How to sort the text within a note

Howard Hill · February 13, 2012

Evernote doesn't support sorting of the text within a note (alphabetically) and I think this would be a great feature to have.

I have several lists of this and that, and after a while it becomes hard for me to find what I want. I prefer my lists to be alphabetically ordered.

I have seen several requests for this feature, but invariably this feature is misunderstood with the sorting of notebooks or notes. It is neither of these things; these features are already present in Evernote.

I did raise this with Evernote Support, but they just acknowledged my request and then closed the ticket couple of weeks later. Not sure what the status of my request is, or how to find out.

Does anybody know whether this feature is likely to be added, or otherwise, and if not, are there any good workarounds I could try (other than copying and pasting to and from a text editor, which is very time consuming).

Thanks

Howard

DTLow · April 1, 2019

9 hours ago, prak97 said:

Its easy ...

I think you missed the point.

These users believe the Evernote editor should perform such functions, and using other applications is an unacceptable solution.

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The request/discussion has been moved to the feature request forum. To indicate your support, use the voting buttons are at the top left corner of the discussion.

TheGooch · June 8, 2014

Perhaps Evernote can purchase Notepad++ and integrate the text processing features from it into EN. Or add a feature like "open in external editor" option to reduce the copy/paste overhead needed for advanced text editing tasks.

Or they could purchase a list management software company like Egretlist and incorporate their code into EN. Oh wait, they already did the purchase part. They are just missing the "incorporate" part.

My cheekiness aside, I'll toss my vote onto the 3-4 year old pile of votes for the ability to sort lines of text by one or more properties ( sort by->alpha ascending/descending, ->status completed/unfinished , etc ).

DTLow · July 26, 2020

13 minutes ago, mgshn said:

Just do it already... please.

I merged your post with an existing discussion
To indicate your support for this request, use the vote button at the top left corner of the discussion
The request has 3 votes

Hemenway · January 7, 2022

It appears that this is still has not been fixed as of 2022! I have had this request and problem for the ten years I’ve used EN, and contacted the company directly about it several times on and off. But no dice. Some here keep stating that EN is not a “list manager,” which is ludicrous to say since half the auto-format functions are and WERE checkboxes or the like. And what are checkboxes but LISTS? A database of any kind is just an enormous repository of LISTS. (Who remember <Listserv?>)

Sorting text WITHIN a note - NOT the NOTE as EN’s support team and un hearing users keep posting tips for - is what we want. The need for sorting is ubiquitous and the ability to do so has existed, as noted, since forever if not since cave paintings. I don’t know what everyone else uses EN for, but EVERYONE I know who does keeps tons of lists in it.

I venture to say that a HUGE number of us have wanted this alphabetizing/sorting feature, continue to want it, continue to be very annoyed that it STILL hasn’t been added, and gave up a long time ago with either trying to figure out the unintuitive user interface for voting/liking, or trying to get anyone to listen.

However: Piango, gemo, sospiro, e peno - but I keep using EV, an app that I truly like that and is otherwise superior to most out there for the job. (I ask elephants with roseate ears not to reply with all the reasons I’m wrongheaded, please.)

Hemenway · January 7, 2022

Hundreds or thousands of us need to be able to sort text WITHIN a note, alphabetically or numerically at minimum, and by date added or modified or whether checked or not as a secondary request. But primarily by ascending or descending alphanumeric order.

I’ve been an EV user since 2012 and have asked for this feature on and off ever since. This is not to be confused with sorting actual NOTES or NOTEBOOKS, which feature has recently been added for some applications / OSs (so far) (thank you!). But respondents keep sending us to “tips” for the latter when the former is explicitly requested. Analogy: I know how to sort all my spices and pots, medications and bandages, and socks and shirts, into their cupboards (Notes) in the kitchen, hall, and bedroom respectively (Notebooks). I now want to sort my spices alphabetically and pots by size and medications by brand and bandages by ailment and socks/shirts by color (Content/Text).

Some have argued that EN is not a “list manager,” which is rather ridiculous since half the text auto-format functions are - and have been since the beginning - checkboxes or number lists or the like. And what are checkboxes but LISTS? A database of any kind is just an enormous repository of LISTS. (Who remembers <Listserv?>)

The need for sorting information is ubiquitous and the ability to do so has existed since the first byte, if not since cave paintings. Almost every app that works with words lets you do this.

I venture to say that a HUGE number of us have wanted this alphabetizing/sorting feature, continue to want it, and continue to be frustrated that it STILL in 2022 hasn’t been added, and that we gave up a long time ago with trying to get anyone to take it seriously, which is why our voices aren’t heard. (PS: This is a very common occurrence that retailers ignore at risk to profits, as customers quietly go elsewhere.)

We love the app, obviously, or we wouldn’t be here wanting to improve it. Can you please hear us and give us this primary fundamental ordinary-elsewhere feature? Please? Thanks.

Howard Hill · February 13, 2012

Thanks for the replies.

I didn't appreciate that the presentation of a list in alphabetical order would be considered an unusual feature (list management?).

I think of it as a fairly basic way to make single lines of text easy to read.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies and helpful ideas; I shall take your advice and wait and see.

Howard

Howard Hill · February 13, 2012

Shrug?

Evernote can sort notebooks.

Evernote can sort notes.

Why not sort the contents of notes?

Just a hierarchy.

Purposes are identical - to find stuff by looking.

Happy · January 4, 2013

I agree, sorting is needed at the content level.

Three different lists as well as tables are supported, but basic products often omit sorting, to me an obvious need. Note and notebook sorting is supported, so sort algorithms exist in the product. It doesn't seem too big a jump to apply them to content.

It's easier for me to stick with a product that sorts and manually solve the "notebook" problem with the file system, than to jump to Evernote and manually solve the sequence problem. BTW, there is no export to excel or other application; the best you can do is copy/paste. None of the other suggestions are feasible for my list needs.

I plan to use a spreadsheet to create and manage my list, then copy/paste into a note. It works pretty well, is easy and I can keep generations.

So I can give EN pretty good marks for my need.

coachmark123 · August 27, 2014

I too would like to be able to sort within my notes. Evernote has helped me become way more organized with my note taking. I have started to use EN exclusively (over paper) at meetings and would like to be able to prioritize and sort my notes afterwards without having to dump to word and dump back. The front page of Evernote's website has references to setting goals, packing lists, etc. Shouldn't you be able to sort these types of things into priority or alphabetical order??

EZE · May 8, 2023

An 11 year old problem Evernote seems to keep ignoring.
How about adding this basic feature rather than putting our money into AI.

Might want to hurry before you lose more members.
@EverNote

Metrodon · February 13, 2012

I guess that they acknowledged your request so they are aware of it.

Given the relatively small number of users that I think would find this useful, I'm guessing that it is pretty unlikely that it will be implemented.

Evernote staff do read pretty much every post on here, although they don't reply to all so you can be sure that it has been seen. Dlu or gbarry may even thank you for the suggestion....

gazumped · February 13, 2012

Evernote don't do disclosure (of the nature upcoming changes) and <inside joke alert> they don't do due dates either <kerching> but they do have lots of stuff in the pipeline, so "wait and see" is the only option.

IMHO they are a wonderfully interactive software house (yes, I have a TT in progress) but they have said frequently that they won't reinvent any wheels - like word processors with sorting, formatting etc. If you want that functionality, it's already available externally. And if you get your sorting, what about outlining - and picture resizing - and word counts.. There's lots of none-external-brainiac-style things that users would like, and the one thing we all agree on is that everyone else is wrong about the most important feature to add next.

Having said all of which: while its a pain to export text, sort it and re-import it, why not embed the saved file of your word-processor-of-choice in your note. Double-click the file to open it in the application and re-save to store your updated (and sorted) text. If you worry that the content of the file won't be indexed, just print off an occasional PDF draft and save that in the note too - or cut and paste the content as text, or just include some keywords, or tags so you can find it again easily.

You're gonna have to use a work-around for a while, even if Evernote decided to introduce sorting in the next public update; it's just a question of finding the least hasslefull one for the moment.

BurgersNFries · February 13, 2012

I would also add that EN's focus is not to be a list manager. So it's doubtful this feature would be very high on their list, if on the list at all. Another workaround would be to make each item a separate note. You can then sort by title, alphabetically.

Metrodon · February 13, 2012

Evernote don't do disclosure (of the nature upcoming changes) and <inside joke alert> they don't do due dates either <kerching> but they do have lots of stuff in the pipeline, so "wait and see" is the only option.

It's the inside joke that keeps on giving

BurgersNFries · February 13, 2012

I didn't appreciate that the presentation of a list in alphabetical order would be considered an unusual feature (list management?).

Sorry you don't appreciate it. But it's a fact, that Evernote has stated they are not striving to be a list manager. (shrug)

Howard Hill · February 13, 2012

PS Just thought (ouch) that sorting lines of text satisfies the same need that is met when sorting a list of notebooks or a list of notes.

It simply helps one to find stuff more easily than if it is presented in a random list.

I guess it depends really on whether having that type of information is a fairly common use for Evernote. It is for me )

JMichaelTX · February 14, 2012

I would find sorting of text useful.

