Changed to empty string ("") in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-headerAsc" class will always be added to a header cell with an ascending sort; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

Example from the blue theme:

.tablesorter-blue .tablesorter-headerAsc {
  background-color: #9fbfdf;
  background-image: url(black-asc.gif);
}

Default changed v2.5 to "tablesorter-headerAsc". Default changed v2.1.7 to "tablesorter-headerSortUp". Original default: "headerSortUp"

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-headerDesc" class will always be added to a header cell with a descending sort; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

Example from the blue theme:

.tablesorter-blue .tablesorter-headerDesc {
  background-color: #8cb3d9;
  background-image: url(black-desc.gif);
}

Default changed v2.5 to "tablesorter-headerDesc". Default changed v2.1.7 to "tablesorter-headerSortDown". Original default: "headerSortDown"

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-header" class will always be added to the table headers; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

Example from the blue theme:

.tablesorter-blue .tablesorter-header {
  background-color: #99bfe6;
  background-repeat: no-repeat;
  background-position: center right;
  padding: 4px 20px 4px 4px;
  white-space: normal;
  cursor: pointer;
}

Default changed v2.1.7 to "tablesorter-header". Original default: "header"

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-headerRow" class will always be added to a table header row; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

This CSS style was added in v2.4, prior to that the row would get the same class as the header cells. This class was added to make it easier to determine what element was being targeted in the plugin.

As of v2.4, an <i> element, with this class name, is automatically appended to the header cells. To prevent the plugin from adding an <i> element to the headers, set the cssIcon option to an empty string.

In v2.7, the icon will only be added to the header if both the cssIcon option is set AND the headerTemplate option includes the icon tag ({icon}).

A "tablesorter-headerUnSorted" class will always be added to an unsorted header cell; this option contains any additional class names to add. Currently, no themes use this class name.

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-processing" class will always be added to a table cells during processing; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

This class name is added to the header cell that is currently being sorted or filted. To prevent this class name from being added, set the showProcessing option to false.

With the addition of multiple tbody sorting in v2.2, you can now insert a non-sorting tbody within the table by adding this class to the tbody.

<tbody class="tablesorter-infoOnly">
  <tr>
    <th>The contents of this tbody</th>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td>will not be sorted</td>
  </tr>
</tbody>

As an example, I've split up this options table into three (3) tbodies. The first contains the active options, the second is the info block with a row that only contains the text "Deprecated Options", and the last tbody contains the deprecated options. Sort the table to see how each tbody sorts separately.

NOTE! The pager plugin will only be applied to the first tbody, as always. I may work on modifying this behavior in the future, if I can figure out the best implementation.

• "mmddyyyy" (default)
• "ddmmyyyy"
• "yyyymmdd"

In previous versions, this option was set as "us", "uk" or "dd/mm/yy". This option was modified to better fit needed date formats. It will only work with four digit years!

The sorter should be set to "shortDate" and the date format can be set in the "dateFormat" option or set for a specific columns within the "headers" option. See the demo page to see it working.

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({

    dateFormat : "mmddyyyy", // default date format

    // or to change the format for specific columns,
    // add the dateFormat to the headers option:
    headers: {
      0: { sorter: "shortDate" }, // "shortDate" with the default dateFormat above
      1: { sorter: "shortDate", dateFormat: "ddmmyyyy" }, // day first format
      2: { sorter: "shortDate", dateFormat: "yyyymmdd" }  // year first format
    }

  });
});

Individual columns can be modified by adding the following (they all do the same thing), set in order of priority (Modified v2.3.1):

• jQuery data data-dateFormat="mmddyyyy".
• metadata class="{ dateFormat: 'mmddyyyy'}". This requires the metadata plugin.
• headers option headers : { 0 : { dateFormat : 'mmddyyyy' } }.
• header class name class="dateFormat-mmddyyyy".
• Overall dateFormat option.

• bottom - sort empty table cells to the bottom.
• top - sort empty table cells to the top.
• none or zero - sort empty table cells as if the cell has the value equal to zero.
• emptyMax - sort empty table cells as having a value greater than the max (more positive) value (v2.16.2).
• emptyMin - sort empty table cells as having a value greater than the min (more negative) value (v2.16.2).

Individual columns can be modified by adding the following (they all do the same thing), set in order of priority:

• jQuery data data-empty="top".
• metadata class="{ empty: 'top'}". This requires the metadata plugin.
• headers option headers : { 0 : { empty : 'top' } }.
• header class name class="empty-top".
• Overall emptyTo option.

emptyToBottom option was added in v2.1.11, then replaced by the emptyTo option in v2.1.16.

For example, to disable sorting on the first two columns of a table: headers: { 0: { sorter: false}, 1: {sorter: false} }.

The plugin attempts to detect the type of data that is contained in a column, but if it can't figure it out then it defaults to alphanumeric. You can easily override this by setting the header argument (or column parser). See the full list of default parsers here or write your own.

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    headers: {

      // See example - Disable first header cell; parser false skips extracting content
      0: { sorter: false, parser: false },

      // See example 2: Sort column numerically & treat any text as if its value is:
      1: { sorter: "digit", empty:  "top" }, // zero; sort empty cells to the top
      2: { sorter: "digit", string: "max" }, // maximum positive value
      3: { sorter: "digit", string: "min" }, // maximum negative value

      // Sort the fifth column by date & set the format
      4: { sorter: "shortDate", dateFormat: "yyyymmdd" }, // year first format

      // See example 3: lock the sort order
      // this option will not work if added as metadata
      5: { lockedOrder: "asc" },

      // See Example 4: Initial sort order direction of seventh header cell
      6: { sortInitialOrder: "desc" },

      // Set filter widget options for this column
      // See the "Applying the filter widget" demo
      7: { filter: false },    // disable filter widget for this column
      8: { filter: "parsed" }, // use parsed data for this column in the filter search

      // Set resizable widget options for this column
      9: { resizable: false } // prevent resizing of header cell 9

    }
  });
});

Please note that the headers index values corresponds to the table header cells index (zero-based) and not the actual columns. For example, given the following table thead markup, the header-index counts the header th cells and does not actually match the data-column index when extra rows and/or colspan or rowspan are included in any of the header cells:

<thead>
	<tr>
		<th colspan="4" data-column="0">header-index 0</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<th data-column="0">header-index 1</th>
		<th data-column="1">header-index 2</th>
		<th data-column="2">header-index 3</th>
		<th data-column="3">header-index 4</th>
	</tr>
	<tr>
		<th colspan="2" data-column="0">header-index 5</th>
		<th colspan="2" data-column="2">header-index 6</th>
	</tr>
</thead>

So, in the above example, to disable the sort of the second table column (data-column index of 1), the header cell of index 2 needs to be set as follows: 2 : { sorter : false }.

In v2.17.0, you can reference the column(s) using a class name, id or column index.

headers : {
    '.first-name' : { sorter: 'text' },
    '.disabled'   : { sorter: false }
}

This template string has two modifying tags: {content} and {icon}.
{content} will be replaced by the current header HTML content.
{icon} will be replaced by <i class="tablesorter-icon"></i>, but only if a class name is defined in the cssIcon option.

This template string may also contain HTML, e.g ('<em>{content}</em> {icon}')

After the template string is built, the onRenderTemplate function is called to allow further manipulation. Please read more about this onRenderTemplate function and/or check out the example (link to the right).

When true, all widgets set by the widgets option will apply after tablesorter has initialized, this is the normal behavior.

