# Sort Categories by name
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/sort-categories-by-name/62764
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [May 15, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/sort-categories-by-name/62764 "2017-05-15T23:47:35Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [May 15, 2017, 11:47pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/sort-categories-by-name/62764/1 "2017-05-15T23:47:35Z")
I need to sort all of the subcategories in a category by name.
Something like
```plaintext
cats = Category.find_by_sql("select * from categories where name like '%whatever%')
x=0
cats.sort_by_name.each do |c|
x += 1
c.position = x
end
```
is there some Discourse way or should I just be asking at StackOverflow?
---
### Author:  [@david](https://meta.discourse.org/u/david)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2017, 12:13am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/sort-categories-by-name/62764/2 "2017-05-16T00:13:55Z")
I am by no means a ruby expert, but I think this is a sensible way:
```ruby
parent_category = Category.where(:name=>"Whatever").first
children = Category.where(:parent_category_id=>parent_category.id)
x = 0
children.order(:name).each do |c|
puts c.name
x += 1
c.position = x
c.save!()
end;
```
that’ll output the name of each of the children of parent\_category, and assign their position alphabetically.
I tried it on the console and it worked - but I provide no guarentee it won’t cause your server to set on fire or similar 😉
---
### Author:  [@pfaffman](https://meta.discourse.org/u/pfaffman)
#### Post date: [May 16, 2017, 6:00pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/sort-categories-by-name/62764/3 "2017-05-16T18:00:39Z")
Thanks, @david! That was a huge help.
This will find all categories that match `search` and sort them and the subcategories that they contain.
```ruby
def sort_matching_subcategories(search)
categories = Category.where("name like ?", search)
position = 100
categories.order(:name).each do |cat|
position += 1
cat.position = position
cat.save!()
c_position = 0
children = Category.where(:parent_category_id=>cat.id)
children.order(:name).each do |c|
c_position += 1
c.position = c_position
c.save!()
end
end
end
```