Sorting is not particularly a "word processing" function. In fact, in the early days of WP, there was no sort feature.

It is more of a text or list function. Evernote does provide for list support. I submit it is a fairly common need to sort a list after having spent some time writing/development.

Sorting text is a well known (ancient) technology, and I can't image that it would be a big burden on development.

IAC, nobody asked for a full-blown word processor.

Dz Nutz · August 10, 2012

Does anyone know if this has been addressed since February 2012?

I recently ran into the same issue when switching from Color Note for Android to Ever Note (Android and Windows)

I too have several notes imported from Color Note that I was able to sort text within the list A-Z, Z-A, numerically, or sort by status, remove completed, ect

I would hate to think with a software as impressive as Ever Note that I would need to make a list in a competitive software and then export it to Ever Note just to sort the data...

D

Metrodon · August 10, 2012

This isnt supported

BurgersNFries · January 4, 2013

I agree, sorting is needed at the content level.
Three different lists as well as tables are supported, but basic products often omit sorting, to me an obvious need. Note and notebook sorting is supported, so sort algorithms exist in the product. It doesn't seem too big a jump to apply them to content.
It's easier for me to stick with a product that sorts and manually solve the "notebook" problem with the file system, than to jump to Evernote and manually solve the sequence problem. BTW, there is no export to excel or other application; the best you can do is copy/paste. None of the other suggestions are feasible for my list needs.
As is, it is typical of low-end text processors...sadly.

Evernote does not strive to be a "text" processor.

And you can export to HTML, which is really the best way for notes that may contain images, files, etc.

Happy · January 4, 2013

Wow, you were quick. Just a few minutes later, I reposted an edited version, that better expresses my situation. On your points: check, check.

I agree, sorting is needed at the content level.

Three different lists as well as tables are supported, but basic products often omit sorting, to me an obvious need. Note and notebook sorting is supported, so sort algorithms exist in the product. It doesn't seem too big a jump to apply them to content.

It's easier for me to stick with a product that sorts and manually solve the "notebook" problem with the file system, than to jump to Evernote and manually solve the sequence problem. BTW, there is no export to excel or other application; the best you can do is copy/paste. None of the other suggestions are feasible for my list needs.

As is, it is typical of low-end text processors...sadly.

Evernote does not strive to be a "text" processor.

And you can export to HTML, which is really the best way for notes that may contain images, files, etc.

Wow, you were quick. Just a minute or two later I posted an edit, that better expresses my situation. On your points: check, check.

wellshaman · January 5, 2013

Hi,

Just wanted to add and mine point to the obvious benefits of basic sorting for many users if they use lists of any kind in an EN's note.

I created GTD, or todo list for today, a week, a month etc.

Then, with time some priorities would change.

That's life, obvious, we need to adapt to progress (regress ). Plans never go as we usually hope. No perfection exists in this world.

OK.

I go to my list of whatever I created, highlight a line or position of the interest and just move it up or down the list.

New list is created in the split of the second. Perfect! Done...

But not with EverNote, which will make you to cut/copy/paste, delete gaps/tabs spaces etc...

Wasting time, in one word.

Then I use external soft for higher productivity and managing todo lists, priorities, tasks etc.

It's just a pity that EN has lots of sorting features for sorting notes by at least 18 criteria + tags sorting. Some of them by majority of the people are never going to be used. And still, ability to sort quickly and efficiently any of your lists manually, giving a visual prioritization would be a very good feature.

Thanks for reading till the end .

And then to consider EN program as a master of note keeping, searching and organizing.

PS. sorry for the wrong order of some text - the previous line should be one position higher and the one before last - the last.

My mistake, don't want really to cut/paste or retype again. Tired.

NightStalker · January 5, 2013

Given the relatively small number of users that I think would find this useful, I'm guessing that it is pretty unlikely that it will be implemented.

The problem with that, Metrodon, is that it is only your opinion. I'd suggest that there are actually quite lot of people who would find intra-note sorting VERY useful, including all those GTD types (which I'm not), and all those who use EN to store various lists (which I do) from shopping lists to lists of owned DVDs etc. Heck, Evernote is a free-form database, so a list is just one type of note content. And sorting those lists would be a fairly basic need, I'd think.

But, that is only my opinion, just as yours is only yours. I have to agree though that it IS odd that we can sort notes and notebooks, but not intranotes, particularly lists. Could be lists of anything from shopping to learning lists. The advantage of doing ALL of that in Evernote, of course, is that the data is synced across platforms. I can pull up EN on my iPhone while in the supermarket and grab the shopping list. I can search the list of DVDs if I see one that I'm not sure if we have it or not. Insurance lists of house contents. Lists of camera lenses, jewellery, books, etc etc. LOTS of instances where being able to sort those lists would be very handy.

Sorting has been around since the beginning of computing. I remember programming bubble sorts way back in the assembly-language days of 8-bit Z80 programming. I'm sure there are so many sort routines available now, virtually off the shelf, that incorporating one into a note that is plain text and separated by new lines (i.e lists) should be a piece of cake.

But I'm not holding my breath - Evernote still haven't got the ability to do reverse sort order for notes yet, on either the title or the date created or date modified.

Wonder just WHY they have so much of a problem with sorts?

GrumpyMonkey · January 5, 2013

This seems like a valuable feature, though I don't know how one would easily achieve this within XHTML, which is what Evernote uses to create each note. Generally speaking, the desire for the "feature" is totally understandable, and I can see why someone would expect a list (because that is what we see on the surface) to be sortable, but if XHTML is underneath and it is (to my inexpert eyes) difficult or impossible to achieve without the introduction of javascript or some other entirely new element, then the seemingly simple issue becomes quite complex. All of this (if I am correct) is therefore one of the tradeoffs for using XHTML. Every design decision requires tradeoffs, and this might just be one of them.

In answer to the OP, I would guess it will never come. But, it could come tomorrow. No one outside of Evernote really knows. It is just my guess. How likely is it that I am correct in my prognostication? Personally, like NightStalker, I want to see Evernote achieve parity with their sorts across all clients. On iOS we have a paltry 3 (up from a low of 2). On Windows we have an amazing 17, and reverse sorts. Other clients fall somewhere in-between these two extremes. In other words, the sorts exist, but are not everywhere. If you think about that, then a sort that doesn't yet exist (the sortable content of notes) seems like something that may take quite a while, if it ever comes.

Metrodon · January 5, 2013

Given the relatively small number of users that I think would find this useful, I'm guessing that it is pretty unlikely that it will be implemented.
The problem with that, Metrodon, is that it is only your opinion. I'd suggest that there are actually quite lot of people who would find intra-note sorting VERY useful, including all those GTD types (which I'm not), and all those who use EN to store various lists (which I do) from shopping lists to lists of owned DVDs etc. Heck, Evernote is a free-form database, so a list is just one type of note content. And sorting those lists would be a fairly basic need, I'd think.
But, that is only my opinion, just as yours is only yours. I have to agree though that it IS odd that we can sort notes and notebooks, but not intranotes, particularly lists. Could be lists of anything from shopping to learning lists. The advantage of doing ALL of that in Evernote, of course, is that the data is synced across platforms. I can pull up EN on my iPhone while in the supermarket and grab the shopping list. I can search the list of DVDs if I see one that I'm not sure if we have it or not. Insurance lists of house contents. Lists of camera lenses, jewellery, books, etc etc. LOTS of instances where being able to sort those lists would be very handy.
Sorting has been around since the beginning of computing. I remember programming bubble sorts way back in the assembly-language days of 8-bit Z80 programming. I'm sure there are so many sort routines available now, virtually off the shelf, that incorporating one into a note that is plain text and separated by new lines (i.e lists) should be a piece of cake.
But I'm not holding my breath - Evernote still haven't got the ability to do reverse sort order for notes yet, on either the title or the date created or date modified.
Wonder just WHY they have so much of a problem with sorts?

Evernote's direction is really very clear. They are attempting to create a very general tool based around a cross platform syncing service.

The apps that Evernote create themselves rarely meet a use case such as the one asked for in this thread. This isn't some disrespectful of its users nasty master plan, it's just the reality of building a solution that 45m+ people use in a myriad of different ways. Building complex functionality that will only be used by a small subset of users (and that then must be maintained) just doesn't make technical or business sense.

jefito · January 5, 2013

But I'm not holding my breath - Evernote still haven't got the ability to do reverse sort order for notes yet, on either the title or the date created or date modified.

Actually, they do. Just not on all clients.

NightStalker · January 5, 2013

Yes, of course you're right. Apologies, my mistake. But I'm on the Mac and iOS, where reverse order sorts aren't available. Lucky Windows users - and how often can we Mac users say that?

Martin Packer · January 5, 2013

I'm wondering if it's the "round tripping" through an external toolchain that isn't the bear here...

(X)HTML got a couple of mentions. I would consider those quite clunky to 1) throw through tools, and 2) to sort within anyway. Yes, many of us here appear to have the programming nouse to play with XSLT etc to slice'n'dice a note. The sad thing is we'd probably actually try it. :-) But, seriously, it's not an approach that the general user is going to like much.