If false, the each widget set by the widgets option will be initialized, meaning the "init" function is run, but the format function will not be run. This is useful when running the pager plugin after the table is set up. The pager plugin will initialize, then apply all set widgets.

Why you ask? Well, lets say you have a table with 1000 rows that will have the pager plugin applied to it. Before this option, the table would finish its setup, all widgets would be applied to the 1000 rows, pager plugin initializes and reapplies the widgets on the say 20 rows showing; making the widget application to 100 rows unnecessary and a waste of time. So, when this option is false, widgets will only be applied to the table after the pager is set up.

In versions 2.0.6+, all TH text is wrapped in a div with a class name of "tablesorter-inner" by default. In the example below, the header cell (TH) div is given a class name (source).

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    headerTemplate: '{content}',
    onRenderHeader: function (){
      $(this).find('div').addClass('roundedCorners');
    }
  });
});

and you'll end up with this HTML (only the thead is shown)

<thead>
  <tr>
    <th class="tablesorter-header"><div class="tablesorter-header-inner roundedCorners">Column 1</div></th>
    <th class="tablesorter-header"><div class="tablesorter-header-inner roundedCorners">Column 2</div></th>
  </tr>
</thead>

* Note: this function adds additional rendering time to the table if any DOM manipulation is done. Because this time will be on top of the processing time already added by the template.

The onRenderTemplate function receives a column index and template string parameters. The template string, from the headerTemplate option, will already have the {icon} and {content} tags replaced; it's just a string of formatted HTML. When done manipulating this string, return it. Here is an example:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    headerTemplate: '{icon}{content}',
    onRenderTemplate: function (index, template){
      return '<em>' + (index + 1) + ':</em> ' + template;
    }
  });
});

The template parameter can be manipulated as a string, or if you prefer, turn it into a jQuery object (var $t = $(template)) to find and replace content as desired. Just make sure you return a string (return $t.html())

From the example function above, you'll end up with something similar to this HTML (only the thead is shown)

<thead>
  <tr>
    <th class="tablesorter-header"><div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><em>1:</em> <i class="tablesorter-icon"></i>First Name</div></th>
    <th class="tablesorter-header"><div class="tablesorter-header-inner"><em>2:</em> <i class="tablesorter-icon"></i>Last Name</div></th>
  </tr>
</thead>

* Note: If the cssIcon option is an empty string, the {icon} tag will also become an empty string.

You can change this, but the table will still need the required thead and tbody before this plugin will work properly.
Added > to the selector in v2.3 to prevent targetting nested table headers. It was modified again in v2.4 to include td cells within the thead.

It was necessary to add this option because some widgets add table rows for styling (see the writing custom widgets demo) and if a table update is triggered ($('table').trigger('update');) those added rows will automatically become incorporated into the table.

For example, sortForce: [[0,0]] will sort the first column in ascending order. After the forced sort, the user selected column(s), or during initialzation, the sorting order defined in the sortList will follow. And lastly, the sort defined in the sortAppend option will be applied. More explicitly:

There are three options to determine the sort order and this is the order of priority:

1. sortForce forces the user to have this/these column(s) sorted first (null by default).
2. SortList is the initial sort order of the columns.
3. SortAppend is the default sort that is added to the end of the users sort selection (null by default).

The value of these sort options is an array of arrays and can include one or more columns. The format is an array of instructions for per-column sorting and direction in the format: [[columnIndex, sortDirection], ... ] where columnIndex is a zero-based index for your columns left-to-right and sortDirection is 0 for Ascending and 1 for Descending. A valid argument that sorts ascending first by column 1 and then column 2 looks like: [[0,0],[1,0]].

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    sortForce  : [[0,0]],        // Always sort first column first
    sortList   : [[1,0], [2,0]], // initial sort columns (2nd and 3rd)
    sortAppend : [[3,0]]         // Always add this sort on the end (4th column)
  });
});

The value contains an array of instructions for per-column sorting and direction in the format: [[columnIndex, sortDirection], ... ] where columnIndex is a zero-based index for your columns left-to-right and sortDirection is 0 for Ascending and 1 for Descending. A valid argument that sorts ascending first by column 1 and then column 2 looks like: [[0,0],[1,0]]. Please see sortForce for more details on other sort order options.

This option can also be set using jQuery data (v2.3.1) or metadata on the table:

** Note: data-sortlist data is not supported in jQuery versions older than 1.4.
jQuery data	<table data-sortlist="[[0,0],[4,0]]"> **
Meta data	<table class="tablesorter {sortlist: [[0,0],[4,0]]}">

For example, can be used to sort people alphabetically after some other user-selected sort that results in rows with the same value like dates or money due. It can help prevent data from appearing as though it has a random secondary sort.

The value contains an array of instructions for per-column sorting and direction in the format: [[columnIndex, sortDirection], ... ] where columnIndex is a zero-based index for your columns left-to-right and sortDirection is 0 for Ascending and 1 for Descending. A valid argument that sorts ascending first by column 1 and then column 2 looks like: [[0,0],[1,0]]. Please see sortForce for more details on other sort order options.

This order can also be set by desired column using the headers option (v2.0.8).

Individual columns can be modified by adding the following (they all do the same thing), set in order of priority (modified v2.3.1):

• jQuery data data-sortInitialOrder="asc".
• metadata class="{ sortInitialOrder: 'asc'}". This requires the metadata plugin.
• headers option headers : { 0 : { sortInitialOrder : 'asc' } }.
• header class name class="sortInitialOrder-asc".
• Overall sortInitialOrder option.

• This option no longer switches the sort to use the String.localeCompare method.
• When this option is true, the text parsed from table cells will convert accented characters to their equivalent to allow the alphanumeric sort to properly sort.
• If false (default), any accented characters are treated as their value in the standard unicode order.
• The following characters are replaced for both upper and lower case (information obtained from sugar.js sorting equivalents table):
  • áàâãä replaced with a
  • ç replaced with c
  • éèêë replaced with e
  • íìİîï replaced with i
  • óòôõö replaced with o
  • úùûü replaced with u
  • ß replaced with S
• Please see the example page for instrcutions on how to modify the above equivalency table.
• If you would like to continue using the String.localeCompare method, then set the sortLocaleCompare option to false and use the new textSorter option as follows:

  $('table').tablesorter({
    textSorter: function(a,b) {
      return a.localeCompare(b);
    }
  });

NOTE! See the Language wiki page for language specific examples and how to extend the character equivalent tables seen in the sortLocaleCompare demo.

Boolean flag indicating whenever to use javascript String.localeCompare method or not.
This is only used when comparing text with international character strings. A sort using localeCompare will sort accented characters the same as their unaccented counterparts.

Don't confuse this option with the sortReset method. This option only resets the column sort after a third click, while the method immediately resets the entire table sort.

This isn't exactly a stable sort because the sort order maintains the original unsorted order when sorting the column in an ascending direction. When sorting the column in a descending order, the opposite of the original unsorted order is returned. If that doesn't make any sense, please refer to issue #419.

String options was initially set in the header options only. Overall option added and values changed in version 2.1.16; setting the value to:

• "max" will treat any text in that column as a value greater than the max (more positive) value. Renamed from "max+".
• "min" will treat any text in that column as a value greater than the min (more negative) value. Renamed from "max-".
• "top" will always sort the text to the top of the column.
• "bottom" will always sort the text to the bottom of the column.
• "none" or "zero" will treat the text as if it has a value of zero.

