I switched to Google Reader after using various other online RSS News Feed Readers like Netvibes, desktop applications and Firefox extensions. I would say it is the best overall news reader that I tried so far but it is having a few quirks that annoy the hell out of me.
The first thing that I was frantically searching for was a way to sort the subscriptions alphabetically in Google Reader. After searching through all settings and various Internet search engines I came up with nothing. Yes, that’s right. There is no way to sort the subscriptions automatically in Google Reader.
The only thing that you can do is drag and drop them around so that they are listed in alphabetical order. Imagine doing that with 200+ RSS News Feeds. That would take a while. Most users probably import their first batch of RSS News Feeds using an OPML file which could be sorted alphabetically.
Every new entry to Google Reader on the other hand is added at the bottom after each folder and existing subscription which means it has to be manually dragged and dropped into the right location.
I was recently looking for one specific feed that I subscribed to and it took me almost a minute to locate it because the subscribed feeds could not be sorted properly.
Exporting and importing the RSS News Feeds does not help either unless they would be imported into an application that provides access to a “sort” function that can sort the feeds alphabetically. That would on the other hand be much work and something that had to be done regularly.
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18 Responses to “Sort Subscriptions Alphabetically in Google Reader”
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[...] Just found the solution here: http://www.ghacks.net/2008/08/14/sort-subscriptions-alphabetically-in-google-reader/comment-page-1/#... [...]
I actually switched to Google Reader just a couple a weeks ago and I like it a lot.
For me the subscriptions are alphabetized automatically. If I add a new feed, it will be added to the end of the subscription list but after logging out and back in the new feed moves to the correct spot in the alphabet.
I didn’t start by importing an OPML but added all my feeds manually so that I could do some cleaning at the same time.
Why is it important?
Linus well if I want to check on a specific feed I have to locate it first.
there is a very handy shortcut to access the feed you are looking for. just type “g” and then “u”. this will bring the list of your subscriptions. type the title of feed you are looking for (eg gha… for ghacks), voila!
My subscriptions are alphabetized automatically too, and folders that i made to sort some of them are alphabetized automatically!?!?!?
Martin, My feeds and folders are alphabetized as well. These have been added randomly over the last year so the alphabetical order is happening automatically.
My new feeds are not alphabetized anymore (once they were). I suppose de-alphabetization occurs the first time you manually reorder some feeds. In my case it happened by mistake, I would like to have them automatically sorted as they were.
Mine are, and always have been, alphabetized automatically. Surprised yours aren’t…
Interesting…I can’t get my subs to alphabetize either. I have several folders into which I’ve sorted my subscribed feeds, as well as tags, which show up as folders (for individual items).
I wonder if removing folders/tags would alphabetize the feeds.
In any event, it simply doesn’t make sense that there are no sorting options. (I, too, have well over 200 feeds!)
What I always do in order to look at a specific feed in GReader is drop down the menu next to the search box (it says “All Items” by default), and then scroll down to the subscriptions list, choose my subscription, click search (leave the search box empty, just hit the search button) and it shows the items from that feed. Those are always sorted alphabetically, not in any folders or tags, just a regular list of your feeds.
Sorry, but “my” Google Reader alphabetically sorts my subscriptions automatically! Maybe you have imported and it was not sorted, and Google Reader maintained the order. E-mail them and try to find out what is wrong with your RSS reader…
Yeah i have like 200 feeds and it took a hour or two to get them in order. :D
The feeds list is automatically alphabetized until the first time you drag a feed to reorder the list. After that, automatic alphabetizing is turned off, and there is no way to turn it back on.
There is a way, near the “subscription” title, there is a “down arrow” (meaning drop down menu), and in that menu I was able to choose “sort alphabetically”
THANK YOU, trogo! And to ghacks for starting this! :)
At last!
Don’t know why this is so “hidden”
There should be a more obvious way to sort, as is clear from all the frustrated comments!
Thanks!
juno
xx
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