Martin Packer · January 5, 2013

I'm wondering, in particular, if anyone's managed to pull an Evernote note over the web from ANY command line (using something like CURL). (Yes I know Windows client users have ENScript that could do it - but that's not so general.)

GrumpyMonkey · January 5, 2013

Yes, of course you're right. Apologies, my mistake. But I'm on the Mac and iOS, where reverse order sorts aren't available. Lucky Windows users - and how often can we Mac users say that?

Mac has had reverse order sorts for as long as I can remember. iOS, as you said, does not.

NightStalker · January 5, 2013

Aha..!! Light bulb moment! Happy to be proved wrong again - I see it now... It's in the drop down list - Least recent to Most recent, or vice versa. I'm just so used to having the Mac standard "click the header to toggle the sort order" that I'd completely missed that. I should mention I'm using v3.3.

Thanks Grumpy

GrumpyMonkey · January 5, 2013

Aha..!! Light bulb moment! Happy to be proved wrong again - I see it now... It's in the drop down list - Least recent to Most recent, or vice versa. I'm just so used to having the Mac standard "click the header to toggle the sort order" that I'd completely missed that. I should mention I'm using v3.3.

Thanks Grumpy

Sure. Personally, I think it is a confusing menu (5.0.4), and it is inconvenient (two levels deep), but it is there.

ben wheeler · January 29, 2013

i would also like to be able to sort the text within a note.

Loquos · January 29, 2013

I think someone else mentioned this, but I'm too lazy to go back and look.

If you are making a list that is long enough that you need to have an auto-sort option for your list, why not just create each item in the list as a note, and put all those notes within a particular notebook? This way, you have all the current listing options for notes/notebooks at your disposal, and every time you need to add something from the list (or delete it), everything will be automatically resorted for you.

This is what I did with my growing wine list. It makes it so much easier to add new entries, and any quick view of that notebook shows me what I have in alpha order, with no need for copying/pasting/deleting empty rows/etc.

Randomizer · March 4, 2013

I agree with others. Sorting would be something I would like to see. A checklist for example. Used Evernote to list music I might be interested in someday. List becomes pretty large ... an alpha sequence would be very helpful.

totochto · May 13, 2013

Evernote is a superior product and has literally changed my life, but are we asserting there is never room for improvement? Look, people, one of the oldest programming languages still in use is LISP, which is a LISt Processing language - nothing to do with word processing per se. One of it's powerful features is sorting. Sorting is not inherently a text-oriented activity. Sorting is done on lists, arrays, vectors and matrices of things that may contain text.. Since Evernote already supports lists (to-do lists et cetera), logically, sorting should be a basic feature. In fact, I am willing to bet that underneath the pretty Evernote interface, the raw code does a lot of sorting as it hums away doing our bidding. Not asking for the most efficient quantum sort here, just basic line sorting. I too, would not really want Evernote to become the Swiss Army knife of apps, trying to do everything, since it already does what it does so well. JMO. totochto.

jefito · May 13, 2013

Evernote is a superior product and has literally changed my life, but are we asserting there is never room for improvement?

I doubt that anyone is asserting this. I generally see it as a prioritization problem; if they do this, then they can't do some other feature. Since what's useful to some people is less useful to others, and since Evernote generally keeps its prioritization determination to itself, we just need to accept that they'll do it if they figure that it's going to be important to enough people.

Look, people, one of the oldest programming languages still in use is LISP, which is a LISt Processing language - nothing to do with word processing per se. One of it's powerful features is sorting. Sorting is not inherently a text-oriented activity. Sorting is done on lists, arrays, vectors and matrices of things that may contain text.. Since Evernote already supports lists (to-do lists et cetera), logically, sorting should be a basic feature. In fact, I am willing to bet that underneath the pretty Evernote interface, the raw code does a lot of sorting as it hums away doing our bidding. Not asking for the most efficient quantum sort here, just basic line sorting. I too, would not really want Evernote to become the Swiss Army knife of apps, trying to do everything, since it already does what it does so well.

Not sure what LISP has to do with this, but I suppose that if you put on your LISP-colored glasses, anything can be viewed as a list (or maybe more properly a tree, since lists can contain other lists?). That doesn't mean that Evernote should ipso facto support every kind of list operation out of the box. I mean, everyone would want to sort their notes by character, right?

On the rare occasions that I actually need text line sorting in Evernote content, I've always just copied the text into an actual text editor, sorted it, and pasted it back into Evernote. Obviously, your needs may differ from mine.

totochto · May 13, 2013

Certainly, you're correct about being able to accomplish something as basic as sorting in another app, but if we're going to take a Luddite slant to improvement, why not shut down the power and get out a spiral-bound notepad and a number 2 pencil? I recall hearing the constant chanting of the GTD gurus with respect to EN - the fewer clicks the better. And having to constantly switch apps for trivially-implemented yet useful features is not only distracting, it is bad for business.Yes, each EN user probably does have some pet feature they would like implemented - and it can't all be done if we look at it reasonably. But they can be discussed nevertheless. Thanks for the spirited discussion.

"Any customer can have a car painted in any color he wants so long as it is black" - Henry Ford, the American founder of the Ford Motor Company.

jefito · May 13, 2013

Again, nobody's trying to stifle discussion or stop folks from suggesting new features. I ask for them myself, sometimes.

On the other hand, it's not exactly Luddite to suggest a computer solution to a computer task; this one's just a few clicks more, which may be a sufficient workaround for some folks, but it's obviously not optimal for everyone's workflow, and it's rather obviously better in most respects than pencil and paper. It's all a question of balance: line sorting may be trivial to implement, if you like, but how many folks would it really benefit, and at what cost (i.e., what other feature do you burn)?

Cars come in green around here, though.

totochto · May 13, 2013

Point taken. Never had a green car though. But they are available for those who want them, eh?

tcalbaz · May 29, 2013

As a developer I must applaud you on what a fine product Evernotes has become. It has evolved into an indespesable item in my programming and documentation toolkit.

At Googles IO conference a list of guidelines for enhancing the user experience for their design team was revealed.

http://developer.android.com/design/get-started/principles.html

One of the guidelines I found inspiring:

Give me tricks that work everywhere

"People feel great when they figure things out for themselves. Make your app easier to learn by

leveraging visual patterns and muscle memory from other Android apps. For example, the swipe gesture
may be a good navigational shortcut."

When I am able to have at least two means of sorting notes already in place in Evernotes I naturally expect that ability to extend down to the note level in surprising and delightful ways. When I have a 1000 item list in random order and discover that I don't even have the most rudimentary sorting ability in a note its practically indescribable how that feels.

Now one wonders how many people in a hundred feel this way and apply it to Evernotes total number of users?

Is this good?

According to Google for every negative design flaw it takes at least three positive enhancements to change a users emotional response to a positive one.

Not having basic sorting at the note level I believe is a serious design flaw and could only bring positive reponse from Evernotes User base when corrected.

thank you,

regards

Ted

Mindfluence · June 14, 2013

Nobody has mentioned the checklist feature that I use for my to-do list. EN won't let you even copy this list into Word for sorting. It won't put it into the clipboard at all.

You can search for checked and unchecked boxes in your notes, but you can't sort a list by completed/not completed? That's an oversight in my opinion.

I know that EN is not a to-do list tool but I agree with the sorting-is-a-basic-feature crowd. It should be an easy addition that won't add complexity to those who don't use it. Why not include it then?

gazumped · June 22, 2013

Nobody has mentioned the checklist feature that I use for my to-do list. EN won't let you even copy this list into Word for sorting. It won't put it into the clipboard at all.

You can search for checked and unchecked boxes in your notes, but you can't sort a list by completed/not completed? That's an oversight in my opinion.

I know that EN is not a to-do list tool but I agree with the sorting-is-a-basic-feature crowd. It should be an easy addition that won't add complexity to those who don't use it. Why not include it then?

Evernote started out with a (very) basic editor and have worked their way up to a basic editor with a few bells and whistles. I'm sure more improvements are on the way, but as has already been said - there are thousands of suggestions here for "basic features" that Evernote has to schedule over all the platforms it supports and without displeasing its increasingly large user-base by taking the wrong step. They'll get around to it.

Ballard Jones · August 18, 2013

Seemingly every well-reasoned request for this fundamentally-useful feature is deprecated by some self-appointed Evernote Evangelist.

Evernote Evangelists, personally I'm insulted by your 'small number of users' argument with respect to this feature, and disappointed by your collective apathy in really trying to understand the depth and breadth of this feature's general usefulness.

Instead, we're pontificated to with condecending, closed-ended statements in a less-that-subtle ad hominem effort to riducule and marginalize supporters of this feature request.

For example, list-sorting would be useful to everyone who uses checkboxes for provisioning (i.e. 'shopping'). If list sorting were possible, it would be a simple matter to

Check the boxes for the items that you already have, or items you have just tossed in the shopping cart,
Hit 'resort', and instantly move all checked-item to the bottom of list.

Users cannot easily do this in an external application on a tablet or phone when mobile -- the 'sorting list in an external application' argument really struck me as particularly myopic as to how this application is leveraged by a vast majority of users.

Evernote Evangelists, I'm not interested in any response that doesn't ask thoughtful questions in a genuine attempt to better understand and define this feature request.