Individual columns can be modified by adding the following (they all do the same thing), set in order of priority:

• jQuery data data-string="top".
• metadata class="{ string: 'top'}". This requires the metadata plugin.
• headers option headers : { 0 : { string : 'top' } }.
• header class name class="string-top".
• Overall stringTo option.

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter" class will always be added to the table; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

This class was required in the default markup in version 2.0.5. But in version 2.0.6, it was added as an option.

Modify this option if you are not using the default css, or if you are using a completely custom stylesheet.

When changing this theme option, make sure that the appropriate css theme file has also been loaded. Included theme files include: see all themes

This option contains the name of the data-attribute used by the textExtraction function. Add it to the cell(s) as follows:

<td data-text="1">First repository</td>

Note This option only works when the textExtraction option is set to "basic".

In v2.17.0, the textExtraction column can also be referenced by using a jQuery selector (e.g. class name, id or column index).

textExtraction : {
    '.styled' : function(node, table, cellIndex) {
        return $(node).find('strong').text();
    }
}

As of version 2.16.0,

• The default text extraction method has been renamed and updated to get data from a data-attribute (set by the textAttribute option).
• If you need to support older versions of IE, this may add a significant delay to the table initialization especially for large tables; in this case, set the textExtraction option to any name other than "basic".
• Also, this option can now be set using a data-attribute named "data-text-extraction" on the table.

You can customize the text extraction by writing your own text extraction function "myTextExtraction" which you define like:

var myTextExtraction = function(node, table, cellIndex){
  // extract data from markup and return it
  // originally: return node.childNodes[0].childNodes[0].innerHTML;
  return $(node).find('selector').text();
}
$(function(){
  $("#myTable").tablesorter( { textExtraction: myTextExtraction } );
});

tablesorter will pass the current table cell object for you to parse and return. Thanks to Josh Nathanson for the examples; updated to a jQuery example by Rob G (Mottie).

Now if the text you are finding in the script above is say a number, then just include the headers sorter option to specify how to sort it. Also in this example, we will specify that the special textExtraction code is only needed for the second column (1 because we are using a zero-based index). All other columns will ignore this textExtraction function.

Added table and cellIndex variables to the textExtraction function in version 2.1.2 (this is not part of the original plugin).

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    textExtraction: {
      1: function(node, table, cellIndex) {
           return $(node).find("span:last").text();
      }
    },
    headers: {
      1: { sorter : "digit" }
    }
  });
});

The built-in option is "basic" (modified v2.16.0) which is the equivalent of doing this inside of the textExtraction function: $(node).text();.

Notes about this namespace option:

• If a namesspace is not defined, a (hopefully) unique random namespace will be generated.
• If defined, any "non-word" characters (anything not "a-z", "0-9" or "_") within the namespace will be removed.
• Added or not, the namespace will be saved with a leading period (e.g. ".myuniquetableid")

$(function(){
  $("#mytable").tablesorter({
    // if table id = "mytable", this namespace is saved as ".mytable"
    namespace : $('#mytable')[0].id;
  });
});

Here is an example:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    numberSorter : function(a, b, direction, maxColumnValue){
      // direction; true = ascending; false = descending
      // maxColumnValue = the maximum value of that column (ignoring its sign)
      return a - b;
    }
  });
});

The direction parameter (boolean) is merely for informational purposes as the plugin automatically switches `a` and `b` depending on the sort direction ( i.e. there's no need to worry about reverse sorting, it's taken care of by the plugin ).

Include a script like naturalSort.js as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    textSorter : naturalSort
  });
});

or use the localeCompare sort

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    // replace the OVERALL text sorter function
    textSorter: function(a, b, direction, columnIndex, table){
      // direction: true = ascending; false = descending
      // columnIndex: zero-based index of the current table column being sorted
      // table: table DOM element (access options by using table.config)
      return a.localeCompare(b);
    }
  });
});

In v2.12, the textSorter option will now accept a text sorter per column:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    textSorter : {
      // replace INDIVIDUAL COLUMN text sorter functions
      0 : function(a, b, direction, columnIndex, table){
        // same as $.tablesorter.sortText (basic alphabetical sort)
        // direction: true = ascending; false = descending
        // columnIndex: zero-based index of the current table column being sorted
        // table: table DOM element (access options by using table.config)
        return a > b ? 1 : (a < b ? -1 : 0);
      },
      1 : $.tablesorter.sortText,    // same as the function in column 0 above (modified in v2.12)
      2 : $.tablesorter.sortNatural, // renamed v2.12 from $.tablesorter.sortText - performs natural sort
      3 : Array.AlphanumericSort     // alphanumeric sort from sugar (http://sugarjs.com/arrays#sorting)
    }
  });
});

The direction parameter (boolean) is merely for informational purposes as the plugin automatically switches `a` and `b` depending on the sort direction ( i.e. there's no need to worry about reverse sorting, it's taken care of by the plugin ).

true	U.S.	1,234,567.89
false	German: French:	1.234.567,89 1 234 567,89

Prior to v2.4, this option set pixel widths to added colgroups to fix the column widths. This is useful for the Pager companion.
Requires the jQuery dimension plugin to work. This is now part of the jQuery core.

Previously documented widget options widgetZebra, widgetColumns and widgetUitheme will be retained for backwards compatibility.

Use the widgetOptions option as follows, please note that each option is followed by a comma (except the last one):

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({

    // initialize a bunch of widgets
    widgets: ["zebra", "uitheme", "columns", "filter", "resizable", "stickyHeaders"],

    widgetOptions: {

      // *** columns widget ***
      // change the default column class names
      columns : [ "primary", "secondary", "tertiary" ],
      // include thead when adding class names
      columns_thead : true,
      // include tfoot when adding class names
      columns_tfoot : true,

      // *** filter widget ***
      // jQuery selector string (or jQuery object) of external anyMatch filter
      // filter_anyMatch   : null, // THIS OPTION WAS REMOVED IN V2.15
      // Include child rows content in the search
      filter_childRows     : false,
      // show column filters
      filter_columnFilters : true,
      // css class applied to the filter row inputs/select
      filter_cssFilter     : '',
      // data attribute in the header cell that contains the default filter value
      filter_defaultAttrib : 'data-value',
      // jQuery selector string (or jQuery object) of external search inputs
      filter_external      : '',
      // class added to filtered rows; needed by pager plugin
      filter_filteredRow   : 'filtered',
      // add custom filter elements to the filter row
      filter_formatter     : null,
      // add custom filter functions using this option.
      filter_functions     : null,
      // hide filter row when table is empty
      filter_hideEmpty     : true,
      // if true, the filter row is hidden initially until hovered/focused.
      filter_hideFilters   : false,
      // if true, make all searches case-insensitive.
      filter_ignoreCase    : true,
      // if true, search column content while the user types (with a delay)
      filter_liveSearch    : true,
      // a selector in a header with this class name will only show selected options in the drop down
      filter_onlyAvail     : 'filter-onlyAvail',
      // default placeholder text (overridden by any header "data-placeholder" setting)
      filter_placeholder   : { search : '', select : '' }, 
      // jQuery selector string of an element used to reset the filters.
      filter_reset         : null,
      // Use the $.tablesorter.storage utility to save the most recent filters
      filter_saveFilters   : false,  
      // typing delay in milliseconds before starting a search.
      filter_searchDelay   : 300,
      // include a function to return an array of values to be added to the column filter select
      filter_selectSource  : null,
      // if true, filter start from the beginning of the cell contents.
      filter_startsWith    : false,
      // filter all data using parsed content.
      filter_useParsedData : false,
      // Set to true for server-side filtering
      filter_serversideFiltering :  false,

