DataTables & Bootstrap Styling

wphampton

DataTables is truly incredible and I thank you for an amazing contribution to web development.

Looking at the example display on this page: https://datatables.net/manual/styling/bootstrap

What is the significance of the "down arrow" when you are sorting a column in ascending order? Traditionally it would indicate sorting in descending order. I recognize that there is the other indicator of sorting direction (the stacked bars) but having a down arrow alongside the ascending bars is visually misleading, in my opinion. Is it just to indicate that the field is part of a sorting order? If so, perhaps another indicator would work, like using the bars only at that point. Thanks, just trying to understand!

allan

Agreed! If you look at the little blocks just to the right of the arrow it shows the order and it changes if you are asc or desc as you point out, but it took me a minute to realise it as well.

It was just a few days ago that I switched the Bootstrap integration to use Bootstrap's built in icon font for the sorting arrows and that the icon that it uses.

Personally I think it is wrong, but it is consistent with what Bootstrap uses. Perhaps v4 will see it fixed...

edit Just searched the github issues for Bootstrap and couldn't see any discussion about this confusing aspect of the icons...

Allan

wphampton

Ah, I see it now. It's not two images side-by-side -- it's one icon from Glyphicons that they use to indicate sorting, always with a down arrow. Alrighty...whatever :)

Thanks Allan, DataTables is fantastic and always gets ooohs and ahhhs when presenting its features.

allan

Alrighty...whatever :)

Hah - that was more or less my response when I saw it.

Thanks for your kind words :-). Always a pleasure to hear of success with the software.

Allan