GrumpyMonkey · August 18, 2013

Seemingly every well-reasoned request for this fundamentally-useful feature is deprecated by some self-appointed Evernote Evangelist.... Evernote Evangelists, personally I'm insulted by your 'small number of users' argument with respect to this feature, and disappointed by your collective apathy in really trying to understand the depth and breadth of this feature's general usefulness.... Instead, we're pontificated to with condecending, closed-ended statements in a less-that-subtle ad hominem effort to riducule and marginalize supporters of this feature request.... Evernote Evangelists, I'm not interested in any response that doesn't ask thoughtful questions in a genuine attempt to better understand and define this feature request.

Hi. Welcome to the forums.

I am sorry to see that you have begun with an attack like this on your fellow users. I am an Evernote Evangelist, and I have been participating in this topic for a while. I don't think your criticism is accurate or fair. If you look back at my posts, like this one (http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/24043-how-to-sort-the-text-within-a-note/?p=181606), I think you'll see these criticisms don't fit well. But, attacks on your fellow users (Evangelists) aside, I'll address some of your other points.

Evangelists are not self-appointed. They are chosen by Evernote in recognition of their contributions to the forums. I suppose you could debate how helpful we are, but we do try to express our opinions in a respectful manner.

As for the "collective apathy," I don't see that in the comments. Some feature requests are more popular with users (including Evangelists) than others. This one seems good enough, but it just doesn't evoke much passion from me.

Evangelists have no knowledge of what Evernote developers will do, and we don't have any more influence than you on them. They read these forums, and if you make a case for the feature, you may convince them to implement it.

Ballard Jones · August 19, 2013

OK GrumpyMonkey, I'll give you a 'pass' -- but to illustrate my point let's look a wee bit more critically at the three ENE comments preceding yours...

Gazumped: "Evernote started out with a (very) basic editor and have worked their way up to a basic editor with a few bells and whistles. I'm sure more improvements are on the way, but as has already been said - there are thousands of suggestions here for "basic features" that Evernote has to schedule over all the platforms it supports and without displeasing its increasingly large user-base by taking the wrong step. They'll get around to it."

Oh please pardon us the unwashed infidels, Mr Gazumped, are we annoying you with repeated requests for this feature? Maybe it's perhaps because the vast majority of unworthy infidels would really really like to see it? Your comment suggests the discussion has become tedious, and should be deprecated. Pray tell, why did you not respond to infidel tcalbaz's extremely thought-provoking and discussion-escalating commentary, from a software developer and user-base satisfaction perspective?
Jetflo: "On the other hand, it's not exactly Luddite to suggest a computer solution to a computer task; this one's just a few clicks more, which may be a sufficient workaround for some folks, but it's obviously not optimal for everyone's workflow,..yadayadayada"

Seriously Mr. Jetflo, have you ever tried doing what you suggest on your smartphone? On a tablet? You do use a smartphone and/or tablet, yes? While your suggestion may not strictly fit the definition of Luddite, I am lighting-up another cigarette in order to properly contemplate its abysmal impracticality for mobile users -- i.e. the 'vast majority', Sir!
Jetflo: "Not sure what LISP has to do with this, but I suppose that if you put on your LISP-colored glasses, anything can be viewed as a list...yadayadayada"

Mr. Jetflo, first you ridicule infidel totochto's LISP analogy, then you begrudgingly acknowledge its validity. Then you go on to condescendingly reprimand both the opinion and expectation that this feature should be high on the development team's priority list. Did you ask one serious, material question? Did you try to learn anything of the commentator's likely vast tech-industry experience? How exactly then, Mr. Jetflo Sir, did you materially contribute to this discussion?

Need I go on, or have I made my point?

So I'm going on vacation, and I'll be using EN every day...but I won't be back to this forum for a week or two. Promise I will keep a log of all the time-saving opportunities for within-note list-sorting in my travels, and report-back appropriately.

And as stated previously, I'm not interested in responses that doesn't ask meaningful questions or otherwise escalate the discussion to promote better understanding and definition this feature request.

BurgersNFries · August 19, 2013

Seemingly every well-reasoned request for this fundamentally-useful feature is deprecated by some self-appointed Evernote Evangelist.
Evernote Evangelists, personally I'm insulted by your 'small number of users' argument with respect to this feature, and disappointed by your collective apathy in really trying to understand the depth and breadth of this feature's general usefulness.
Instead, we're pontificated to with condecending, closed-ended statements in a less-that-subtle ad hominem effort to riducule and marginalize supporters of this feature request.
For example, list-sorting would be useful to everyone who uses checkboxes for provisioning (i.e. 'shopping'). If list sorting were possible, it would be a simple matter to
Check the boxes for the items that you already have, or items you have just tossed in the shopping cart,
Hit 'resort', and instantly move all checked-item to the bottom of list.
Users cannot easily do this in an external application on a tablet or phone when mobile -- the 'sorting list in an external application' argument really struck me as particularly myopic as to how this application is leveraged by a vast majority of users.
Evernote Evangelists, I'm not interested in any response that doesn't ask thoughtful questions in a genuine attempt to better understand and define this feature request.

No one has said this feature would not be useful. And I don't think this feature is really in need of being further defined. This isn't rocket science. However, it's something Evernote has chosen to not implement yet, if at all. It's their company, their product & their choice. If you're insulted & disappointed, that's unfortunate, but we cannot control your feelings. BTW, I'm not a "self professed Evernote Evangelist. Evernote approached me & gave me that moniker.

Need I go on, or have I made my point?
So I'm going on vacation, and I'll be using EN every day...but I won't be back to this forum for a week or two. Promise I will keep a log of all the time-saving opportunities for within-note list-sorting in my travels, and report-back appropriately.
And as stated previously, I'm not interested in responses that doesn't ask meaningful questions or otherwise escalate the discussion to promote better understanding and definition this feature request.

Actually, the only point you've made is that you're annoyed with valid & reasonable answers provided by other users & that you just don't get that, eventhough GM tried explaining it to you.

Additionally, you may not be interested in many subsequent posts. But this is a message board, open to all users. You are not able to dictate what type of replies you will get.

Furthermore, I suggest we get back on topic. If you have any issues with any users, evangelists or not, please feel free to use the report button that is on every post. Futher discussions on your views of Evernote evangelists will result in thread lock, since this board exists for discussing Evernote, not your opinion of other Evernote users. Thank you.

jefito · August 19, 2013

@Ballard Jones: this is a user forum. The topic of LISP and other related discussion are in context of Evernote capabilities, and are therefore topical, but remarks about other forum users are not. I'd suggest that folks stick to the topic; it's not an unreasonable request, and nobody's saying that it isn't.

Ballard Jones · August 19, 2013

As a developer I must applaud you on what a fine product Evernotes has become. It has evolved into an indespesable item in my programming and documentation toolkit.

At Googles IO conference a list of guidelines for enhancing the user experience for their design team was revealed.

http://developer.android.com/design/get-started/principles.html

One of the guidelines I found inspiring:
Give me tricks that work everywhere
"People feel great when they figure things out for themselves. Make your app easier to learn by

leveraging visual patterns and muscle memory from other Android apps. For example, the swipe gesture

may be a good navigational shortcut."

When I am able to have at least two means of sorting notes already in place in Evernotes I naturally expect that ability to extend down to the note level in surprising and delightful ways. When I have a 1000 item list in random order and discover that I don't even have the most rudimentary sorting ability in a note its practically indescribable how that feels.

Now one wonders how many people in a hundred feel this way and apply it to Evernotes total number of users?

Is this good?

According to Google for every negative design flaw it takes at least three positive enhancements to change a users emotional response to a positive one.

Not having basic sorting at the note level I believe is a serious design flaw and could only bring positive reponse from Evernotes User base when corrected.

thank you,

regards

Ted

Excellent comment, Ted -- couldn't agree more wholeheartedly.

'Loyal users' are a fickle lot -- they'll drop an app in a heartbeat given a working solution to their pet peeve.

Perhaps some like-minded manager on the development team may escalate the priority of this 'low-hanging fruit' feature-request.

Surely, a little advertising couldn't hurt:

YO, DEVELOPMENT TEAM!!!

ESCALATE 'SORT LINES WITHIN NOTES' FOR NEXT RELEASE!!!

LOW-HANGING FRUIT MAKE FOR HAPPY USER CANDY!!!

Ballard Jones · August 19, 2013

Evernote is a superior product and has literally changed my life, but are we asserting there is never room for improvement? Look, people, one of the oldest programming languages still in use is LISP, which is a LISt Processing language - nothing to do with word processing per se. One of it's powerful features is sorting. Sorting is not inherently a text-oriented activity. Sorting is done on lists, arrays, vectors and matrices of things that may contain text.. Since Evernote already supports lists (to-do lists et cetera), logically, sorting should be a basic feature. In fact, I am willing to bet that underneath the pretty Evernote interface, the raw code does a lot of sorting as it hums away doing our bidding. Not asking for the most efficient quantum sort here, just basic line sorting. I too, would not really want Evernote to become the Swiss Army knife of apps, trying to do everything, since it already does what it does so well. JMO. totochto.

Excellent comment totochto, I knew exactly where you were coming from immediately, LISP is the perfect analogy for us old-timers.

