# Rearrange Column Order in dataset **URL:** \ **Category:** Ignition\ **Tags:** vision\ **Created:** [August 24, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332 "2023-08-24T13:46:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AJBerera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@AJBerera](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AJBerera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 1:46pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/1 "2023-08-24T13:46:58Z")
I have a dataset coming from a query where it is basically a SELECT \* from varying different tables, and I can always count on my timestamp column being the same, but it is in a different order in the various tables which means sometimes its the second column in my dataset and something the nth. I would like to take the dataset and find the timestamp column wherever it may be and fix it to always be the second column and display in a power table (vision) version 8.1.25. I am creating the ds and manipulating it in propertyChange script already so it would be great to have some code to do this. ---
**Author:** ![paul-griffith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/paul-griffith/32/37249_2.png) [@paul-griffith](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/paul-griffith)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 1:52pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/2 "2023-08-24T13:52:30Z")
The name is a bit misleading, but you can use the filter columns function to rearrange as well: [https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/system.dataset.filterColumns](https://docs.inductiveautomation.com/display/DOC81/system.dataset.filterColumns) ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 1:55pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/3 "2023-08-24T13:55:14Z")
> [@AJBerera](#): > > I am creating the ds and manipulating it in propertyChange script already This is the right place to also do the re-arranging, so you only do the dataset creation once (it isn't terribly light-weight). Share your code. ---
**Author:** ![AJBerera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@AJBerera](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AJBerera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:13pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/4 "2023-08-24T15:13:17Z")
I can't use filter columns because I don't know the column names, and they are different from table to table. ```auto if event.propertyName == 'rawData' or event.propertyName == 'page': preview = event.source ads = event.source.rawData page = event.source.page pageRows = event.source.pageRows lowRange = pageRows * page highRange = (pageRows * page) + pageRows rowsToDelete = [i for i in range(ads.rowCount) if i not in range(lowRange, highRange)] ads = system.dataset.deleteRows(ads, rowsToDelete) ads = system.dataset.sort(ads, "TimeStamp", False) #Need to rearrange the TimeStamp column to be at the beginning preview.pageData = ads ``` ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:20pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/5 "2023-08-24T15:20:58Z")
You can build the list of new columns from the dataset's list of columns. Like so, starting with your line 14: ```auto ..... #Need to rearrange the TimeStamp column to be at the beginning colNames = list(ads.columnNames) # We don't care where the timestamp column currently is, we're unconditionally moving it. colNames.remove('TimeStamp') # New columns are prior first column, timestamp column, then all the rest of the original columns newColumns = colNames[:1] + ['TimeStamp'] + colNames[1:] ads = system.dataset.filterColumns(ads, newColumns) preview.pageData = ads ..... ``` ---
**Author:** ![justin.brzozoski](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/justin.brzozoski/32/13452_2.png) [@justin.brzozoski](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/justin.brzozoski)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:28pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/6 "2023-08-24T15:28:07Z")
Wouldn't something like `colNames.insert(1, 'TimeStamp')` be faster than slicing and adding with `newColumns = colNames[:1] + ['TimeStamp'] + colNames[1:]`? Even if that's a wash, it's at least more readable to me. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/7 "2023-08-24T15:29:31Z")
> [@justin.brzozoski](#): > > colNames.insert(1, Yeah, probably better. For some reason, I never think of this method. ---
**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:43pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/8 "2023-08-24T15:43:12Z")
> [@AJBerera](#): > > `if i not in range(lowRange, highRange)` Even if you end up not using this method at all (because there's a better way, as Phil showed you), python allows `low < x < hi`. ---
**Author:** ![pturmel](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pturmel/32/3295_2.png) [@pturmel](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pturmel)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:45pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/9 "2023-08-24T15:45:39Z")
> [@pascal.fragnoud](#): > > not using this method at all The code I supplied replaced just three original lines, not including the part you reference. So, still applicable. ---
**Author:** ![pascal.fragnoud](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/pascal.fragnoud/32/24728_2.png) [@pascal.fragnoud](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/pascal.fragnoud)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 3:55pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/10 "2023-08-24T15:55:27Z")
Didn't read the whole thing :X ---
**Author:** ![AJBerera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@AJBerera](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/AJBerera)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2023, 4:11pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/rearrange-column-order-in-dataset/78332/11 "2023-08-24T16:11:28Z")
Thanks Phil and Justin