Sorting: Does it work?

[TMS Clint]

Sure, there's a drop-down on the front end that allows you to sort products by price:low to high, price:high to low, name, newest. However, the back end leads me to believe I can sort the category results in any order I determine (by assigning a number to each product). At least, that's what PRODUCTS >> SORTING appears to be.

I cannot get it to work. The items will not change order. I tried removing the front-end sorting drop-down menu through SETTINGS >> GENERAL >> STORE SETTINGS, but that didn't change my sorting either.

Has anyone been able to change their sorting effectively? Using the SORTING function or otherwise?

[Mark]

Yes, we added custom sort options! :)
Go to PRODUCTS>EDIT ORDER BY and use the extra field_X options. Then, in the product description, assign a value for the extra field_X
We used manufacturer. That way they can sort by manufacturer.
DO NOT alter any of the existing sort options, you will make them no longer work.

[TMS Clint]

Many thanks, but...

I can see how useful that is, thank you. I can use that as a work around if necessary, but I just spent a good amount of my friday organizing my largest category of products in the order I thought would give me the best turnover. Otherwise the order is arbitrary; I would have to assign a number value to each product and then name the sorting something dubious like "best deals."

Again, I'm not vehemently opposed to doing that, but I would like to know if anyone has gotten PRODUCTS >> SORTING (3dcart backend) to work. Am I expecting it to work in a way it just doesn't? How does one utilize this section?

[TMS Clint]

Nevermind

Nevermind, I found the answer in the Knowledgebase. In case anyone else is curious:

*Note: If you choose a specific default sorting for the category page, i.e. Price: Low to High (This is done in the Products -> Category section), the default sorting will override the product sort display you set in the Products -> Sorting section.

The Full Knowledgebase Entry

[WoodSprite]

Thanks for posting your findings; I've been trying to figure this one out, too!