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WPS Spreadsheet · Data management · Beginner

Sort Whole Records and Filter Data in WPS Spreadsheet

Sort an order list without separating amounts from their identifiers, then answer specific questions with filters. The row IDs make accidental partial-column sorting detectable.

Documentation-qualified; native Windows build and edition checks pending · Editorial standards

Quick answer

Select the entire table before Home → Sort → Custom Sort. Add Region, Amount and ID as explicit sort levels, then use AutoFilter to show a subset without deleting records.

Sort an order list without separating amounts from their identifiers, then answer specific questions with filters. The row IDs make accidental partial-column sorting detectable.

Before you start

Use a disposable XLSX workbook in the English Windows desktop application with the cited controls. The Academy lessons show a desktop-style interface but do not identify an OS build, region or edition. Record those details from your installation. This is a documentation-based exercise, not a native test or entitlement guarantee. If a required command is missing or requests payment, stop that branch. No macOS, mobile, Linux, browser or WPS 365 parity is implied.

Enter six complete records

Create WPS-Orders.xlsx with sheet Orders. Enter this block at A1:

ID	Region	Product	Amount	Status	Day
R01	East	Cable	120	Open	1
R02	West	Adapter	85	Closed	2
R03	East	Stand	160	Open	3
R04	North	Cable	95	Open	4
R05	West	Hub	140	Closed	5
R06	East	Cable	120	Closed	6

Enter Date in G1, then =DATE(2026,10,F2) in G2 and copy through G7. Format G2:G7 as dates so the days are recognizable. These formulas avoid ambiguity between month/day and day/month typing. In I1 enter Amount check and in I2 enter =SUM(D2:D7): the result is 720. Keep column H empty so the check is separate from the record block. Save before sorting.

Apply an explicit three-key sort

  1. Activate Orders and select exactly A1:G7, including all seven fields and the one header row. Do not select only Amount.
  2. Open the documented Home → Sort → Custom Sort command. Check that row 1 is recognized as the header; if the dialog instead labels columns by letter, verify the corresponding field carefully.
  3. Set the primary field to Region (column B), sort on values, ascending alphabetically.
  4. Use Add Level for Amount (D), values, descending. Add another level for ID (A), values, ascending. This last key resolves the tied 120 records without assuming a stable sort algorithm.
  5. Confirm. Expected ID order in A2:A7 is R03, R01, R06, R04, R05, R02. The first three regions are East; their amounts are 160, 120, 120.
  6. Verify whole-record integrity: R02 still pairs West, Adapter, 85, Closed and day 2; R06 still pairs East, Cable, 120, Closed and day 6. I2 remains 720.

If a Sort Warning appears, do not continue with a one-column selection. Cancel, select A1:G7 explicitly and restart. WPS’s source describes both a single-column sort and expansion; the former is unsuitable for these records.

Filter by value and text

  1. Select A1:G7, then Home → AutoFilter, as in the Academy interface used for sorting. Verify arrows appear in row 1, not in the first record.
  2. Open Region’s arrow, clear the value list selection, retain only East, and confirm. Three IDs should remain visible: R03, R01, R06 in the sorted order.
  3. Open Status’s arrow and retain only Open. The intersection now has R03, R01. Filters on different fields combine; they do not start independent result lists.
  4. Clear the Status criterion, then clear Region. Six records must return before the next test.
  5. In Product’s text filtering controls, choose a contains criterion and enter abl. This should retain R01, R06, R04, whose product is Cable. If the build offers only value checkboxes, select Cable for this fixture and record that the contains-control path was unavailable; the two approaches are equivalent only for these particular inputs.
  6. Clear Product before continuing. Filtering hides records; it does not delete them, and the ordinary SUM check still totals all six rows.

Test numerical and date conditions deliberately

In Amount’s filter, inspect the custom/number criterion controls. If available, use “greater than or equal to” 95 AND “less than or equal to” 120. Expected IDs are R01, R06, R04. Both boundaries are included; 85, 140 and 160 must be excluded. Clear this criterion afterward.

For dates, use the Date dropdown’s value list to select only October 3 and October 4, 2026; the visible IDs should be R03, R04. If the installed build provides a custom date interval, test the same inclusive bounds and compare the identical result. Exact custom number/date dialog labels are version-dependent and not established by the linked basic-filter article; the explicit value selection provides a documented fallback without implying an unavailable control. Never filter the Day helper and call that a verified date-control test.

Finish and reopen the full sorted list

Clear all criteria, leaving all six records visible in the three-key order. Keep the filter arrows if useful. Save WPS-Orders.xlsx, close and reopen it, activate Orders, and verify A2:A7, the two integrity checks and I2=720. A filtered view with only two rows is not the final full-list deliverable.

Optional recovery practice

After reopening the main file, save WPS-Orders-Experiment.xlsx. In this separate copy, intentionally select only D2:D7 and inspect the sort warning, then cancel without applying it. If you accidentally completed a partial sort, undo before any other edits and verify R02 and R06; otherwise discard this copy. Do not try to repair relationships by sorting a second column independently.

Troubleshooting

Blank rows can shorten an automatically detected range; use the explicit block. A header sorting into the data indicates incorrect header detection. Numbers sorted lexically suggest text values; re-enter the fixture numbers before retrying. Missing records usually mean another column still has an active filter. If date criteria fail, inspect a Date cell’s formula and numerical date value rather than accepting a date-looking string. This workflow uses a filtered range and makes no claim about Excel-equivalent structured table references.

Official references

These are documentation-based instructions. The fixture expectations were checked independently; no native WPS run, application screenshot, installed-edition entitlement test or cross-program round trip is claimed. Academy page dates do not identify an application build.