Google-sheets – How to GROUP and ORDER data in a Google Spreadsheets

You can use the sort() function for that, but you have to have your data in one place, and an automatically sorted copy of that data in another place.

For example, say I have Sheet1 with my data:

   | A    | B    | C
=====================
 1 | This | this | 2
 2 | Is   | is   | 1
 3 | Test | test | 3

Then in Sheet2, cell A1, I would put this function:

=sort(Sheet1!A:C, 3, TRUE)

This would show my data, but sorted by column C (the third column), ascending.

   | A    | B    | C
=====================
 1 | Is   | is   | 1
 2 | This | this | 2
 3 | Test | test | 3

I do not think you have any way to control the sort order directly, other than ascending or descending, so suggest a lookup table and a helper column (to determine the sort order) with a formula in that such as:

 =if(B1="",1,vlookup(left(B1,1),E:F,2,0))  

where ColumnB is the one to be sorted, ColumnE the sort order and ColumnF a number starting at 1 and incrementing by one for each row.