Template:DEFAULTSORT/doc

This is a documentation subpage for Template:DEFAULTSORT. It may contain usage information, categories and other content that is not part of the original template page.

Please use {{DEFAULTSORT:Sortkey}}, rather than {{DEFAULTSORT|Sortkey}}. This uses the magic word directly instead of using the template to call the magic word.

{{DEFAULTSORT:<sort key>}} is a magic word used to modify the sequence of pages shown on category pages. The given sort key in a specific page is used to determine that page's position in all category pages where the page is listed. Note: The specific page will still be listed with its original title, regardless of the modified sort order. The sort key can be overridden for specific categories, if their [[Category:]] tags contain a differing individual sort key.

It is not necessary to use DEFAULTSORT at all if the article or page should be alphabetized according to its title (which is true for most articles).

For background information on how the pages in a category are ordered, see Wikipedia:Categorization § Sort keys and Help:Category § Default sort key.