      // *** stickyHeaders widget ***
      // extra class name added to the sticky header row
      stickyHeaders : '',
      // jQuery selector or object to attach sticky header to
      stickyHeaders_attachTo : null
      // number or jquery selector targeting the position:fixed element
      stickyHeaders_offset : 0,
      // scroll table top into view after filtering
      stickyHeaders_filteredToTop: true,
      // added to table ID, if it exists
      stickyHeaders_cloneId : '-sticky',
      // trigger "resize" event on headers
      stickyHeaders_addResizeEvent : true,
      // if false and a caption exist, it won't be included in the sticky header
      stickyHeaders_includeCaption : true,
      // The zIndex of the stickyHeaders, allows the user to adjust this to their needs
      stickyHeaders_zIndex : 2

      // *** resizable widget ***
      // if false, resized columns are not saved for next page reload
      resizable : true,
      // if true, the last column will be resizable (use in non-full width tables)
      resizable_addLastColumn: false,
      // Add the starting & reset header widths
      resizable_widths : [],

      // *** savesort widget ***
      // if false, the sort will not be saved for next page reload
      saveSort : true,

      // *** uitheme widget ***
      // include the name of the theme to use current options are
      // "jui" (default) and "bootstrap"
      uitheme : "jui",

      // *** zebra widget ***
      // class names to add, default is [ "even", "odd" ]
      zebra : ["ui-widget-content even", "ui-state-default odd"]

    }

  });
});

More specifically, when the storage function is used, it attempts to give every table a unique identifier using both the page url and table ID (or index on the page if no id exists). This option allows you to override the current page url (it doesn't need to be a url, just some constant value) and save data for multiple tables across a domain.

The table url & id can also be overridden by setting table data attributes data-table-page (url) and data-table-group (id)
(e.g. <table class="tablesorter" data-table-page="mydomain" data-table-group="financial">...</table>)

For a bit more detail, specifically on how to use the new storage function options for a custom widget, please refer to issue #389.

When the column styling widget is initialized, it automatically applied the default class names of "primary" for the primary sort, "secondary" for the next sort, "tertiary" for the next sort, and so on (add more as needed)... (v2.0.17). Use the widgetColumns option to change the css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["columns"], // initialize column styling of the table
    widgetColumns: { css: ["primary", "secondary", "tertiary" ] }
  });
});

Used when the ui theme styling widget is initialized. It automatically applies the default class names of "ui-icon-arrowthick-2-n-s" for the unsorted column, "ui-icon-arrowthick-1-s" for the descending sort and "ui-icon-arrowthick-1-n" for the ascending sort. (v2.0.9). Find more jQuery UI class names by hovering over the Framework icons on this page: http://jqueryui.com/themeroller/

Use the widgetUitheme option to change the css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["uitheme"], // initialize ui theme styling widget of the table
    widgetUitheme: {
      css: [
        "ui-icon-carat-2-n-s", // Unsorted icon
        "ui-icon-carat-1-s",   // Sort up (down arrow)
        "ui-icon-carat-1-n"    // Sort down (up arrow)
      ]
    }
  });
});

When the zebra striping widget is initialized, it automatically applied the default class names of "even" and "odd". Use the widgetZebra option to change the css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["zebra"], // initialize zebra striping of the table
    widgetZebra: { css: [ "normal-row", "alt-row" ] }
  });
});

Use the "columns" option to change the css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["columns"], // initialize column styling of the table
    widgetOptions : {
      columns: [ "primary", "secondary", "tertiary" ]
    }
  });
});

Use the "columns_thead" option to add the column class names to the thead as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["columns"], // initialize column styling of the table
    widgetOptions : {
      columns_thead: true
    }
  });
});

Use the "columns_tfoot" option to add the column class names to the tfoot as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["columns"], // initialize column styling of the table
    widgetOptions : {
      columns_tfoot: true
    }
  });
});

Use the filter_childRows option include child row text as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_childRows : true
    }
  });
});

Use the filter_columnFilters option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_columnFilters : true
    }
  });
});

As of v2.15, this option can also contain an array of class names that are to be applied to input filters.

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-filter" class will always be added to the filter; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

Use the "tablesorter-filter" option to add an extra css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // css class applied to the table row containing the filters & the inputs within that row
      // or [ "filter1", "filter2", "filter3", etc... ]
      filter_cssFilter : "tablesorter-filter"
    }
  });
});

Set this option to be a jQuery selector string, or jQuery object, pointing to any external inputs that are to be used for searching the table.

Use the filter_external option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_external : '.search'
    }
  });
});

These external inputs have one requirement, they must have a data-column="#", where the # targets the column (zero-based index), pointing to a specific column to search.

<input class="search" type="search" data-column="0" placeholder="Search first column">

If you want to search all columns, using the updated "any match" method, set the data column value to "all":

<input class="search" type="search" data-column="all" placeholder="Search entire table">

The updated any matching code will now automatically update all associated inputs with the latest search.
This option replaces filter_anyMatch.

In v2.17.0, the filter_formatter column can also be referenced by using a jQuery selector (e.g. class name or ID).

filter_formatter : {
    ".col-value" : function($cell, indx){
      return $.tablesorter.filterFormatter.uiSpinner( $cell, indx, {
        ...
      });
    }
}

A new file has been included named "jquery.tablesorter.widgets-filter-formatter.js". It includes code to add jQuery UI and HTML5 controls via the filter_formatter option.

Most of the formatter functions have an option named valueToHeader which, when true adds a span to the header cell above the filter row and updates it with the current control's value (see example 2). If the option exists and is set to false, then the current value is added to the control's handle and css can be used to create a popup to show the current value (see example 1).

Another custom option named addToggle is included with the "uiSpinner", "html5Color" and "html5Number" code. This allows the user to disable the control to show all table rows. For the single sliders, "uiSlider" and "html5Range", the minimum value is used to clear the filter (show all rows).

The options included for each jQuery UI control only show basic options, but any or all of the jQuery UI options for that control can be included.

• To add the jQuery UI slider, follow this example:

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions : {
        filter_formatter : {
          // column index `0` or use a jQuery selector `"th:contains('Discount')"`
          0 : function($cell, indx){
            return $.tablesorter.filterFormatter.uiSpinner( $cell, indx, {
              value : 0,  // starting value
              min   : 0,  // minimum value
              max   : 50, // maximum value
              step  : 1,  // increment value by
              addToggle: true, // Add a toggle to enable/disable the control
              valueToHeader: false // add current slider value to the header cell
            });
          }
        }
      }
    });
  });

  Any of the other jQuery UI spinner widget options can also be included.
  
  
• Filter formatter functions include: "uiSpinner", "uiSlider", "uiRange" (uiSlider ranged), "uiDatepicker" (range only), "html5Number", "html5Range" and "html5Color".
• For other examples, please refer to the example pages. Formatter part 1 (example 1) adds jQuery UI controls to the filter row, while formatter part 2 (example 2) adds HTML5 controls, if supported, to the filter row.

In v2.17.0, the filter_functions column can also be referenced by using a jQuery selector (e.g. class name or ID).

filter_functions : {
    ".col-date" : {
        "< 2004" : function (e, n, f, i) {
            return n < Date.UTC(2004, 0, 1); // < Jan 1 2004
        },
        ...
    }
}

Use the "filter_functions" option in three different ways:

• Make a sorted select dropdown list of all column contents. Repeated content will be combined.

