When I go to sort, what is a Header Record Delimiter?

B

Bunnyjo58

I am trying to sort a list and everytime I use the A to Z with the arrows for
sorting I keep getting a box showing "Header Record Delimiter". What is this
for? I can't find it in the Word 2003 book. Thanks in advance.
 
C

Cindy M -WordMVP-

Hi =?Utf-8?B?QnVubnlqbzU4?=,
I am trying to sort a list and everytime I use the A to Z with the arrows for
sorting I keep getting a box showing "Header Record Delimiter". What is this
for? I can't find it in the Word 2003 book.
As far as I know, the buttons you mention belong to the Tables and Borders
toolbar. So they're probably set to sort things in tabular format. Since they
can't find a table, they're assuming you've text where the "fields" are
"delimited" (defined) by a particular character, such as a Tab or a semicolon.
The dialog box is asking you to specify which character is separating the fields
in your data.

Try using the Table/Sort command, instead. (Strange advice, I know, in light of
what I just said. But that command does let you specify WHAT you're sorting.)

Cindy Meister
INTER-Solutions, Switzerland
http://homepage.swissonline.ch/cindymeister (last update Jun 8 2004)
http://www.word.mvps.org

This reply is posted in the Newsgroup; please post any follow question or reply
in the newsgroup and not by e-mail :)
 
L

Lamar Hunt

Help tells me to click on Sort in the Paragraph group. There is no Sort
there. How do I alphatize a list in 2007?
 
J

Jay Freedman

Help tells me to click on Sort in the Paragraph group. There is no Sort
there. How do I alphatize a list in 2007?

It should be in the top row of the Paragraph group on the Home ribbon. It shows
the letters A and Z and a downward arrow, and it's just to the left of the ¶
button.
 
A

autumn157

How do I sort my list alphabetically when they are typed by first name then
last name. I need to alphabetize by last name. Thanks
Autumn157
 
S

Suzanne S. Barnhill

1. On the Home tab, locate the Paragraph group, then the Sort button. Click
on this to open the Sort Text dialog.

2. Click on Options and choose Other for "Separate fields at," then type a
space in the box. Click OK.

3. You should now see Word 1 and Word 2 in the "Sort by" box. Choose Word 2.

If any of the names have middle initials or two parts ("Mary Jane"), replace
the spaces with nonbreaking spaces (Ctrl+Shift+Spacebar) before sorting.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org
 
A

autumn157

Jay: I am a student and am trying to do some exercises. I have Vista 2007. It
tells me to just use paragraph and text and hit ok. This does not work for me
as the names are typed in by first name, last name and then a title. I cannot
get the list to alphabetize by last name. Is there something else I must do?
Thanks
 
D

dcarv30

Great instuctions. One further question. In my list of names (first, then
last), I can sort by the last name, however, some names contain a middle
initial. Using the sort feature to sort on Word 3, then Word 2, won't work
since the names without a middle initial will get sorted first (lacking a
Word 3). Then the names with a middle initial come after.

How do I sort to include all the names in the list and not catch the names
with a middle initial causing them to be out of place alphabetically?
 
J

Jay Freedman

For each name that has more than two parts (names, initials, honorifics,
etc.), select the space between parts that should stay together, and replace
it with a nonbreaking space (Ctrl+Shift+spacebar). For example:

John<nonbreakingspace>Q.<space>Public

--
Regards,
Jay Freedman
Microsoft Word MVP
Email cannot be acknowledged; please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup so
all may benefit.
 
D

dcarv30

The issue now becomes that I have a list provided to me that is already
typed. I need to incorporate this document into a larger presentation and
some formatting needs to be done, i.e. alphabetizing.

To go back thru the entire list, deleting a space and inserting a hard-space
manually would be time consuming and ridiculous. Wasn't there a sort feature
that allowed us to backup from the end of the paragraph/line text? Did they
do away with that feature? I seem to remember an option for that.
 
S

sunshine59

Bunnyjo58 said:
I am trying to sort a list and everytime I use the A to Z with the arrows for
sorting I keep getting a box showing "Header Record Delimiter". What is this
for? I can't find it in the Word 2003 book. Thanks in advance.
 

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