After all, what are lines of text on-screen if not a sorted list (i.e. 'array') of strings?

Natively handled by the likes of Perl, PHP, and JavaScript.

All built on algorithms pioneered in the architecture of LISP.

Been on computers since the 70's, but just implemented EN cross-platform (PCs. smartphones, multiple tablets) the day before yesterday.

Didn't take long to notice, and am in total agreement that the omission of line-sorting within notes is a serious flaw that needs correcting sooner than later.

Incidentally, I just discovered a simple way to ignore unhelpful commentary.

Edit your user profile, select 'Ignore' Preferences, and type in user-names of the misinformed.

Life could hardly get much better!

Metrodon · August 19, 2013

In the end it comes down to priorities. This is really important to you, it couldn't matter any less to me. So in our sample size of 2 we have a 50/50 split. That's why it's tough being a software company.

Evernote's approach to this so far has been to develop their software in a way that would be most useful to themselves and this up to now has not included this feature.

Given that there have recently been major revisions to the major clients and it's not included it would be difficult to see the feature appearing in the near future. This leaves you with a choice, if you need to be able to re-order your text right now then Evernote is not the app for you. If you can live with workarounds until Evernote decide to implement it (and they may never do so), then that is fine.

This isn't a design flaw or some horrendously serious omission that the numptees in California have made, it's a choice and as fortunate free adults we all have the opportunity to vote with our feet and find an alternative solution if we are not happy with a product.

totochto · August 19, 2013

I read the opinions here and respect the holders' rights to express them. But let's be clear "I am right because I am right" or "I am right because I am a self-proclaimed authority" aren't any kind of well-reasoned arguments worth reading. Appeal to authority is instead a fallacious argumentation technique. Anyway, I recall seeing line sorting implemented in the most rudimentary editors from the computing Stone Age, so it certainly isn't "rocket science" And Evernote is so much more than an editor. It is presented as the best thing since sliced bread by many "evangelists" - great. So live up to that. This a relatively minor addition with respect to recoding with great benefit to many users. Sorting is a topic first semester CS students cover in detail, so the professional developers on the Evernote team are not up to the challenge?

Yes, this is a matter of priorities. The fact that many are so passionate about this addition speaks to its desirability and functionality for many, many of us. Of course, some of us Evernote users c-o-u-l-d spend months developing our own personal note-taking software, or developing scripting workarounds - but why should we? This excellent product is already here and we Premium users pay for the privilege of using it - and for suggesting new, useful features that the company who takes our money responds to. (I am a month-by-month Premium subscriber.) Just as some of us c-o-u-l-d build our own cars, rather than buying one, what would be the point unless that is our primary focus in life. I don't know what is most important to every Evernote user - except perhaps enhanced productivity - but I am willing to bet that re-inventing the wheel is not among our concerns. I c-o-u-l-d waste time pre-processing all my notes to adjust for an unfortunately omitted, easily-implemented feature of Evernote, but... wait that is what I do already. Maybe some of you are right - this will turn out NOT to be the choice for some of our note-taking needs. So look for the next greatest note app before you know it. (Are you listening, Google?) Is the American capitalist paradigm really dead? Like it or not, Computer Software Development is an often cut-throat business and innovation is the key to success - the roadway is littered with defunct companies for whom "good enough" was their motto. I would rather not see that happen here. Come on, get on the ball or lose the race.

BTW,

I would like to say that I appreciate the input and suggestions so the so-designated evangelists. As very long-term users of Evernote, you possess a long-range view of the development of EN that we newer users do not. I may not always agree with your positions on issues (I am a tad argumentative), but I take your input seriously and always pay attention to your contributions. The current issue here discussed - line sorting - is a case in point. Before any further griping on my part - thanks.

BurgersNFries · August 19, 2013

No one here is saying Evernote is "good enough" & certainly not Evernote. They are regularly updating their clients & adding or increasing features. However, a feature that is important to you but does not exist in Evernote does not immediately qualify it as a "serious flaw". Statements like that demonstrate a certain amount of naivete. The forum is littered with similar thoughts on totally different features such as sub-notebooks, lan syncing, manually ordering notes, etc, etc. etc. Some users even go to the extent of claiming to know adding a particular feature is easy to do and/or will increase revenues by a bajillion dollars overnight. (I may be exaggerating that last one a teeny bit.) But even if it was easy, that doesn't mean EN has even decided to add it. It may be something EN has decided not to add. It might be easy to change the color of the EN apps to purple. But maybe they simply don't want to do that. You don't even know that EN hasn't taken a particular feature request very seriously and simply decided against it (for whatever reason(s)).

Ballard Jones · August 29, 2013

Excellent comment, totochto, I too am a Premium member and am allegedly naive enough to expect that Developers actually listen to Users' feedback to optimize functionality-improvement efforts.

Personally, perhaps I get a little over-aggravated when good suggestions to improve a great product are consistently marginalized and deprecated by counter-helpful naysayers.

Know-It-Alls seemingly obsessed with having the final say in any discussion, particularly discussions they did not initiate and have no real stakeholder interest in.

Yeah, it gets me riled up a little bit, but then I just light another cigarette and move on...

totochto · August 29, 2013

Ballard Jones - spot on, mate. Enjoyed the posts. The lady doth protest too much, methinks. totochto

WClampett · October 28, 2013

Arguments like this are a necessary part of any discussion, even if they occasionally become little uncomfortable. The fact that it sometimes gets a little heated only goes to show - for me anyway - that the matter is important.

While I personally try not to get personal in my posts, it is necessary sometimes to prick the bubbles of some self-important folks who seem to believe their view is the only relevant one.

Anyway, to the matter at hand: Of course Evernote is not a word processor, but as a note taker it really should provide a little more of what I call basic features. For me, sorting is no less important than font style or size.

Photographs too are very important to many people, but the lack of any sort of control in Evernote is very frustrating. Nobody (surely...) wants photo editing as such, but simple resizing should be available, as should the facility to attach an image and display a thumbnail -instead of inserting an image inline.

I realise this is not the place for a full-blown discussion on Evernote's features, but I wanted to show why I believe a few more 'features' would not cripple Evernote and would in fact make it far more useful in its primary function as a note taker.

Edited October 28, 2013 by WClampett

alvester · October 31, 2013

I TOTALLY agree that the ability to alphabetize within an Evernote note, ESPECIALLY within lists, should be an option. I'm starting to run into a wall especially with my grocery and other shopping lists.

I have the check box option enabled on all my shopping lists which is extremely handy when out shopping and checking off lists. However my lists have grown to the point that it's very time consuming to search for the items I need to check and un-check before and during shopping.

If I could alphabetize within each of my shopping lists it would make Evernote so much more useful and efficient.

BurgersNFries · October 31, 2013

I TOTALLY agree that the ability to alphabetize within an Evernote note, ESPECIALLY within lists, should be an option. I'm starting to run into a wall especially with my grocery and other shopping lists.

I have the check box option enabled on all my shopping lists which is extremely handy when out shopping and checking off lists. However my lists have grown to the point that it's very time consuming to search for the items I need to check and un-check before and during shopping.

If I could alphabetize within each of my shopping lists it would make Evernote so much more useful and efficient.

As has been stated on the board many times, although Evernote provides simple to do lists, it is not striving to be yet another task/to do list manager. There are many good ones out there. It sounds like you would be better served by using one of those for your grocery list.

Mindfluence · October 31, 2013

I TOTALLY agree that the ability to alphabetize within an Evernote note, ESPECIALLY within lists, should be an option. I'm starting to run into a wall especially with my grocery and other shopping lists.

I have the check box option enabled on all my shopping lists which is extremely handy when out shopping and checking off lists. However my lists have grown to the point that it's very time consuming to search for the items I need to check and un-check before and during shopping.

If I could alphabetize within each of my shopping lists it would make Evernote so much more useful and efficient.

As has been stated on the board many times, although Evernote provides simple to do lists, it is not striving to be yet another task/to do list manager. There are many good ones out there. It sounds like you would be better served by using one of those for your grocery list.

There is a difference between striving to be something and adding nominal functionality that would make a program more useful. I've never seen a successful company with the tagline: "We're proud of our limitations...please don't offer any suggestions for improvement," yet that seems to be the mindset about some logical and practical ideas that are being carelessly discarded. As a business consultant, that makes zero sense to me.

jefito · October 31, 2013

I TOTALLY agree that the ability to alphabetize within an Evernote note, ESPECIALLY within lists, should be an option. I'm starting to run into a wall especially with my grocery and other shopping lists.

<snip>

If I could alphabetize within each of my shopping lists it would make Evernote so much more useful and efficient.

I'll only need this when my grocery store decides to alphabetize its wares, so I'll be getting my coffee and cereal somewhere near the cucumbers, my onions next to the olive oil and oranges, my squash near the spaghetti, etc., etc.

jefito · October 31, 2013

There is a difference between striving to be something and adding nominal functionality that would make a program more useful. I've never seen a successful company with the tagline: "We're proud of our limitations...please don't offer any suggestions for improvement," yet that seems to be the mindset about some logical and practical ideas that are being carelessly discarded. As a business consultant, that makes zero sense to me.

