Okay, I give up. This makes no sense to me…
Let’s say I have two tables connected by a linked relation: Tasks and Categories. A Task can have multiple Categories.
Now, say I’m getting to the point where I have enough Categories that I want to sort them alphabetically.
In Tasks table, I make sure the Categories relation column is set to sort by table order…
Then I add a sort to Categories table.
The table looks fine. But when I go to add Categories to a task…
Sort is the same it was at first?? What gives? 
At first I thought it might be to do with the “base” instance of a table, like the configuration of the info that appears when you hover. But these are both the original tables, there aren’t any views. And this happens in tons of my documents…
Test doc here if you want to play with it:
Hello @Amy_Weatherford
When you have the relation column set to show in table order, it shows table order the way the table really is, so regardless of any sort set in the categories table.
So basically, it shows based on the rowID. But once you start moving things around manually, that overrules the rowID. Even if you sort the table with the table sort option, the sequences of the rows is how you build the table and respects the manual moves.
So it works exactly as is to be expected - I checked your rowID’s and you either moved things around or you inserted new rows somewhere in the middle, rather than at the end of your table.
In order to check, just remove the sort and you will see that the related table column shows your item in the exact sequence as what you see on screen in your categories table.
Greetings,
Joost
1 Like
I see! Thanks much 
Is there a way built in to the UI to make the currently-applied sort the “permanent” one, or should I make a button/formula/whatever? (I can definitely do that, although I have to say, off the top of my head/without workarounds it seems like a pain–it won’t auto-update, right? And I could of course just make the relation sort alphabetically instead of by table order, but then I’d have to do that for any relation I create.)
to make the currently-applied sort the “permanent” one
No, you can’t do that
And I could of course just make the relation sort alphabetically
You can set the relation and/or the source table to sort whichever way you want - the can have their own behavior.
New items will get sorted the way you have set it up - automatically
I am wondering if I am misunderstanding what you are trying to accomplish?
HI Amy,
Here is some background info on the various ways a table can be ordered.
Hope that helps a bit,
Piet
1 Like
