Sort table columns alphabetically ascending or descending

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    < Macros‎ | Writer


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    Description

    This macro sorts a table column in LibreOffice Writer alphabetically, for the column which contains the cursor.

    The program contains four subroutines which:

    • Sort a column alphabetically ascending
    • Sort a column alphabetically ascending, excluding the header row
    • Sort a column alphabetically descending
    • Sort a column alphabetically descending, excluding the header row

    This macro also exists in an equivalent form as an extension, by clicking this link for download of sortwritertable-1.0.0.oxt. Upon download, the extension adds a new toolbar with 4 buttons, which are linked to the four macros.

    Code

    In LibreOffice Basic:

    ' Copyright (c) 2011 Frieder Delor, Mailto: delorfr@googlemail.com
    '
    '    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
    '    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
    '    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
    '    (at your option) any later version.
    '
    '    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    '    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    '    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    '    GNU General Public License for more details.
    '
    '    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
    '    along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
    
    Option Explicit
    
    ' Outline of Subs & Functions:
    '
    '     ---> Sub sortWriterTableAscending
    '     ---> Sub sortWriterTableAscendingExclHeader
    '     ---> Sub sortWriterTableDescending
    '     ---> Sub sortWriterTableDescendingExclHeader
    '
    '     ---> Sub sortTextTable (sTableName As String, bAscending As Boolean, bHeader As Boolean, nSortColl As Long)
    '     ---> Function getTableRange (oTable As Object, nStartRow As Long) As String
    '     ---> Function getColumn (sAktivCell As String) As Long
    
    
    Sub Main
        '''Call one of the four subroutines, based on your needs'''
    
        sortWriterTableAscending
        'sortWriterTableAscendingExclHeader
        'sortWriterTableDescending
        'sortWriterTableDescendingExclHeader
    
    End Sub ' Main
    
    
    Sub sortWriterTableAscending
        '''Sorts cursor-selected column alphabetically ascending'''
    
        Dim sAktivCell$
        Dim sTableName As String
        Dim bAscending As Boolean
        Dim bHeader As Boolean
        Dim nSortColl As Long
    
        On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
        sTableName = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).TextTable.Name
        sAktivCell = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).Cell.CellName
    
        bAscending = True ' asc sorting
        bHeader = False ' table contains a header row
        nSortColl = getColumn(sAktivCell) ' the column which is the sorting key (first column=1)
       
        sortTextTable(sTableName, bAscending, bHeader, nSortColl)
        ErrorHandler:
    
    End Sub ' sortWriterTableAscending
    
    
    Sub sortWriterTableAscendingExclHeader
        '''Sorts cursor-selected column alphabetically ascending, EXCLUDING the header'''
    
        Dim sAktivCell$
        Dim sTableName As String
        Dim bAscending As Boolean
        Dim bHeader As Boolean
        Dim nSortColl As Long
    
        On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
        sTableName = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).TextTable.Name
        sAktivCell = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).Cell.CellName
    
        bAscending = True ' asc sorting
        bHeader = True ' table contains a header row
        nSortColl = getColumn(sAktivCell) ' the column which is the sorting key (first column=1)
       
        sortTextTable(sTableName,bAscending,bHeader,nSortColl)
        ErrorHandler:
    
    End Sub ' sortWriterTableAscendingExclHeader
    
    
    Sub sortWriterTableDescending
        '''Sorts cursor-selected column alphabetically ascending'''
    
        Dim sAktivCell$
        Dim sTableName As String
        Dim bAscending As Boolean
        Dim bHeader As Boolean
        Dim nSortColl As Long
    
        On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
        sTableName = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).TextTable.Name
        sAktivCell = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).Cell.CellName
    
        bAscending = False ' asc sorting
        bHeader = False ' table contains a header row
        nSortColl = getColumn(sAktivCell) ' the column which is the sorting key (first column=1)
       
        sortTextTable(sTableName,bAscending,bHeader,nSortColl)
        ErrorHandler:
    
    End Sub ' sortWriterTableDescending
    
    
    Sub sortWriterTableDescendingExclHeader
        '''Sorts cursor-selected column alphabetically descending, EXCLUDING the header'''
    
        Dim sAktivCell$
        Dim sTableName As String  
        Dim bAscending As Boolean
        Dim bHeader As Boolean
        Dim nSortColl As Long
    
        On Error GoTo ErrorHandler
        sTableName = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).TextTable.Name
        sAktivCell = ThisComponent.CurrentController.Selection.getByIndex(0).Cell.CellName
    
        bAscending = False ' asc sorting
        bHeader = True ' table contains a header row
        nSortColl = getColumn(sAktivCell) ' the column which is the sorting key (first column=1)
       
        sortTextTable(sTableName,bAscending,bHeader,nSortColl)
        ErrorHandler:
    
    End Sub ' sortWriterTableDescendingExclHeader
    
    
    Sub sortTextTable (sTableName As String, bAscending As Boolean, bHeader As Boolean, nSortColl As Long)
        '''Sorting master subroutine'''
    
        Dim oTable as Object
        Dim oRange as Object
        Dim nStartRow As Long
        Dim sRange As String
        Dim oSortFields(0) as New com.sun.star.table.TableSortField 
        Dim oDescriptor As Variant
    
        oTable = ThisComponent.TextTables.getByName(sTableName)
        If bHeader Then
            nStartRow = 1
        Else
            nStartRow = 0
        End if
    
        sRange = getTableRange(oTable, nStartRow)
        oRange = oTable.getCellRangeByName (sRange)
      
        oSortFields(0).Field = nSortColl
        oSortFields(0).IsAscending = bAscending  
        oSortFields(0).FieldType = com.sun.star.util.SortFieldType.ALPHANUMERIC
      
        oDescriptor = oTable.createSortDescriptor() 
    
        oDescriptor(0).Name = "IsSortInTable" 
        oDescriptor(0).Value = True 
        'oDescriptor(1).Name = "Delimiter" 
        'oDescriptor(1).Value = True
        oDescriptor(2).Name = "IsSortColumns" 
        oDescriptor(2).Value = False 'True 
        'oDescriptor(3).Name = "MaxSortFieldsCount" 
        'oDescriptor(3).Value = 2 
        oDescriptor(4).Name = "SortFields" 
        oDescriptor(4).Value = oSortFields() 
    
        oRange.Sort(oDescriptor())
    
    End Sub ' sortTextTable
    
    
    Function getTableRange (oTable As Object, nStartRow As Long) As String 
        '''Returns the name of the sort-range'''
    
        Dim sCell As String
        Dim oCursor As Object
    
        sCell = oTable.getCellByPosition(0, nStartRow).CellName 
        oCursor = oTable.createCursorByCellName (sCell)
     
        oCursor.gotoEnd (True)
        getTableRange = oCursor.getRangeName
    
    End Function ' getTableRange
    
    
    Function getColumn (sAktivCell As String) As Long
        '''Returns the index of the sort-column'''
    
        Dim sTableName$
        Dim i%, n%
        Dim sChar$
        Dim nCol as Long
    
        n = 0
        nCol = 0
        For i = Len(sAktivCell) To 1 Step -1 
            sChar = UCase ( Mid(sAktivCell,i,1) )
            If Not IsNumeric(sChar) Then
                nCol = (Asc(sChar)-64)*(26^n) + nCol
                n = n + 1
            End If
        Next
    
        getColumn = nCol
    
    End Function ' getColumn

    ODT file to test macro