Google Sheets query() with "Order By" doesn't print in same order as displayed

Question

I have this issue where Google Sheets does not print a spreadsheet's rows in the same order as it displays them on screen.

This specifically applies to dates in a sheet, which has a query() including an Order By B (where B = date). NOTE, queries in this setup reference other combined queries, so it gets a little confusing, but here is my best attempt at explanation:

Issue Example: Google Sheets Example

In summary,

1. Sheets A, B, and C are input sheets for inputting tasks
2. Sheet D combines those lists via =query({'Sheet A'!A3:N20;'Sheet B'!A3:N20;'Sheet C'!A3:N20})

3. Sheet E takes content of Sheet D and sorts by date via =query(Sheet D!A3:E999,"Select A,B,C Where A > -1 and A < 54 Order by B")

   • the problem is that when tasks originating on different sheets have the same date, Google Sheets orders them differently on screen than it does when I print.
   • then if notes have been added on the Sheet E, they fall out of sync with their respective tasks if printed, as they DO remain in the same order!

I have tried adding a timestamp to the date (which worked) to differentiate the items, but that is really not convenient from an input POV.

Answer 1

If you would like that Google change this behaviour send your feedback to Google. To do that click on Help > Report a problem

An alternative workaround is to add a second column to Order by that uniquely makes unique pairs, i.e.

=query(Handler!A3:E999,"Select A,B,C Where A > -1 and A < 54 Order by B,C")