Patent ID: 7849395

Claim:
A method executable on a computer system for sorting data cells in a cell table, the computer system having a graphical user interface including a display device and one or more user interface selection devices, and the method comprising: receiving a selection of data cells within a column of the cell table, wherein the selected data cells comprise less than all data cells within the column, and wherein the selected data cells include at least one data cell having a first associated format and at least one data cell having a second associated format that is different from the first associated format; displaying on the display device a first menu, wherein the first menu displays one or more options for sorting the selected data cells according to one or more format types, wherein the one or more format types comprise at least one of: a cell fill color, a cell font type, a cell font size, a cell font color, and a cell icon type; receiving a selection of a format type by which to sort the selected data cells; scanning each of the selected data cells for formats of the selected format type that are associated with the selected data cells, wherein non-selected cells within the column of the cell table are associated with additional formats of the selected format type; displaying on the display device a second menu, wherein the second menu displays options for sorting the selected data cells, and wherein the options comprise only a plurality of formats associated with the selected data cells without displaying the additional formats; receiving a selection of the first associated format by which to sort the selected data cells; displaying on the display device a third menu, wherein the third menu displays one or more options for sorting the selected data cells according to one or more cell arrangements based on the first associated format, and wherein the one or more cell arrangements comprise at least one of: displaying selected data cells having the first associated format above selected data cells not having the first associated format and displaying selected data cells having the first associated format below selected data cells not having the first associated format; receiving a selection of one of the one or more cell arrangements; scanning the selected data cells to determine data cells having the first associated format and selected data cells not having the first associated format; in response to the determination, sorting the selected data cells according to the selected cell arrangement based on the first associated format; and displaying the selected data cells, including displaying the at least one data cell having the first associated format and the at least one data cell having the second associated format.