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions: {
        filter_functions: {
          // Add select menu to this column
          // set the column value to true, and/or add "filter-select" class name to header
          0 : true
        }
      }
    });
  });

  Alternately, instead of setting the column filter funtion to true, give the column header a class name of "filter-select". See the demo.
  
  
• Make a select dropdown list with custom option settings. Each option must have a corresponding function which returns a boolean value; return true if there is a match, or false with no match.

  Regex example

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions: {
        // function variables:
        // e = exact text from cell
        // n = normalized value returned by the column parser
        // f = search filter input value
        // i = column index
        filter_functions: {
          // Add these options to the select dropdown (regex example)
          2 : {
            "A - D" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[A-D]/.test(e); },
            "E - H" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[E-H]/.test(e); },
            "I - L" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[I-L]/.test(e); },
            "M - P" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[M-P]/.test(e); },
            "Q - T" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[Q-T]/.test(e); },
            "U - X" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[U-X]/.test(e); },
            "Y - Z" : function(e, n, f, i) { return /^[Y-Z]/.test(e); }
          }
        }
      }
    });
  });

  Comparison example

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions: {
        // function variables:
        // e = exact text from cell
        // n = normalized value returned by the column parser
        // f = search filter input value
        // i = column index
        filter_functions: {
          // Add these options to the select dropdown (numerical comparison example)
          // Note that only the normalized (n) value will contain numerical data
          // If you use the exact text, you'll need to parse it (parseFloat or parseInt)
          4 : {
            "< $10"      : function(e, n, f, i) { return n < 10; },
            "$10 - $100" : function(e, n, f, i) { return n >= 10 && n <=100; },
            "> $100"     : function(e, n, f, i) { return n > 100; }
          }
        }
      }
    });
  });

  Note: if the filter_ignoreCase option is true, it DOES alter the normalized value (n) by making it all lower case.
  
  
• Make a custom filter for the column.

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions: {
        // function variables:
        // e = exact text from cell
        // n = normalized value returned by the column parser
        // f = search filter input value
        // i = column index
        filter_functions: {
          // Exact match only
          1 : function(e, n, f, i) {
            return e === f;
          }
        }
      }
    });
  });

  Note: if the filter_ignoreCase option is true, it DOES alter the normalized value (n) by making it all lower case.
  
  

Use the filter_hideEmpty option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_hideEmpty : false
    }
  });
});

Use the filter_hideFilters option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_hideFilters : true
    }
  });
});

You can change the style (thickness) of the hidden filter row in the tablesorter theme css. Look for .tablesorter-filter-row (revealed row) and .tablesorter-filter-row.hideme (for the hidden row) css definitions.

Use the filter_ignorecase option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_ignoreCase : false
    }
  });
});

This option, when false allows you to disable the live search behavior, so that a filter is only applied when the user presses Enter (or uses Esc to clear and cancel the search).

If this option is set to a number, e.g. 4, a search of the column content will not initiate until this minimum number of characters are entered into the input.

This option is useful after one or more columns have been filtered, then the column select filter with this class applied will only show the contents of the column within the dropdown that are currently visible. See the custom filter widget demo "Discount" column for an example (sort the "First Name" column first).

Caution: The main issue with this functionality is with keyboard accessibility. If the keyboard is used to select an option, only the first and default options will be available for chosing. The only way to select other options is with the mouse.

Any search type input added to the filter row will automatically get a placeholder attribute added, the source of this placeholder text is from the following sources, in order of priority:

• Header cell data (table.config.$headers.eq(0).data('placeholder', 'search for...');
• Header cell data-attribute (<th data-placeholder="Find Rank...">Rank</th>)
• Global filter_placeholder.search setting.

The filter_placeholder.select setting adds the text to the first select option (default option to show all rows).

Note: The jquery.tablesorter.widgets-filter-formatter.js jQuery UI Datepicker Range Selector creates two inputs, so this option then includes two additional settings:

filter_placeholder : {
	search : '',
	select : '',
	from   : '', // datepicker range "from" placeholder
	to     : ''  // datepicker range "to" placeholder
}

Note: The browser must support the placeholder attribute before it will be visible.

When this option points to a reset element using a jQuery selector string, it is bound using event delegation. So if any additional reset elements, with the same class name, are added to the page dynamically, they will be associated with the same table.

For example, add this button (<button class="reset">Reset</button>) to the table header, or anywhere else on the page. That element will be used as a reset for all column and quick search filters (clears all fields):

Use the filter_reset option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_reset : '.reset'
    }
  });
});

If this option contains a jQuery object (v2.16), clicking on any of the elements within that jQuery object will trigger a filter reset. If any additional elements with the same selector are added to the page, they will not be dynamically functional.

If either of these methods do not work as desired, simply trigger a filterReset event on the table.

Filters saved to local storage (or cookies) will over-ride any default filters within the header data-attribute (set by the filter_defaultAttrib option and be available to the pager before any ajax calls are made.

To bypass this behavior, clear out the saved filters as follows:

$.tablesorter.storage( $('table'), 'tablesorter-filters', '' );

Use the filter_searchDelay option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_searchDelay : 500
    }
  });
});

If you want to want to initialize the filter without user input, target any one of the filters and trigger a "search".

// target the first filter input
// this method will begin the search after the searchDelay time
$('input.tablesorter-filter:eq(0)').trigger('search');

// this method will begin the search immediately
$('input.tablesorter-filter:eq(0)').trigger('search', false);

In tablesorter v2.4+, the trigger can be applied directly to the table:

// refresh the widget filter; no delay
$('table').trigger('search', false);

In v2.17.0, the filter_selectSource column can also be referenced by using a jQuery selector (e.g. class name or ID).

filter_selectSource : {
    ".model-number" : [ "abc", "def", "ghi", "xyz" ]
}

A column will have a filter select dropdown when a "filter-select" class name is added to the header cell, or if the filter_functions column value is set to true

This option allows using an alternate source, or customizing options of the filter select dropdown. This option can be set as follows:

• null - this value will set the default behavior and return all table cell values from the current column.
• An overall function - when this option is a function, it will be used for all filter selects in the table.

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions : {
        filter_selectSource : function(table, column, onlyAvail){
          // get an array of all table cell contents for a table column
          var array = $.tablesorter.filter.getOptions(table, column, onlyAvail);
          // manipulate the array as desired, then return it
          return array;
        }
      }
    });
  });

• An object containing column keys set with a function - when the option is set in this manner, a function can be applied to a specific column

  $(function(){
    $("table").tablesorter({
      widgets: ["filter"],
      widgetOptions : {
        filter_selectSource : {
          0 : function(table, column, onlyAvail){
            return $.getJSON('ajax/options.json', function(data) {
              // return false if there is a problem and the select
              // will display the original defaults
              return data.hasOwnProperty('options') ? data.options : false;
          }
        }
      }
    });
  });

The function uses the following parameters:

• table - table DOM element
• column - zero-based index of the column with a filter select
• onlyAvail - boolean indicating if the returned options should only be from available (non-filtered) rows.

Important Return an array of values which will be added to the filter select dropdown. This array will automatically be stripped of any duplicate values and sorted alphanumerically before being added to the select. If for some reason the custom filter_selectSource function does not obtain the desired array of values, return false and the original method of obtaining column cell content will be used.

