Q197823: WD97: Word Sorts Numeric Index Entries as Alphabetic Entries

Article: Q197823
Product(s): Word 97 for Windows
Version(s): WINDOWS:97
Operating System(s): 
Keyword(s): kbfield word97
Last Modified: 14-NOV-2000

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The information in this article applies to:

- Microsoft Word 97 for Windows 
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SYMPTOMS
========

In an index, Microsoft Word incorrectly sorts INDEX ENTRY (XE) field text that
contains numbers. For example, if your document contains the following numeric
XE fields:

  {XE "735"}
  {XE "76"}
  {XE "7123"}

the entries appear in the following order when you compile the index:

  7123
  735
  76

CAUSE
=====

Word sorts numbers in the same way that it sorts alphabetic entries, that is,
one character at a time. For example, Word places all numbers that begin with 1
(such as 12, 156, or 1147) before all numbers that begin with 2 (such as 22,
256, or 2276). If two or more items begin with the same character, Word
evaluates subsequent characters in each item to determine which item should come
first. For example, Word places 124 before 19, based on the second digit (2 is
smaller than 9, so 124 comes before 19).


WORKAROUND
==========

To work around this problem, add a sorting text argument to your XE field. The
sorting text argument is the index entry number padded with leading zeros. Pad
the number with leading zeros so all your numeric XE fields contain the same
number of digits. In other words, the sorting text arguments should contain as
many digits as the largest number used in an XE field.

To correctly sort the numbers listed in the "Symptoms" section above, insert the
following XE fields:

  "{XE "735;0735"}
  {XE "76;0076"}
  {XE "7123;7123"}" (without the quotation marks)

Word places these XE entries in the following order in your index (notice that
Word sorts the entry based on the sorting text argument instead of the actual XE
text, but places the actual XE text in the index):

  76
  735
  7123

Additional query words: sorting wrong order

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Keywords          : kbfield word97 
Technology        : kbWordSearch kbWord97 kbWord97Search kbZNotKeyword2
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Issue type        : kbprb

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