Yeah, live sorting isn’t necessary, but if a sort is present, the data should be sorted upon the view load. I have an external grid view that is embedded on our site for our clients to view. The problem is that when they load the page, the data isn’t sorted on load even if the view I have created for them contains a sort filter. This is a real problem. The view needs to sort according to the sort filter when the view loads. If new records are generated, it isn’t a problem that the view doesn’t “live update”, but it is a problem if the expectation is that the sort is there. This has led my clients to believe that we haven’t done a task because the list they are looking at are reverse sorted (newest at top) and the new records are actually sitting at the bottom of the list because the view doesn’t apply the sort on load. This is fixed by simply applying the sort manually, but my argument is that this should happen automatically upon loading the view.
So we have the issue of not having auto sort, which results in new records being displayed at the bottom of the table, not visually convenient when you have many records being added via forms. (Example : Our drivers report from the field, truck repair issues and location details via their phones, using Forms created from a Table (Awesome feature by the way). Many years ago I used a simple Database called Tablepro, it had a check box : Add new records to the Top or Bottom of the Database, Adding to the Top of the Database would solve for example Date sorting, and you would be able to visually see change as they happen on your screen instead of having to re-sort every time your check your database for updates.
+1 to Auto-Sorting or Add Records to TOP of Database.
I think the most crucial thing is that the view sorts when it opens - I am not so worried about on the fly sorting because this makes the UI quite confusing while it does it (I find this odd when editing a grouped view) - I would be happy for this to be phase 2.
Filters, grouping and sort should be considered properties of the view that are applied always.
I agree, I have been baffled several times by “missing records” only to realize they are stuck down at the bottom. It seems intuitive that a sort would be applied upon opening the view.
This would be very useful for me. I am used to databases that autosort, and it’s very confusing that Airtable doesn’t. Surely just applying the sort when a view is opened (or accessed from a form) would be enough?
Shoot, no auto sorting is a big feature hole… and no progress since December 2015. We need to have our table sort in reverse chronological order, the way most email inboxes function. Unfortunately, lack of this feature pretty much kills our use of the product. Thanks for the otherwise fine product, tho – if we can find other uses for AirTable, we will!
