Sort Lines

Alphabetical order groups matching lines together so repeats are easier to see. Removing duplicates keeps a single copy. Removing blank lines drops empty rows before the list is copied into a sheet or a CMS.

Use it for a keyword export, a title list, or a URL list before you group or import. Skip it when the current order is a ranking or a sequence you must keep. Alphabetical order is not numeric order: the line 10 can sort before the line 2.

A to Z is one of the values Sort Lines puts on screen. Ascending alphabetical order. The control labeled A to Z sorts that way. Uppercase and lowercase can sort apart. Glance at the first lines.

Read Z to A on its own before you mix it with the other rows. The reverse direction. Choose Z to A when you want the end of the alphabet first. It is still alphabetical, not a reverse of a numeric rank.

Duplicate switch answers a narrower question than the headline number. Identical lines can collapse to one copy. The switch is optional. Leave it off when a repeated line is intentional.

Treat Blank lines as a label with a specific job. Empty rows can be dropped. The switch is separate from duplicates. A line of spaces may not count as empty unless it is trimmed.

The Line count line is worth a full stop. The size of the result after filters. It is shown with the copy control. Compare it with the paste when a filter was on.

Duplicate removal keeps the first copy only when you turn that switch on. Blank-line removal drops empty rows. A line that contains a comma stays one line. The tool does not split columns. If two fields share a line, sorting can scramble a pair you meant to keep together.

If you remember one sequence from Sort Lines, remember the fields in the order they change a decision. A to Z matters because Ascending alphabetical order. In practice, The control labeled A to Z sorts that way. The mistake to avoid is this: Uppercase and lowercase can sort apart. Glance at the first lines. Z to A matters because The reverse direction. In practice, Choose Z to A when you want the end of the alphabet first. The mistake to avoid is this: It is still alphabetical, not a reverse of a numeric rank. Duplicate switch matters because Identical lines can collapse to one copy. In practice, The switch is optional. The mistake to avoid is this: Leave it off when a repeated line is intentional. Blank lines matters because Empty rows can be dropped. In practice, The switch is separate from duplicates. The mistake to avoid is this: A line of spaces may not count as empty unless it is trimmed. Line count matters because The size of the result after filters. In practice, It is shown with the copy control. The mistake to avoid is this: Compare it with the paste when a filter was on. After that, the checks are simple. Each item is on its own line. The direction matches the job. Duplicate removal was a choice, not an accident. Two-column rows were split first. The result was copied. The source file was left as it was.

The worked example for Sort Lines, read as one scene, is this. Paste three titles on their own lines: Banana bread, apple tart, Banana bread. With A to Z and duplicates off, apple tart comes first and Banana bread appears twice. Turn duplicates on and one Banana bread remains. A redirect map with the old URL and the new URL on the same line will sort by the whole line. Split the columns before you sort if the pair must stay aligned.

Final notes for Sort Lines, written as decisions rather than as a table. When A to Z is in front of you, decide using this: Ascending alphabetical order. Uppercase and lowercase can sort apart. Glance at the first lines. When Z to A is in front of you, decide using this: The reverse direction. It is still alphabetical, not a reverse of a numeric rank. When Duplicate switch is in front of you, decide using this: Identical lines can collapse to one copy. Leave it off when a repeated line is intentional. When Blank lines is in front of you, decide using this: Empty rows can be dropped. A line of spaces may not count as empty unless it is trimmed. When Line count is in front of you, decide using this: The size of the result after filters. Compare it with the paste when a filter was on. Then apply the checks without skipping one. Each item is on its own line. The direction matches the job. Duplicate removal was a choice, not an accident. Two-column rows were split first. The result was copied. The source file was left as it was.

Keep Sort Lines as this step only. When the job moves on, the Remove Duplicate Lines is the next page: Remove Duplicate Lines keeps the first copy of each line and drops later repeats. The Text Case Converter covers a different piece of the same work: Text Case Converter rewrites pasted text as uppercase, lowercase, title case, or another case on the buttons.