Creating A Custom Sort Order: Speakers, Exhibitors, Libraries

When managing your event website, displaying content in a specific order is key — such as listing keynote speakers first, arranging exhibitors by sponsorship level, or prioritizing library items. ASP’s Custom Sort Order functionality ensures consistent ordering across modules and widgets.

This guide covers setting up the sort field and applying it, plus options for manual or bulk entry.

🗣️ Part 1 – Setting Up the Custom Sort Field

Create a custom field to store your sort order. This is done separately for Speakers, Exhibitors, and Libraries.

Speakers

1. Navigate to Modules > Speakers > More > Custom Fields

2. Click Create Custom Field

3. Configure:

   • Type: Text

   • Label: Custom Sort Order

   • Untick Mandatory

4. Click Save, then Save again at the bottom-right

Exhibitors

1. Navigate to Modules > Exhibitors > More > Field Setup

2. Under General, click Create Custom Question

3. Configure:

   • Type: Text

   • Untick Mandatory

4. Click Save, then Save again at the bottom-right

Libraries

1. Navigate to Libraries

2. Hover over Manage to view Entries and click Edit

3. Click Create Custom Field

4. Configure:

   • Type: Text

   • Label: Custom Sort Order

   • Untick Mandatory

5. Click Save, then Save again at the bottom-right

Tip: Use the same label across modules for consistency.

🔢 Part 2 – Assigning Custom Sort Orders

After creating the field, you assign numeric values to determine display order.

Step 1: Number your entries

• Use a three-digit system: 001, 002, 003, …

• Optionally leave gaps (010, 020, 030) to easily insert new entries later.

Step 2: Enter sort orders

• Manually: Edit each record in the CMS and input the custom sort number.

• Bulk upload: Export a CSV of your module entries, add the Custom Sort Order column, then re-import to update multiple records at once.

Step 3: Apply the sort order in modules

• Speakers: Modules > Speakers > Speaker Options > Display > Order By > Custom Sort Order

• Exhibitors: Modules > Exhibitors > Exhibitor Options > Display > Order By > Custom Sort Order

• Libraries: Libraries > Library Options > Display > Order By > Custom Sort Order

Step 4: Apply in widgets

• Ensure any widget displaying these items also uses Custom Sort Order:

  • Open widget settings

  • Set Order By to Custom Sort Order

💡 Best Practices

1. Plan your order in advance to avoid renumbering.

2. All entries should have a sort order number assigned

3. Leave gaps between numbers for flexibility.

4. Double-check widgets — module order alone doesn’t guarantee widget order.

5. Maintain consistency across modules if an item appears in multiple widgets.

6. Document your numbering in a spreadsheet for easy reference.

7. Use bulk import when managing large datasets to save time and reduce errors.