Use the filter_serversideFiltering option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_serversideFiltering : true
    }
  });
});

Use the filter_startsWith option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_startsWith : true
    }
  });
});

Use the filter_useParsedData option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_useParsedData : false
    }
  });
});

• To only use parsed data in specific columns, set this option to false and use any of the following (they all do the same thing), set in order of priority:
  • jQuery data data-filter="parsed".
  • metadata class="{ filter: 'parsed'}". This requires the metadata plugin.
  • headers option headers : { 0 : { filter : 'parsed' } }.
  • header class name class="filter-parsed".
• Remember that parsed data most likely doesn't match the actual table cell text, 20% becomes 20 and Jan 1, 2013 12:01 AM becomes 1357020060000.

Use the filter_defaultAttrib option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_defaultAttrib : 'data-value'
    }
  });
});

Then add the default filter value to the table header as follows:

<th data-value="<30">Age</th>

Changed to empty string in v2.11, as the "tablesorter-stickyHeader" class will always be added to the sticky header row; this option now contains any additional class names to add.

Previously, this option contained the class name to be applied to the sticky header row (tr) (v2.1).

Use the "stickyHeaders" option to add an extra css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // css class name applied to the sticky header
      stickyHeaders : "tablesorter-stickyHeader"
    }
  });
});

So if your table ID is "gummy", then the cloned sticky table id becomes "gummy-sticky"

Use the "stickyHeaders_cloneId" option to change the cloned table id as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // cloned table id suffix
      stickyHeaders_cloneId : "-clone"
    }
  });
});

Use the stickyHeaders_includeCaption option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // cloned table id suffix
      stickyHeaders_includeCaption : false
    }
  });
});

Use the stickyHeaders_attachTo option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // Where to attach the stickyHeaders
      stickyHeaders_attachTo : '.wrapper' // $('.wrapper') jQuery object can also be used
    }
  });
});

If the page includes a fixed navigation bar at the top, like Bootstrap, set "stickyHeaders_offset" option to offset the sticky table header to be below the fixed navigation by setting this option using any of the following examples:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // apply sticky header top 30px below the top of the browser window
      stickyHeaders_offset : 30
    }
  });
});

or

stickyHeaders_offset : '.navbar-fixed-top' // jQuery selector string

or

stickyHeaders_offset : $('.navbar-fixed-top') // jQuery object

When a user searches the table using the sticky header filter row the results may reduce the number of rows so that the table would scroll up out of the viewport. So, this option scrolls the table top into view and moves the filter focus to the same input in the original header, instead of the sticky header input.

Set this option to false to prevent the page scroll after filtering the table.

While this option is true, a timer is initialized to check the width of every header cell every 1/4 second. If this causes lag, or any other problems, set this option to false. When this option is false, sticky table headers are unable to detect and match the width of the original table headers when content is added or removed.

Use the "stickyHeaders_addResizeEvent" option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["resizable"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // add header resize detection
      stickyHeaders_addResizeEvent : true
    }
  });
});

When the browser window is resized, the headers (original and sticky) will resize automatically no matter the value of this option.

Use the stickyHeaders_zIndex option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["stickyHeaders"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // The zIndex of the stickyHeaders, allows the user to adjust this to their needs
      stickyHeaders_zIndex : 100
    }
  });
});

Use the "resizable" option to not save the resized widths:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["resizable"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // css class name applied to the sticky header
      resizable : false
    }
  });
});

If an anchor was included and the table is full width, the column would resize in the opposite direction which my not be intuitive to the user. So set this option as desired, but please be mindful of the user experience.

Use the "resizable_addLastColumn" option to include the last column resizer as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["resizable"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // css class name applied to the sticky header
      resizable_addlastcolumn : true
    }
  });
});

Use the "resizable_widths" option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["resizable"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // headers widths applied at initialization & resizable reset
      // this setting includes any non-resizable cells (resizable-false)
      resizable_widths : [ '10%', '10%', '50px' ]
    }
  });
});

Use the "saveSort" option to not save the current sort:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["saveSort"],
    widgetOptions : {
      // if false, the sort will not be saved for next page reload
      saveSort : false
    }
  });
});

To modify the class names used, extend from the $.tablesorter.themes variable as follows:

// Extend the themes to change any of the default class names ** NEW **
$.extend($.tablesorter.themes.jui, {
  // change default jQuery uitheme icons - find the full list of icons
  // here: http://jqueryui.com/themeroller/ (hover over them for their name)
  table      : 'ui-widget ui-widget-content ui-corner-all', // table classes
  header     : 'ui-widget-header ui-corner-all ui-state-default', // header classes
  footerRow  : '',
  footerCells: '',
  icons      : 'ui-icon', // icon class added to the <i> in the header
  sortNone   : 'ui-icon-carat-2-n-s',
  sortAsc    : 'ui-icon-carat-1-n',
  sortDesc   : 'ui-icon-carat-1-s',
  active     : 'ui-state-active', // applied when column is sorted
  hover      : 'ui-state-hover',  // hover class
  filterRow  : '',
  even       : 'ui-widget-content', // even row zebra striping
  odd        : 'ui-state-default'   // odd row zebra striping
});

This widget option replaces the previous widgetUitheme. All theme css names are now contained within the $.tablesorter.themes variable. Extend the default theme as seen above.

The class names from the $.tablesorter.themes.{name} variable are applied to the table as indicated.

As before the jQuery UI theme applies the default class names of "ui-icon-arrowthick-2-n-s" for the unsorted column, "ui-icon-arrowthick-1-s" for the descending sort and "ui-icon-arrowthick-1-n" for the ascending sort. (Modified v2.1; Updated in v2.4). Find more jQuery UI class names by hovering over the Framework icons on this page: http://jqueryui.com/themeroller/

Use the "uitheme" option to change the css class name as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    theme     : 'jui',       // set theme name from $.tablesorter.themes here
    widgets   : ["uitheme"], // initialize ui theme styling widget of the table
    widgetOptions: {
      uitheme : "jui"        // this is now optional in v2.7, it is overridden by the theme option
    }
  });
});

To add a new theme, define it as follows; replace "custom" with the name of your theme:

$.tablesorter.themes.custom = {
  table      : 'table',       // table classes
  header     : 'header',      // header classes
  footerRow  : '',
  footerCells: '',
  icons      : 'icon',        // icon class added to the <i> in the header
  sortNone   : 'sort-none',   // unsorted header
  sortAsc    : 'sort-asc',    // ascending sorted header
  sortDesc   : 'sort-desc',   // descending sorted header
  active     : 'sort-active', // applied when column is sorted
  hover      : 'hover',       // hover class
  filterRow  : 'filters',     // class added to the filter row
  even       : 'even',        // even row zebra striping
  odd        : 'odd'          // odd row zebra striping
}

Use the "zebra" option to change the theme as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["zebra"], // initialize zebra striping of the table
    widgetOptions: {
      zebra: [ "normal-row", "alt-row" ]
    }
  });
});

This is some example pager markup. It should contain all of the controls set by the multiple css-named options:

<div class="pager">
  <form>
    <img src="first.png" class="first"/>
    <img src="prev.png" class="prev"/>
    <span class="pagedisplay"></span> <!-- this can be any element, including an input -->
    <img src="next.png" class="next"/>
    <img src="last.png" class="last"/>
    <select class="pagesize">
      <option selected="selected" value="10">10</option>
      <option value="20">20</option>
      <option value="30">30</option>
      <option value="40">40</option>
    </select>
    <select class="gotoPage" title="Select page number"></select>
  </form>
</div>

Caution If you use buttons in your pager container, make sure the buttons include a button type (<button type="button">Next</button>) to prevent form submission and page reloading every time the button is clicked.