As a business consultant, you should therefore be aware of the necessity of a business to make choices based on resources (time and people) vs. what they believe delivers value to their customers. I doubt very much that Evernote is "carelessly" discarding anyone's suggestions; what I do expect is that they'll try to make good decisions about which suggestions they will implement. As with many things, "good" is a relative term, depending on where you're sitting.

BurgersNFries · October 31, 2013

There is a difference between striving to be something and adding nominal functionality that would make a program more useful. I've never seen a successful company with the tagline: "We're proud of our limitations...please don't offer any suggestions for improvement," yet that seems to be the mindset about some logical and practical ideas that are being carelessly discarded. As a business consultant, that makes zero sense to me.

I don't know how you convert what I posted to the company not wanting any suggestions for improvement. But it's not just you. It seems that's the default reply when the answer is not something the person wanted to hear. The reality is that EN does welcome suggestions for improvement. But just because it's something you think may be an improvement does not mean EN would agree. Or maybe they agree but either assign it a low priority or nix the idea (for whatever reason.) Hopefully that would make sense to you.

Mindfluence · November 1, 2013

There is a difference between striving to be something and adding nominal functionality that would make a program more useful. I've never seen a successful company with the tagline: "We're proud of our limitations...please don't offer any suggestions for improvement," yet that seems to be the mindset about some logical and practical ideas that are being carelessly discarded. As a business consultant, that makes zero sense to me.
I don't know how you convert what I posted to the company not wanting any suggestions for improvement. But it's not just you. It seems that's the default reply when the answer is not something the person wanted to hear. The reality is that EN does welcome suggestions for improvement. But just because it's something you think may be an improvement does not mean EN would agree. Or maybe they agree but either assign it a low priority or nix the idea (for whatever reason.) Hopefully that would make sense to you.

BurgersNFries and Jefrito: These are both good points. I'm sure it's all a matter of perspective and one logical addition will always be another's unnecessary complexity. I suppose when it's something I know to require limited resources from a computing standpoint (like the few lines of code required for sorting), and that would make the program more functional for at least a percentage of users, that seems like it should be an easier addition than some of the more complex suggestions that would result in a substantive performance tradeoff. It's probably safe to assume that the genius creators of this popular and effective product are aware of these conclusions and are making the best decisions they can, knowing that some users will be disappointed. Every company must compromise in this way to some extent, like when Apple favored reliability over Flash and Wendy's got rid of the salad bar. Having said all that, I'm still signing the sorting petition when it comes around.

jbenson2 · November 1, 2013

Just sorting alphabetically won't cut it for me.

Evernote should be able to sort my list (grocery list) according to the aisles the products are displayed in so I can shop efficiently. It would make my grocery shopping so much easier if it had an auto-learn aisle hierarchy design. Of course I shop in different grocery stores so it is critical that Evernote also allow customized multiple aisle-sorting capabilities depending on which store I am in. Perhaps they should also offer a spoken item by item capability so that I don't have to keep looking down at my phone to see what is the next item on my list. Multilingual narration capability with proper food pronunciation should also be included.

megsaint · November 1, 2013

Just sorting alphabetically won't cut it for me.

I think it should also include recipes and nutrition information. ;-)

Mindfluence · November 1, 2013

Just sorting alphabetically won't cut it for me.

Evernote should be able to sort my list (grocery list) according to the aisles the products are displayed in so I can shop efficiently. It would make my grocery shopping so much easier if it had an auto-learn aisle hierarchy design. Of course I shop in different grocery stores so it is critical that Evernote also allow customized multiple aisle-sorting capabilities depending on which store I am in. Perhaps they should also offer a spoken item by item capability so that I don't have to keep looking down at my phone to see what is the next item on my list. Multilingual narration capability with proper food pronunciation should also be included.

And we were all just getting along so nicely when the "I don't have anything valuable to add so I'll just mock other people" guy shows up and ruins it all.

Martin Packer · November 1, 2013

I'd say, though, that the "shopping list" case is an interesting one: Anyone got a "syncs with Evernote" third party recommendation? If not then that IS a niche where there's some value - for Evernote or a third party. But maybe a niche that wouldn't be a high priority for Evernote or anyone else.

And when I say it's an interesting case it is from a usability and compsci point of view.

And yes I'd use one that was good enough.

jefito · November 1, 2013

Just sorting alphabetically won't cut it for me.

Evernote should be able to sort my list (grocery list) according to the aisles the products are displayed in so I can shop efficiently. It would make my grocery shopping so much easier if it had an auto-learn aisle hierarchy design. Of course I shop in different grocery stores so it is critical that Evernote also allow customized multiple aisle-sorting capabilities depending on which store I am in. Perhaps they should also offer a spoken item by item capability so that I don't have to keep looking down at my phone to see what is the next item on my list. Multilingual narration capability with proper food pronunciation should also be included.
And we were all just getting along so nicely when the "I don't have anything valuable to add so I'll just mock other people" guy shows up and ruins it all.

Just to clarify (since I also engaged in some light mockery here on the same topic, namely on the notion that alphabetizing a grocery list is a good use case -- it's not, as far as I can tell), mockery itself is not necessarily disallowed here. to wit (from the Forum Code of Conduct): "We don’t mind snark and gibes, but don’t get hateful". There is snark, yes, and it's only marginally topical, but it's hardly hateful.

That being said, mockery is probably all that's left to us in this topic. Let's face it: the request is valid, the case is made (sorting's usefulness is pretty well understood, so we don't really need any more test cases or testimony on the topic to make the case any stronger), Evernote are aware of the request, and we've touched on some of the reasons why they may not have implemented it (and we generally don't get a lot of feedback as to their rationale as to why they do what they do). In other words, we aren't likely to be getting any smarter about the topic, so we might as well have a little fun.

As far as I'm concerned, the topic is pretty well played-out, and could be locked as is without loss of further edification. Not that I am planning on doing that...

Mindfluence · November 1, 2013

Just sorting alphabetically won't cut it for me.

Evernote should be able to sort my list (grocery list) according to the aisles the products are displayed in so I can shop efficiently. It would make my grocery shopping so much easier if it had an auto-learn aisle hierarchy design. Of course I shop in different grocery stores so it is critical that Evernote also allow customized multiple aisle-sorting capabilities depending on which store I am in. Perhaps they should also offer a spoken item by item capability so that I don't have to keep looking down at my phone to see what is the next item on my list. Multilingual narration capability with proper food pronunciation should also be included.
And we were all just getting along so nicely when the "I don't have anything valuable to add so I'll just mock other people" guy shows up and ruins it all.

Just to clarify (since I also engaged in some light mockery here on the same topic, namely on the notion that alphabetizing a grocery list is a good use case -- it's not, as far as I can tell), mockery itself is not necessarily disallowed here. to wit (from the Forum Code of Conduct): "We don’t mind snark and gibes, but don’t get hateful". There is snark, yes, and it's only marginally topical, but it's hardly hateful.

That being said, mockery is probably all that's left to us in this topic. Let's face it: the request is valid, the case is made (sorting's usefulness is pretty well understood, so we don't really need any more test cases or testimony on the topic to make the case any stronger), Evernote are aware of the request, and we've touched on some of the reasons why they may not have implemented it (and we generally don't get a lot of feedback as to their rationale as to why they do what they do). In other words, we aren't likely to be getting any smarter about the topic, so we might as well have a little fun.

As far as I'm concerned, the topic is pretty well played-out, and could be locked as is without loss of further edification. Not that I am planning on doing that...

Fair enough. I guess I'm just still in finger-wagging mode after the third trick-or-treater threw my marginally-healthier snacks back in the basket and walked away sulking. I'll wait for something more meaningful before I go snark hunting again.

BurgersNFries · November 1, 2013

Fair enough. I guess I'm just still in finger-wagging mode after the third trick-or-treater threw my marginally-healthier snacks back in the basket and walked away sulking. I'll wait for something more meaningful before I go snark hunting again.

I believe this is the first time I've seen the phrase "trick or treater" used in the same sentence with "healthier snacks". I'm guessing the number of TOT'rs you get next year will be signifcantly lower. (Word gets around!)

megsaint · November 1, 2013

I'd say, though, that the "shopping list" case is an interesting one: Anyone got a "syncs with Evernote" third party recommendation? If not then that IS a niche where there's some value - for Evernote or a third party. But maybe a niche that wouldn't be a high priority for Evernote or anyone else.

http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/44801-evernote-powered-grocery-list-for-ios-works-great-with-evernote-food-wpromo-codes/

I haven't tried it.

panther.jd · January 8, 2014

Its a hack but I used this website

http://alphabetizer.flap.tv/index.php

Pasting text into a separate website then back into evernote is kind of a pain but at least it got a list sorted. It would be great it they built it in.

Lonesome Dog · January 11, 2014

Here is how I resolved solved "Alphabetize My Grocery List" challenge....after determining, from this forum, that Evernote does not do it for me.

I had about 90 items on my Evernote Grocery List in check-box format..As I decided I want something, either add to list or check the box in my master list...when I buy it, un-check the box...As list grew I had lots of duplicates and constantly searching for what I wanted to add.

To alphabetize the list.

