things.
Settings that change this
- Settings Lists & things Default sort sets the order for new lists.
- Settings Lists & things Show completed things inline keeps completed things in place among the rest instead of collecting them in their own section. It applies to new lists. Change an existing list in its own list settings.
- Settings Lists & things Completed things at top puts that completed section at the top of the list rather than the bottom, for lists that do not show completed things inline.
Tips
- Add to top for anything you append to daily. Add to bottom for anything you read as a document.
- A to Z is best on reference lists you look things up in, and worst on lists with a natural order.