Use this option as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $(".pager")
    });
  });
});

Here is an example of how to include the option, it should always be paired with an ajaxProcessing function:

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      ajaxUrl: "http://mydatabase.com?page={page}&size={size}&{sortList:col}&{filterList:fcol}",
      ajaxProcessing: function(ajax){
        // do something with the ajax
        return [ formatted_data, total_rows ];
      }
    });
});

The ajaxUrl template replaces the following tags with values from the tablesorter plugin and pager addon:

Tag	Replaced with
{page}	Zero-based index of the current pager page
{page+1}	One-based index of the current pager page (replace "+1" with any number) (e.g. {page+3}) (v2.9).
{size}	Number of rows showing, or number of rows to get from the server
{sortList:col} or {sort:col}	Adds the current sort to the ajax url string into a "col" array, so your server-side code knows how to sort the data (v2.4.5). The col portion of the {sortList:col} tag can be any name string (no spaces) to indicate the name of the variable to apply. So if your current sortList is [[2,0],[3,0]], it becomes "&sort[2]=0&sort[3]=0" in the url. {sort:col} shortened tag also works (v2.9).
{filterList:fcol} or {filter:fcol}	Adds the value of the current filters to the ajax url string into a "fcol" array, so your server-side code knows how to filter the data (v2.6). The fcol portion of the {filterList:fcol} tag can be any name string (no spaces) to indicate the name of the variable to apply. So if your current filters are ['','Blue',13], it becomes "&fcol[2]=Blue&fcol[3]=13" in the url. {filter:col} shortened tag also works (v2.9).

The customAjaxUrl function has two parameters, the table DOM element and the processed url string (all tags within the ajaxUrl have been replaced with their appropriate values).

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      ajaxUrl: "http://mydatabase.com?page={page}&size={size}&{sortList:col}&{filterList:fcol}",
      ajaxProcessing: function(ajax){
        // do something with the ajax
        return [ formatted_data, total_rows ];
      },
      // modify the url after all processing has been applied
      customAjaxUrl: function(table, url) {
        // trigger my custom event
        $(table).trigger('changingUrl');
        // send the server the current page
        return url += '&currntUrl=' + window.location.href;
      }
    });
});

The ajaxObject is completely customizable, except for the `url` setting which is processed using the pager's `ajaxUrl` and `customAjaxUrl` options.

See all possible settings in the jQuery.ajax documentation

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      ajaxUrl: "http://mydatabase.com?page={page}&size={size}&{sortList:col}&{filterList:fcol}",
      ajaxObject: {
        // add more ajax settings here
        // see http://api.jquery.com/jQuery.ajax/#jQuery-ajax-settings
        dataType: 'json'
      },
      ajaxProcessing: function(ajax){
        // do something with the ajax;
        return [ total_rows ];
      }
    });
});

In v2.10, the returned rows is now optional. And it can either be an array of arrays or a jQuery object (not attached to the table)
Process your ajax data so that the following information is returned:

// [ total_rows (number), rows (array of arrays), headers (array; optional) ]
// or [ rows, total_rows, headers ]
// or [ total_rows, $(rows) ]
// or [ total_rows ]
[
  100, // total rows
  [
    [ "row1cell1", "row1cell2", ... "row1cellN" ],
    [ "row2cell1", "row2cell2", ... "row2cellN" ],
    ...
    [ "rowNcell1", "rowNcell2", ... "rowNcellN" ]
  ],
  [ "header1", "header2", ... "headerN" ] // optional
]

Note: In v2.14.3, the contents of the array can also contain table cell markup (i.e. "<td class='green'>+ 10%</td>").

Here is some example JSON (comments added, but not allowed in JSON) which is contained in the City0.json file:

{
  // total rows
  "total_rows": 80,
  // headers
  "cols" : [
    "ID", "Name", "Country Code", "District", "Population"
  ],
  // row data...
  "rows" : [{
    "ID": 1,
    "Name": "Kabul",
    "CountryCode": "AFG",
    "District": "Kabol",
    "Population": 1780000
  }, {
    // row 2, etc...
  }]
}

The above JSON is processed by the following code (this returns an array of array of table rows):

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      ajaxUrl: "http://mydatabase.com?page={page}&size={size}",
      ajaxProcessing: function(data){
        if (data && data.hasOwnProperty('rows')) {
          var r, row, c, d = data.rows,
          // total number of rows (required)
          total = data.total_rows,
          // array of header names (optional)
          headers = data.cols,
          // all rows: array of arrays; each internal array has the table cell data for that row
          rows = [],
          // len should match pager set size (c.size)
          len = d.length;
          // this will depend on how the json is set up - see City0.json
          // rows
          for ( r = 0; r < len; r++ ) {
            row = []; // new row array
            // cells
            for ( c in d[r] ) {
              if (typeof(c) === "string") {
                row.push(d[r][c]); // add each table cell data to row array
              }
            }
            rows.push(row); // add new row array to rows array
          }
          return [ total, rows, headers ]; // or return [ rows, total, headers ] in v2.9+
        }
      }
    });
});

Or, in tablesorter v2.10, return a jQuery object

ajaxProcessing: function(data, table){
  if (data && data.hasOwnProperty('rows')) {
    var r, row, c, d = data.rows,
    // total number of rows (required)
    total = data.total_rows,
    // array of header names (optional)
    headers = data.headers,
    // all rows: array of arrays; each internal array has the table cell data for that row
    rows = '',
    // len should match pager set size (c.size)
    len = d.length;
    // this will depend on how the json is set up - see City0.json
    // rows
    for ( r=0; r < len; r++ ) {
      rows += '<tr class="ajax-row">'; // new row
      // cells
      for ( c in d[r] ) {
        if (typeof(c) === "string") {
          rows += '<td>' + d[r][c] + '</td>'; // add each table cell data to row
        }
      }
      rows += '</tr>'; // end new row
    }
    // don't attach the $(rows) because it's difficult to tell old from new data
    // and no need to trigger an update method, it's done internally
    return [ total, $(rows), headers ];
  }
}

Or, also in tablesorter v2.10, just build the table yourself and return the total number of rows:

ajaxProcessing: function(data, table){
  if (data && data.hasOwnProperty('rows')) {
    var r, row, c, d = data.rows,
    // total number of rows (required)
    total = data.total_rows,
    // all rows: array of arrays; each internal array has the table cell data for that row
    rows = '',
    // len should match pager set size (c.size)
    len = d.length;
    // this will depend on how the json is set up - see City0.json
    // rows
    for ( r=0; r < len; r++ ) {
      rows += '<tr class="ajax-row">'; // new row
      // cells
      for ( c in d[r] ) {
        if (typeof(c) === "string") {
          rows += '<td>' + d[r][c] + '</td>'; // add each table cell data to row
        }
      }
      rows += '</tr>'; // end new row
    }
    // find first sortable tbody, then add new rows
    table.config.$tbodies.eq(0).html(rows);
    // no need to trigger an update method, it's done internally
    return [ total ];
  }
}

In tablesorter v2.11, the ajaxProcessing function can return an object containing these properties, along with any extra properties. These extra properties will be available for use within the pager output string (see more details in issue #326);

So, lets say the data sent by the server looks like this:

