In the category tree, it is important to use a sort key when categorizing an article. This aids in placing the articles in order when viewed from the category into which they are suggested to be placed.
Category sort keys can be entered into the categories individually after they are added by clicking the two opposite facing arrows next to the category name to bring up the category options. The lower edit box is where the sort key should be added. If you switch to code view it will appear as "[[Category:Name|sort key]]". The sort key can also be added or adjusted in code view. Applying a sort key to all categories listed in the article can be simply done by adding {{DEFAULTSORT:sort key}} to the bottom of the article. Note that if the categories have been individually given a sort key they will take preference over the DEFAULTSORT key. A category that has had a sort key added individually will have the arrows next to the category name lit up. This can be removed by going to category options and clearing the lower field or by removing the key after the pipe in code view.
- The above is written in the assumption that the user is using the CategorySelect feature.
A few different sorting rules are applied here, but be careful -- individual categories may have special rules depending on the topic of the article. These will be listed on individual talk pages if they apply. Otherwise, the following situations are standard:
| Surnames | For species with definitive first and last name structures, such as humans or Cardassians, use the following form to alphabetize by surname:
Remember, it would be inappropriate to sort by last name only. Categorizing "John Q. Phillips" as [[Category:humans|Phillips]] would be incorrect because omitting the first name ruins the sort if there is more than one person. Please do not assume that just because there aren't two people by that name now, there won't be later. It would be very troublesome if you categorized everyone's last names without the first, whether they are the only Phillips or not. | Sorted alphabetically: |
|---|---|---|
| Roman numerals | For items listed with roman numerals, the sort key should convert them to digits with an appropriate number of leading zeroes. For example, planets are numbered with two digit places:
| Without the sort key, the following problem would occur: |
| Numerical | For items listed with numbers, leading zeroes need to be added in order to maintain the sort. For example, sectors are numbered with six digit places - five for the maximum number of digits plus one leading zero to list all articles under the same heading:
| Without the sort key, the following problem would occur: |
| Starships | For starships that have a prefix (USS, IKS, etc) do not include the prefix so that ships are ordered alphabetically by their name and not grouped by their prefix. Extensions, such as registries or disambiguation extensions should be added at the end minus their parenthesis. In the case of ships with registries, such as Starfleet vessels, the registry should be included after the name without the NCC (or equivalent) and adjusted to six digits by adding the necessary number of zeros to the front of the number. If the registry includes a letter at the end it should be listed without the dash between it and the last number : (Examples only)
| Sorted alphabetically: |
| Titles | For titles of fan film episodes or other works, alphabetization never includes "The" or "A" at the beginning of the title: (Examples only)
| Sorted alphabetically: |
Sort keys can be omitted if the articles are ready to be alphabetized as they were originally titled.
Adapted from Memory Alpha, the canon Star Trek wiki.
