# Saving the ordering of items in db

**URL:** <https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [November 26, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478 "2019-11-26T18:16:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![safiyc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/safiyc/32/132213_2.png) [@safiyc](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/safiyc)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2019, 6:16pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478/1 "2019-11-26T18:16:18Z")

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I’m working on a project using mongodb and react. Very stumped on this. Any help is much appreciated.

Scenario:

- database: a master list of objects (keys- name, category, orderNum)
- frontend: items from master list are displayed either on ListA or ListB (depending on each item’s category:value)
- user can create/delete/move item from list to list. User can also move item’s position to any spot on a list. These actions save the orderNum value of items and the current ordering of items persists when the user refreshes screen

Do I have to update the orderNum of each object in the master list (db) every time the user creates/update/change the position of an item? This doesnt sound right.

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**Author:** ![bradtaniguchi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/bradtaniguchi/32/110427_2.png) [@bradtaniguchi](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/bradtaniguchi)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2019, 7:14pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478/2 "2019-11-26T19:14:18Z")

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Saving the “orderNum” is a property of the **user** , so this information should be saved in relation to the user. Since we are using mongoDb, you **could** put this information in its own schema, or nested within the user’s schema. Since you mentioned 2 lists (listA, and listB) you probably will need to save 2 different lists for different orders, but otherwise the setup is the same for both.

Regardless of **where** you save the order, the data you save should look like an array of item ids. When the user moves an item you could either save the entire “new order” **or** you send a request to your server with the “move” and it updates the order.

On the client-side, React will need to get the list of user’s “orders”, which is just an array of Ids still, and “show” the orders for the user in the given order.

* * *

The key part of this is identifying that the ordering is related **to the user** , so if another user is using the system, they will see the same items, but in their own order they set.

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**Author:** ![snigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/snigo/32/128765_2.png) [@snigo](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/snigo)\
**Post date:** [November 26, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478/3 "2019-11-26T20:34:51Z")

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You describe your DB in a SQL way and that’s what you would do with it. With Mongo, that’s not a case. If number of lists is defined (2) and you won’t have exceptionally large lists, then just store things same way you’d do in JS:

```auto
user: {
  listA: [{...}, {...}, {...}],
  listB: [{...}, {...}, {...}]
}

```

Mongo will keep the order and you don’t need the `category`. Slightly slower writes, but hugely faster reads - that’s the way you go. Any attempt to control order of the list manually is bad idea.

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**Author:** ![ILM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/freecodecamp/user_avatar/forum.freecodecamp.org/ilm/32/363239_2.png) [@ILM](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/u/ILM)\
**Post date:** [January 16, 2021, 11:32am UTC](https://forum.freecodecamp.org/t/saving-the-ordering-of-items-in-db/328478/4 "2021-01-16T11:32:09Z")

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Closed on January 16, 2021, 11:32am UTC