(I use Open Office, but should work on any Office Suite)
(Spreadsheet gets confused by format pasted from Evernote..Text document won't alphabetize)

Procedure

Copy list from Evernote (format included... boxes disappeared in process..creating a sort-able document) to text document.
Copy from text document to spreadsheet.
Sort / Alphabetize spreadsheet. Clean up any grammar, spelling, duplications etc...Re-sort if necessary. Some tough decisions to make like Chicken Bullion or Bullion, Chicken
Paste sorted spreadsheet back to text document.
Paste from text document to Evernote. Note:Select Paste As Text option (Note: I tried pasting directly from spreadsheet to Evernote. Worked fine on my laptop but note was not editable on my phone.)
Add desired formatting back to Evernote document (as stated previously, I use check-box )....Check-box, bullet, number, etc

Evernote list is now sorted alphabetically....Keep it that way by inserting new items alphabetically or re-sorting using the above process

Easier to do than explain

cwb · January 11, 2014

As has been stated on the board many times, although Evernote provides simple to do lists, it is not striving to be yet another task/to do list manager.

Wellllll... And yet they bought a list manger app/company, and Phil has said he doesn't want Evernote to be just another todo app, rather a DO app.

So I'm still waiting to see what comes of that. And sometimes kludging with 3rd party clients that do allow sorting/ordering of todo items in Evernote.

Bee1936 · January 28, 2014

I DO NEED TO SORT!!! ... I like Evernote and have used it for two years. I have lists I need to alphabetically sort. Please.

BurgersNFries · January 28, 2014

I DO NEED TO SORT!!! ... I like Evernote and have used it for two years. I have lists I need to alphabetically sort. Please.

It's doubtful EN will add sorting lines within a note any time soon, if ever. (The ability to sort notes by note title has always been an option). If you need lists sorted alphabetically & don't want to make each line a separate note, then you should probably use a true list manager. There are plenty of them out there. And they pretty much work just like having each line in a separate Evernote note, IMO/IME.

southernforge · January 28, 2014

It's easy enough to copy the note contents to Notepad++ and use the TextFX plugin to sort alphabetically, and then copy back into Evernote. Did that over the weekend and it took all of .. 2 minutes?

Besides, there are plenty of applications that do this already...

cwb · January 28, 2014

I'd say, though, that the "shopping list" case is an interesting one: Anyone got a "syncs with Evernote" third party recommendation? If not then that IS a niche where there's some value - for Evernote or a third party. But maybe a niche that wouldn't be a high priority for Evernote or anyone else.

And when I say it's an interesting case it is from a usability and compsci point of view.

And yes I'd use one that was good enough.

I think the Shopping list category is served by many titles (GroceryGadget GroceryList on iOS), where there's a certain degree of crowdsourcing involved on product titles, barcodes, etc.

While I'm heavily for Evernote supporting a framework of appifying data. the Grocery List is a pretty specialized silo. I think a generic enabling framework would make an appearance before being that specialized.

As for your query on specific titles, the nearest fit that meets my needs is CloudOutliner on iOS.

It doesn't auto sort.

But it does let me:

Put items in a nested hierarchy
Expand/collapse the hierarchy
grab and move/re-order/promote/demote any:
- Single checkbox line
- branch/hierarchy
- Or arbitrary selection of checkboxes
- Hide/unhide checked items
I can edit/create/check/uncheck the note in either CloudOutliner or Evernote, and it syncs over to the other side

Where it falls down is the checkboxes must be in a single block. Only the first block of them in a note are recognized on the CloudOutliner side. Unlike say an EgretList where it ignores all text and just looks at the checkbox items, and lets you deal with those.

Homage to the fallen before their prime (from the Evernote blog)

FinancialWar · February 3, 2014

Is this even serious?? Two years and I still can't sort??

totochto · February 3, 2014

Ridiculous indeed. (Please save the unnecessary flames) On that subject - where can I get an unabridged unalphabetized copy of the Oxford English Dictionary. Of course, I forgot - just use other dictionaries until you find what you are seeking, then go through the whole unalphabetized OED to verify.

BurgersNFries · February 3, 2014

Is this even serious?? Two years and I still can't sort??

Hmmm.... I don't recall Evernote stating they were going to do this.

Ridiculous indeed. (Please save the unnecessary flames) On that subject - where can I get an unabridged unalphabetized copy of the Oxford English Dictionary. Of course, I forgot - just use other dictionaries until you find what you are seeking, then go through the whole unalphabetized OED to verify.

You seem to think lines in Evernote notes are supposed to behave like a dictionary or thesaurus. You would be wrong.

Evernote has stated in the past that they elect to NOT modify your notes. So...as has been stated before, it's doubtful this is something Evernote will ever implement. If you want/need lists in alpha order, then you should stick with a true (translate: more robust) list manager.

(Emphasis mine):

Our philosophy is that we want to preserve the exact bits of the files you put into Evernote, so if you drag/save them out, you should get the original file exactly as it was. Any special processing we do (e.g. OCR on PDFs) is done via a second, separate file that we create and maintain. In the UI, you can get a copy of this second text+image PDF, but we don't replace your original.
There's currently no UI option to say "save all of the files and images out of this set of notes", but thanks for the suggestion. You're correct that the only way to do this currently is to export as HTML. The original attachments are all saved in separate files that you can find from the Finder.
If you put a PDF into Evernote and access it from the web, you should get the same PDF document when you click on it. It will probably appear in a browser window, so you'll need to save that from the browser into a file on the desktop if that's what you want.

ObviousBob · February 3, 2014

I can't think of any reason I'd want to alphabetize the contents of my notes, but I surely would like to be able to drag items in a checklist to re-order them.

Right now, I don't find much use for checklists as a shopping or task list, as re-ordering has to be done via cut and paste, and all sorts of strange things can happen in Evernote when you mess with checkboxes..

cwb · February 3, 2014

Evernote has stated in the past that they elect to NOT modify your notes.

That's a little tone deaf this time BnF.

That quote doesn't have anything to do with the body of a note.

It's not Evernote modifying the note if checkboxes are re-ordered, it's you the editor. With the editor tool Evernote provides, to you know... edit the note.

There's plenty of other dissuading replies to pick from, but that one isn't it.

JMichaelTX · February 3, 2014

I can't think of any reason I'd want to alphabetize the contents of my notes, but I surely would like to be able to drag items in a checklist to re-order them.

Right now, I don't find much use for checklists as a shopping or task list, as re-ordering has to be done via cut and paste, and all sorts of strange things can happen in Evernote when you mess with checkboxes..

Well, if your checklists were in a table with columns for "Priority" or "Location" or "Time" or ...., then it would be very useful to sort the checklist on one or more of these columns. Or how about sorting on checked vs unchecked?

cwb · February 4, 2014

All good theoretical stuff.

I think he meant that he didn't find much use for sorting checklists within the current limited context of EN ("Right now").

I do wince when I can click an edit button on my wiki below a table and resort table rows with drag and drop. And click a column header to sort by that column. All within a similar TinyMCE editor framework as Evernote.

Shanezam203 · February 8, 2014

I also have a need for inside an ever note to have it sort alphabetically, can that be done?

Use Case is I have 100 dvd's listed alphabetically in a note titled :DVD's and I'd like to add titles to it and have it auto sort alphabetically like it does in Excel.

JMichaelTX · February 8, 2014

I also have a need for inside an ever note to have it sort alphabetically, can that be done?

Use Case is I have 100 dvd's listed alphabetically in a note titled :DVD's and I'd like to add titles to it and have it auto sort alphabetically like it does in Excel.

Until/IF Evernote provides us with a sort text/table feature, the best workaround I have found is to attach an Excel file, which can be displayed inline for Premium account users. This allows you to view the data directly in the Evernote Note, and then quickly edit with a simple double-click on the attachment. Saving changes and closing the file in Excel will automatically update the Evernote Note. Keep in mind that this results in an upload of the entire Excel file in Evernote, which will go against your monthly upload allowance.

So this is really a good workaround ONLY for small Excel files that are infrequently updated.

BurgersNFries · February 8, 2014

I also have a need for inside an ever note to have it sort alphabetically, can that be done?

Use Case is I have 100 dvd's listed alphabetically in a note titled :DVD's and I'd like to add titles to it and have it auto sort alphabetically like it does in Excel.

I also keep track of DVDs. I would suggest you make a note for each DVD. That's what I do. Then I make any notes about the DVD in the note & then can search & quickly find a DVD that contains either a scene I like (along with the starting point) or actors or commercials (since I have some that originated from Betamax from the 70's). I actually assign numbers to each DVD, label the DVD with the number & the number is also in the title line in my Evernote.

XiDW · March 16, 2014

Addressed to Evernote designers/ architects/ programmers:

In looking for a solution to the ongoing "list sort" problem I've found several threads on this topic/issue here. Some of the threads/members get surprisingly wound up. I'm not really interested in debating the issue, just want to clearly state that there is a clear desire for this functionality among users (assuming how many users is not something anyone posting here so far really has the info for), is implied in the presence of the checkbox functionality, and that it could be fairly simply accomplished.

An alphabetical and/or numerical sort option within the "checkbox" style list option would make lists considerably more useful for me (and i suspect for many others).

