Sorting VS Row Rearrange

Question

I have a watchlist containing a list of stocks, and one of the popular usages of such a list is rearranging the rows (dragging and dropping selected rows to a favorite user position). Now, let's add a sort functionality to that list, and we have a logic problem; sorting the list will affect the position of my dragged row. What are some best practices to handle this situation? Some possible solutions: 1.Avoid drag & drop for the rows. 2. Ditch the sorting and keep the rows rearrangement. 3.Create some custom solution pinning the dragged rows to the top in some way. 4.Sort the list from scratch and let the user drag and drop his rows again, but this is for sure a bad user experience. I wonder if other platforms are dealing with such problems? Do you know if there're references to a solution or a nearby solution? Is it always one solution and the two cannot live together?

I'll be happy to hear your thoughts.

Answer 1

A drag and drop feature would be the most intuitive option. A user who is interested in moving an entire row to a new position would find it easy to just grab the row (usually indicated with the grid icon) and either drag it and have it drop after they release the mouse, or have the ui update as the they are dragging the row. Now the dragging of rows can become difficult in a large table. Then you could be dragging a row while scrolling. In that case, an alternative would be to add some kind of checkbox - activate tools for row sorting option. A user can activate a row by clicking a checkbox next to the row that would then display tools to allow them to make complex decisions for where they want to place the row. After they move the row, there should be a save and undo option. Hope that helps.

I found this article interesting https://trumpexcel.com/move-rows-columns/

Answer 2

I don't think this is an issue because more advanced data tables or sorted lists provide the type of features that indicate which column or data field the data is currently being sorted on (which by default would probably be the first column), or allow you to sort by multiple columns (using a priority list like Excel). This is in addition to features like the rearrangement of column orders and also to hide or show columns.

They will also allow you to select individual rows and manipulate them, such as perform specific actions to modify the state of that row, and perhaps allow you to pin them to a specific position (e.g. at the top of the table).

When you have done these manipulations, you can then save it as a particular view that you can go back to, in addition to the default view.