How to Fix Hierarchy Positions
Sometimes whilst creating a tab-indented list, we would like some branches to stay in position after the list has been sorted alphabetically. A good example of this is in my own Keyword Lists, that organise everything in the following root-order:
WHO
WHAT
WHERE
WHEN
WHY
HOW
SPECIALIST
I want to fix the position of these major categories when the list is sorted, so to do this, I prefix them with numbers:
1- WHO
2- WHAT
3- WHERE
4 - WHEN
5 - WHY
6 - HOW
7 - SPECIALIST
You can prefix a simple list by hand, but when you have a larger list with many levels of hierarchy, it becomes more complicated. Tab-List Tools can do this for you automatically, up to a depth of 24 branch levels. To see this working, click 'Tools > Testing' and load the Test List with Multiple Categories. Click 'Tools > Sort > Sort Complete List' and notice how, on the new page that opens, the list has been sorted in alphabetical order and many categories have moved their positions. Discard that new page, and return to the original 'Multiple Categories' list. Click 'Tools > Edit > Category Positions > Fix Categories'. The result will be opened in a new Workspace page. Every category (where the text is enclosed in square brackets) has been prefixed with a number indicating its level. If you try and Sort the list now, you will see that every category stays in its original position. To reverse this and remove the numbers, click 'Unfix Categories'. This 'Unfix' routine will delete anything it finds before and including the first space-character. You can change the numbers that 'Fix Categories' to something else, as you wish, but if you want the program to remove the Category-Fixings again, you should always include one space after your Category-Fixings.