5.14. DataFrame Sort

  • .sort_index(ascending, axis)

  • .sort_values(by, ascending, axis)

  • Works with inplace=True

  • axis=0 - Rows

  • axis=1 - Columns

5.14.1. SetUp

>>> import pandas as pd
>>> import numpy as np
>>> np.random.seed(0)
>>>
>>>
>>> df = pd.DataFrame(
...     columns = ['Morning', 'Noon', 'Evening', 'Midnight'],
...     index = pd.date_range('1999-12-30', periods=7),
...     data = np.random.randn(7, 4))
>>>
>>> df
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184

5.14.2. Sort Series by Index

>>> df.loc['2000-01-01'].sort_index(ascending=True)
Evening     0.144044
Midnight    1.454274
Morning    -0.103219
Noon        0.410599
Name: 2000-01-01 00:00:00, dtype: float64

5.14.3. Sort Rows by Index

>>> df.sort_index(ascending=False)
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893

>>> df.sort_index(ascending=False, axis='rows')
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893

>>> df.sort_index(ascending=True, axis='rows')
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184

5.14.4. Sort Columns by Index

>>> df.sort_index(ascending=False, axis='columns')
                Noon   Morning  Midnight   Evening
1999-12-30  0.400157  1.764052  2.240893  0.978738
1999-12-31 -0.977278  1.867558 -0.151357  0.950088
2000-01-01  0.410599 -0.103219  1.454274  0.144044
2000-01-02  0.121675  0.761038  0.333674  0.443863
2000-01-03 -0.205158  1.494079 -0.854096  0.313068
2000-01-04  0.653619 -2.552990 -0.742165  0.864436
2000-01-05 -1.454366  2.269755 -0.187184  0.045759

>>> df.sort_index(ascending=True, axis='columns')
             Evening  Midnight   Morning      Noon
1999-12-30  0.978738  2.240893  1.764052  0.400157
1999-12-31  0.950088 -0.151357  1.867558 -0.977278
2000-01-01  0.144044  1.454274 -0.103219  0.410599
2000-01-02  0.443863  0.333674  0.761038  0.121675
2000-01-03  0.313068 -0.854096  1.494079 -0.205158
2000-01-04  0.864436 -0.742165 -2.552990  0.653619
2000-01-05  0.045759 -0.187184  2.269755 -1.454366

5.14.5. Sort Rows by Value

Sorting values by column:

>>> df.sort_values(by='Morning', ascending=True)
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184

Sorting values by multiple columns (if values are equal in first column, than compare second):

>>> df.sort_values(by=['Morning', 'Evening'], ascending=[True, True])
             Morning      Noon   Evening  Midnight
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.653619  0.864436 -0.742165
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.410599  0.144044  1.454274
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.121675  0.443863  0.333674
2000-01-03  1.494079 -0.205158  0.313068 -0.854096
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.400157  0.978738  2.240893
1999-12-31  1.867558 -0.977278  0.950088 -0.151357
2000-01-05  2.269755 -1.454366  0.045759 -0.187184

5.14.6. Sorting Columns by Value

Sorting whole DataFrame, according to values by in row (change column order):

>>> df.sort_values(by='2000-01-05', ascending=True, axis='columns')
                Noon  Midnight   Evening   Morning
1999-12-30  0.400157  2.240893  0.978738  1.764052
1999-12-31 -0.977278 -0.151357  0.950088  1.867558
2000-01-01  0.410599  1.454274  0.144044 -0.103219
2000-01-02  0.121675  0.333674  0.443863  0.761038
2000-01-03 -0.205158 -0.854096  0.313068  1.494079
2000-01-04  0.653619 -0.742165  0.864436 -2.552990
2000-01-05 -1.454366 -0.187184  0.045759  2.269755

>>> df.sort_values(by=['1999-12-31', '2000-01-05'], ascending=[False, False], axis='columns')
             Morning   Evening  Midnight      Noon
1999-12-30  1.764052  0.978738  2.240893  0.400157
1999-12-31  1.867558  0.950088 -0.151357 -0.977278
2000-01-01 -0.103219  0.144044  1.454274  0.410599
2000-01-02  0.761038  0.443863  0.333674  0.121675
2000-01-03  1.494079  0.313068 -0.854096 -0.205158
2000-01-04 -2.552990  0.864436 -0.742165  0.653619
2000-01-05  2.269755  0.045759 -0.187184 -1.454366