IronPython Sort Columns in Spotfire

Introduction

Sometimes we want to give the user the ability to sort the column order from the WebPlayer or a guided analysis where the sorting from Data > Column Properties > Sort Order is not available for the end user. In this article we discover how this is done using the power of IronPython

Create and test the script

Step 1

On a Text Area, Create a List box (multiple select) Property Control with Unique values in column pointing to a new String List Document Property called "values"

Step 2

Create a Label Property Control on a Text Area using the "values" document property to output the selecting order of the columns and add a "Apply" Action Control Button

Step 3

Create an IronPython script for the Apply button

#tblName and colName can be script parameters
tblName = "Blood Work"
colName = "type"
values = Document.Properties["values"]
dt = Document.Data.Tables[tblName]
# The values in values must be of the same type as the values in the column. # Column values not present in values will be sorted last.
dt.Columns[colName].Properties.SetCustomSortOrder(values)

If you are getting values from another source other than a document property, you can sort the columns this way:

tblName = "Blood Work"
colName = "type"
values = System.Collections.Generic.List[str](["A","B","AB","O"])
Document.Data.Tables[tblName].Columns[colName].Properties.SetCustomSortOrder(values)

sortcolumns.jfif