I've seen the question "how would an alphabetical sort help with organizing a grocery list?"... easily... by the user prefacing the item listed with a letter or number that allows organization into a group (e.g. user could preface the item on the list with a "1" or "F" to designate items that would be found in the freezer section, a "2" or "D" for dairy items, etc.).

Making each individual item a file heading (which is sortable) really would not work in the circumstances.

...and to follow up, I'm not really looking for a response or rebuttal to this, I'm hoping that Evernotes designers/programmers are reading here occasionally and just want my "request" counted as another user interested in (and requesting) this functionality.

Thanks!

jefito · March 16, 2014

Addressed to Evernote designers/ architects/ programmers:
<snip>

You pretty much posted the same post in a different topic here. There's no need to double-post; Evernote staff reads all posts here (which is what I already replied to you in that topic).

JMichaelTX · March 17, 2014

Addressed to Evernote designers/ architects/ programmers:

In looking for a solution to the ongoing "list sort" problem I've found several threads on this topic/issue here. Some of the threads/members get surprisingly wound up. I'm not really interested in debating the issue, just want to clearly state that there is a clear desire for this functionality among users (assuming how many users is not something anyone posting here so far really has the info for), is implied in the presence of the checkbox functionality, and that it could be fairly simply accomplished.

An alphabetical and/or numerical sort option within the "checkbox" style list option would make lists considerably more useful for me (and i suspect for many others).
I've seen the question "how would an alphabetical sort help with organizing a grocery list?"... easily... by the user prefacing the item listed with a letter or number that allows organization into a group (e.g. user could preface the item on the list with a "1" or "F" to designate items that would be found in the freezer section, a "2" or "D" for dairy items, etc.).
Making each individual item a file heading (which is sortable) really would not work in the circumstances.

...and to follow up, I'm not really looking for a response or rebuttal to this, I'm hoping that Evernotes designers/programmers are reading here occasionally and just want my "request" counted as another user interested in (and requesting) this functionality.
Thanks!

XiDW, I agree with your request, as do many others based on this and other threads.

I also support your right to address a post to Evernote developers. No one outside of Evernote (and maybe not even inside) can really know whether or not ALL posts are read by Evernote staff. I expect they do real a lot of posts, but ALL, well that's a lot of reading . . . :-) IAC, if you feel strongly about the need for a particular feature I see no harm in posting the request in different threads. Certainly the nay-sayers have no problem repeating their objections ad nasuim.

Your post is specific, respectful, and appropriate.

jefito · March 17, 2014

1) The request is fine, valid, useful, etc. No problem with that. But for those who want answers on the forums, as a practical matter, there's no need to post in multiple places, as this requires multiple answers.

2) There's ample evidence that Evernote policy is to read every post. Just go to the top of any forum page, and type in "we read every post", and you'll see many examples of Evernote employees saying exactly that. Here's just one: http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/43257-scansnap-evernote-edition/?p=243064. Of course, whether one believes it or not, but me, if I couldn't take them at their word on this, then I'd probably stop using their software.

3) For those who want to ensure that they get a response of some sort from Evernote, you are welcome to open a support request. You will get a reply from Evernote support, at the least, and feature requests will get filtered up into the great stew of other requests.

BurgersNFries · March 17, 2014

I also support your right to address a post to Evernote developers.

No one has ever suggested otherwise. However, if/when a user has a more direct need to feel their request is heard, then yes, submitting via a support ticket is the recommended alternative.

Certainly the nay-sayers have no problem repeating their objections ad nasuim.

You "support" the right for users to repeatedly request a feature (which no one has ever said they shouldn't) and yet you add a negative connatation to those who disagree? I don't understand the rationalization behind "supporting" replies only from those who agree with you.

2) There's ample evidence that Evernote policy is to read every post. Just go to the top of any forum page, and type in "we read every post", and you'll see many examples of Evernote employees saying exactly that. Here's just one: http://discussion.evernote.com/topic/43257-scansnap-evernote-edition/?p=243064. Of course, whether one believes it or not, but me, if I couldn't take them at their word on this, then I'd probably stop using their software.

Absolutely!

jbenson2 · March 17, 2014

I also support your right to address a post to Evernote developers. No one outside of Evernote (and maybe not even inside) can really know whether or not ALL posts are read by Evernote staff. I expect they do real a lot of posts, but ALL, well that's a lot of reading . . . :-)

Good point. And yes, there are a lot of posts - averaging almost 1,000 new ones every week.

It is debatable if Evernote staff have the time and energy to read each and every one.

Especially when I see comments containing errors that are not addressed.

But since this is a just a user forum, I would not expect every message to be read by Evernote employees.

panther.jd · March 17, 2014

Addressed to Evernote designers/ architects/ programmers:

In looking for a solution to the ongoing "list sort" problem I've found several threads on this topic/issue here. Some of the threads/members get surprisingly wound up. I'm not really interested in debating the issue, just want to clearly state that there is a clear desire for this functionality among users (assuming how many users is not something anyone posting here so far really has the info for), is implied in the presence of the checkbox functionality, and that it could be fairly simply accomplished.

An alphabetical and/or numerical sort option within the "checkbox" style list option would make lists considerably more useful for me (and i suspect for many others).
I've seen the question "how would an alphabetical sort help with organizing a grocery list?"... easily... by the user prefacing the item listed with a letter or number that allows organization into a group (e.g. user could preface the item on the list with a "1" or "F" to designate items that would be found in the freezer section, a "2" or "D" for dairy items, etc.).
Making each individual item a file heading (which is sortable) really would not work in the circumstances.

...and to follow up, I'm not really looking for a response or rebuttal to this, I'm hoping that Evernotes designers/programmers are reading here occasionally and just want my "request" counted as another user interested in (and requesting) this functionality.
Thanks!

Another use of sorting lists is finding duplicates.

jefito · March 18, 2014

I also support your right to address a post to Evernote developers. No one outside of Evernote (and maybe not even inside) can really know whether or not ALL posts are read by Evernote staff. I expect they do real a lot of posts, but ALL, well that's a lot of reading . . . :-)

Good point. And yes, there are a lot of posts - averaging almost 1,000 new ones every week.
It is debatable if Evernote staff have the time and energy to read each and every one.
Especially when I see comments containing errors that are not addressed.

But since this is a just a user forum, I would not expect every message to be read by Evernote employees.

Oddly enough, I take them at their word, JB, just as I do you and most people on these forums. If they tag-teamed it, say for example with 10 people, reading 100 posts apiece in a week is not such a big deal, particularly when you only respond to a subset. Edit: publicly, that is; it's hard for us to see what a post's effect is behind the scenes, if they open a feature request ticket, run down the virtual hall to bug Jackolicious or dlu, or whatever...

Hemenway · April 3, 2014

Addressed to Evernote designers/ architects/ programmers:

In looking for a solution to the ongoing "list sort" problem I've found several threads on this topic/issue here. Some of the threads/members get surprisingly wound up. I'm not really interested in debating the issue, just want to clearly state that there is a clear desire for this functionality among users (assuming how many users is not something anyone posting here so far really has the info for), is implied in the presence of the checkbox functionality, and that it could be fairly simply accomplished.

An alphabetical and/or numerical sort option within the "checkbox" style list option would make lists considerably more useful for me (and i suspect for many others).
I've seen the question "how would an alphabetical sort help with organizing a grocery list?"... easily... by the user prefacing the item listed with a letter or number that allows organization into a group (e.g. user could preface the item on the list with a "1" or "F" to designate items that would be found in the freezer section, a "2" or "D" for dairy items, etc.).
Making each individual item a file heading (which is sortable) really would not work in the circumstances.

...and to follow up, I'm not really looking for a response or rebuttal to this, I'm hoping that Evernotes designers/programmers are reading here occasionally and just want my "request" counted as another user interested in (and requesting) this functionality.
Thanks!

No rebuttal, just a fist bump... I am an avid user of Evernote. The single greatest frustration I have is its inability to sort text. I've wanted this from the start and have followed forums on this topic. This is the first time I've logged in on anything EV and I totally echo your post. And I am just flummoxed at so many snarky posters who get so wound up about whether the request is valid or should/n't be posted elsewhere or yadda yadda. Sheesh!! Take it out to the sandbox, kids... Meantime, I add my voice to the paying masses (I'm a paying mass): "Evernote developers PLEASE listen to your customers and give us this standard operating feature!"

Having said that, my workaround is: Copy text from EN, paste into word document, sort, copy back. Pain in the neck, but it works.

Yours In Productivity (YIP)

Northenite · May 9, 2014

What a great product! I can use this for almost everything. Wait...I cannot sort my lists like within the note? OK, I will just export, sort and import. Wait, why don't I just use an application that does sort. OK. Sounds good. Wait, why do I use EN now? I guess i don't now. Bummer.

It has been said that there are a low number of users. Wonder why?

It has been said that it EN does not re-invent things. How can you re-invent things when they are already invented and only need to be implemented?

Sorting is basic. Can use say alphanumeric? You don't provide a car without seats.

And finally, sorting is integral to EN. Notes are nicely sorted. It is just the notes themselves are not. Strange.

How to sort the text within a note

Idea

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