ORDER BY Multiple Columns

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Views: 542 | Replies: 3 | Solved

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Join Date: Dec 2007

Posts: 226

Reputation: OmniX is an unknown quantity at this point

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OmniX

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Posting Whiz in Training

ORDER BY Multiple Columns

May 16th, 2008

I have multiple columns I wish to order by.

I have columns:
# # # # (1, 2, 3, 4)
A 0 0 0 0
B 1 0 1 3
C 1 0 2 3

I want to ORDER BY 4, 3, 2, 1.

Syntax I am using:

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"SELECT * FROM table ORDER BY 4, 3, 2, 1"

Note: I am not sure wether to use ASC or DESC - or even if I have to use it.

Thanks, Regards X

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Join Date: Nov 2007

Location: Bangalore, India

Posts: 2,861

Reputation: nav33n has a spectacular aura about

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nav33n

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Posting Maven

Re: ORDER BY Multiple Columns

May 16th, 2008

Order by multiple columns work this way.
For example, you have 4 records.

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field1 | field2 | field3 | field4
-------+-------+--------+----------
1 | 1 | 2 | 4
-------------------------------------
2 | 2 | 100 | 5
-------------------------------------
3 | 2 | 1 | 3
-------------------------------------
4 | 3 | 500 | 6
-----------------------------------
5 | 2 | 1 | 2

If your query is,

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php Syntax (Toggle Plain Text)

$query = "select * from table order by field2,field3,field4";

the result would be,

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field1 | field2 | field3 | field4
-------+-------+--------+----------
1 | 1 | 2 | 4
-------------------------------------
5 | 2 | 1 | 2
---------------------------------------
3 | 2 | 1 | 3
-------------------------------------
2 | 2 | 100 | 5
-------------------------------------
4 | 3 | 500 | 6
-------------------------------------

As you can see, it sorts field2 first. Then it sorts field3 maintaining the order of field2. Then maintaining the order of field2 and field3, it sorts field4.

I know my explanation isn't really good ! (Or is it more confusing ?)

Note: If you don't specify how you want to sort your records, it will sort in ascending order by default.

Programming today is a race between software engineers striving to build bigger and better idiot-proof programs, and the Universe trying to produce bigger and better idiots. So far, the Universe is winning.

*PM asking for help will be ignored*

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Join Date: Dec 2007

Posts: 226

Reputation: OmniX is an unknown quantity at this point

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OmniX

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Posting Whiz in Training

Re: ORDER BY Multiple Columns

May 16th, 2008

Ya thats what I have been trying.

The problem is I keep getting the same result.

That is:
The table comes out perfect BUT
it comes out backwards...

So what should be first is last, second is second last, and so on.

Get what I mean? Im not being confusing now

The thing is even when I put ASC or DESC the table stays the same way...

Ill relate my problem to your table.
I have sorted my table via field4 then field 3 and the output is a backward output.

Dont know why