Arrays · eight-software comparison

SORT numeric values ascending

Compare SORT argument order and default sort direction: Gnumeric SORT uses a different signature and reverses the default direction.

Task

Sort the Amount values 125, 80, 75, 50, 200 in ascending order.

Expected output

50, 75, 80, 125, 200

Compatibility trap: Gnumeric SORT defaults to descending and ignores strings/booleans; LibreOffice SORT defaults to ascending on the first sort key.

One shared five-row test dataset

The same source rows make results easier to compare. Use the CSV in any supported spreadsheet application; the ODS workbook also includes LibreOffice formula tests.

Sample data (.csv) ↓Calc test workbook (.ods) ↓

Shared formula comparison fixture (columns A through F)
Region (A)	Status (B)	Amount (C)	SKU (D)	Label (E)	Units (F)
North	Open	125	SKU-101	Alpha	2
South	Closed	80	SKU-102	Beta	1
North	Open	75	SKU-103	Gamma	3
North	Closed	50	SKU-104	Delta	4
South	Open	200	SKU-105	Epsilon	1

Formula syntax and feature differences

“Documented” rows cite official product help, but were not run in the destination software. A formula shown here is a migration candidate, not a guarantee of identical behaviour or file interoperability.

LibreOffice Calc

Native tested

Version: Introduced 24.8; array-entry semantics apply.

Arguments: SORT(range;[sort_index];[sort_order];[by_col])

=SORT(C2:C6;1;1)

1 for order means ascending; native scalar test INDEX(SORT(...);1;1) returned 50.

Official documentation ↗

Apache OpenOffice Calc

Alternative

Arguments: Data → Sort

Sorting selected range via the UI avoids claiming the dynamic SORT formula exists.

Official documentation ↗

Gnumeric

Documented

Version: Manual: numeric-only list sort.

Arguments: SORT(ref,order)

=SORT(C2:C6,1)

For Gnumeric, order 1 means ascending; default order 0 means descending. Documentation states strings and booleans ignored.

Official documentation ↗

Calligra Sheets

Alternative

Arguments: Data → Sort

The KDE Data menu documents sorting selected cells; no SORT worksheet function is assumed.

Official documentation ↗

PlanMaker

Not researched

No SORT function syntax was verified from reviewed PlanMaker 2026 sources.

Official documentation ↗

ONLYOFFICE Spreadsheet Editor

Documented

Arguments: SORT(array,[sort_index],[sort_order],[by_col])

=SORT(C2:C6,1,1)

Third argument 1 means ascending; do not paste Gnumeric’s two-argument formula expecting identical semantics.

Official documentation ↗

Apple Numbers

Documented

Arguments: SORT(array,sort-index,sort-order,sort-by)

=SORT(C2:C6,1,1)

Apple uses third argument 1 for ascending and -1 for descending; allows row or column sorting.

Official documentation ↗

Zoho Sheet

Not researched

Sort functionality was not mapped to an official Zoho function-specific article in this pass.

Official documentation ↗

What changes when you migrate?

Test values that would expose a direction mistake: 50 must be first and 200 last.

Gnumeric SORT(ref,order) is not argument-compatible with Calc SORT(range,sort_index,sort_order,by_col); even when both have SORT, the second argument has a different meaning.

The Gnumeric manual explicitly calls its SORT a numeric list operation. For mixed-data tables, research the application’s built-in sorting tool instead.

Actual LibreOffice calculation evidence

Formula tested in LibreOffice Calc 25.2.3.2. The published manifest provides the exact input formula, checked result, and whether the test validates a scalar result rather than array spill layout.

Test ID: sort. See calculation results (JSON).

A trap hiding behind the same name

Gnumeric’s official syntax is SORT(ref,order), where order=1 requests ascending and omitting the argument means descending. Its published implementation describes a numeric array and explicitly ignores text and logical values. This differs from LibreOffice’s SORT(range;sort_index;sort_order;by_col) and ONLYOFFICE’s equivalent multi-argument shape.

Do not read the 1 in SORT(C2:C6,1) and assume it is an Excel-style column index. For Gnumeric it selects the sort direction. For the other documented families, the column or row index and sort direction occupy different positions.

Validate a whole list

The expected complete order is 50, 75, 80, 125, 200. The native Calc check in the workbook only establishes that the first entry after sorting is 50. A full array-spill verification remains a separate acceptance step.

When moving a mixed-data table with text labels and numeric fields, investigate each program’s table sorting controls and how it maintains row relationships—not merely the worksheet function’s name.