{
    "total_rows"    : 100,
    "filtered_rows" : 75,
    "new_headers"   : [ "ID", "Name", "Data", "Value" ],
    "data"          : '<tr><td>a123</td><td>abc</td><td>xyz</td><td>999</td></tr>',
    "subject"       : "cheese",
    "tasty"         : "It's delicious!"
}

This ajaxProcessing function must return an object with "total", "headers" and "rows" properties! As before, "total" is the only required property; if the headers don't need to be changed, don't return a headers array, and if you append the rows to the table yourself within the ajaxProcessing function, you don't need to return a "rows" property.

ajaxProcessing: function(result, table){
    if (result && result.hasOwnProperty('data')) {

        // "total" is a required property!
        result.total = result["total_rows"];

        // "headers" is optional. This is not needed if the table headers don't change
        result.headers = result["new_headers"];

        // "rows" is optional. No need to return this if you process and add the rows to the table yourself
        // otherwise, return an array of arrays or jQuery object (shown in this example)
        result.rows = $(result.data);

        return result;
    }
}

Now in the output string, you can also reference the extra ajax data:

output : '{startRow} to {endRow} of {filtered_rows} ({totalRows}) rows about {subject} ({tasty})'

This option replaced the original separator option, which only separated the page number from the total number of pages. The formatted output from this option is placed inside the information block targeted by the cssPageDisplay option.

Use it as follows:

$(function(){
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()
    .tablesorterPager({
      output: '{startRow} to {endRow} of {totalRows} rows'
    });
  });
});

The following tags are replaced within the output string:

Tag	Replaced with
{page}	The current pager page
{totalPages}	Total number of pager pages
{filteredPages}	Total number of pages left after being filtered
{startRow}	Starting row number currently displayed
{endRow}	Ending row number currently displayed
{filteredRows}	Total number of rows left after being filtered
{totalRows}	Total number of rows

If true the classname from the cssDisabled option is applied to the arrows when at either page extreme.

This option replaced the original positionFixed and offset options which set the absolute position of the pager block.

If true, it should maintain the height of the table, even when viewing fewer than the set number of records (go to the last page of any demo to see this in action). It works by adding an empty row to make up the differences in height.

*CAUTION* When true, child row(s) may not appear to be attached to its parent row, may be split across pages or may distort the table if rowspan or cellspans are included within the child row.

If this option is false, child row(s) will always appear on the same page as its parent.

The original tablesorter plugin (v2.0.5) removed rows automatically, without providing an option. It really does speed up sorting of very large tables, but also breaks updating and modifying table content dynamically.

If this option is false, the addon only hides the non-visible rows; this is useful if you plan to add/remove rows with the pager enabled.

Please note that this select dropdown is initially empty and automatically updated by the plugin with the correct number of pages, which depends on the size setting.

In the original tablesorter (v2.0.5) this option could only target an input, it was updated (v2.0.9) to display the formatted output from the output option inside of any element (span, div or input).

Note there is no period "." in front of this class name (it is not a selector).

More explicitly, this class is applied to the pager arrows when they are at either extreme of pages and the updateArrows option is true. When the pager has been disabled, this class is applied to all controls.

Note there is no period "." in front of this class name (it is not a selector).

This option has been replaced by the filter_external option.

Show any rows that match a search query. If this option is true any column match will show that row; but there are limitations (v2.13.3).

It is best if this filter_anyMatch option is used with a single search input as follows:

<input class="search" type="search">
<button type="button" class="reset">Reset Search</button>

$(function(){
  $("table").tablesorter({
    widgets: ["filter"],
    widgetOptions : {
      filter_anyMatch : true,
      filter_columnFilters: false,
      filter_reset: '.reset'
    }
  });

  // Target the $('.search') input using built in functioning
  // this binds to the search using "search" and "keyup"
  // Allows using filter_liveSearch or delayed search &
  // pressing escape to cancel the search
  $.tablesorter.filter.bindSearch( $table, $('.search') );

});

The original tablesorter pager plugin absolutely positioned the pager controls at the bottom of the table. It appears that this option was intended to tweak the position of the pager container. The option exists, but no code was found.

If this option were true, the original tablesorter pager plugin would absolutely position the pager controls at the bottom of the table.

The original tablesorter pager plugin would combine the current page with the calculated total number of pages within the cssPageDisplay with this separator string inbetween.

It does not work the same as "update" in that it only adds rows, it does not remove them.

Also, use this method to add table rows while using the pager plugin. If the "update" method is used, only the visible table rows continue to exist.

// Add multiple rows to the table
  var row = '<tr><td>Inigo</td><td>Montoya</td><td>34</td>' +
    '<td>$19.99</td><td>15%</td><td>Sep 25, 1987 12:00PM</td></tr>',
    $row = $(row),
    // resort table using the current sort; set to false to prevent resort, otherwise
    // any other value in resort will automatically trigger the table resort.
    // A callback method was added in 2.3.9.
    resort = true,
    callback = function(table){
      alert('rows have been added!');
    };
  $('table')
    .find('tbody').append($row)
    .trigger('addRows', [$row, resort, callback]);

In v2.16.1, the $row parameter can be an HTML string, row DOM element or jQuery object.

Using this method will clear out any settings that have changed since the table was initialized (refreshes the entire table); so any sorting or modified widget options will be cleared.
However, it will not clear any values that were saved to storage. This method is basically like reloading the page.

$('table').trigger('resetToLoadState');

// Target a specific header
$('table').find('th:eq(2)').trigger('sort');

Using this method will maintain the sorting order; so, if the column is already sorted in ascending order, this method will act as if you manually clicked on the header. Whatever sort order is applied is dependent on other option settings such as initialSortOrder, lockedOrder (set within the headers), sortReset option, sortRestart and will be ignored if the column sort is disabled (sorter: false).

// Choose a new sort order
var sort = [[0,0],[2,0]],
    callback = function(table){
        alert('new sort applied to ' + table.id);
    };
// Note that the sort value below is inside of another array (inside another set of square brackets)
// A callback method was added in 2.3.9.
$("table").trigger("sorton", [sort, callback]);

*NOTE* using this method to sort ignores the additions from the sortForce and sortAppend options.

In v2.17.0, the sort direction can be set using "a" (ascending), "d" (descending), "n" (next), "s" (same) & "o" (opposite).

$('table').trigger('sorton', [ [[0,"a"],[2,"n"]] ]);

Please try out the demo (example link) to better understand how these values work.

This method immediately resets the entire table sort, while the option only resets the column sort after a third click.

In v2.16.0, a callback function was added to this method.

// Reset the table (make it unsorted)
var callback = function(table) {
	console.log('sort has been reset');
};
$("table").trigger("sortReset", [callback]);

*NOTE* Don't confuse this method with the sortReset option.

// Add new content
$("table tbody").append(html);

// let the plugin know that we made a update
// the resort flag set to anything BUT false (no quotes) will trigger an automatic
// table resort using the current sort
// A callback method was added in 2.3.9.
var resort = true,
    callback = function(table){
        alert('new sort applied');
    };
$("table").trigger("update", [resort, callback]);

// As of version 2.0.14, the table will automatically resort after the update (if the "resort" flag is true
// & will use the current sort selection), so include the following if you want to specify a different sort

// set sorting column and direction, this will sort on the first and third column
var sorting = [[2,1],[0,0]];
$("table")
	.trigger("update", [ false ])
	.trigger("sorton", [sorting]);

NOTE Don't confuse this method with the sortReset option. updateRows was added to work around the issue of using jQuery with the Prototype library. Triggering an "update" would make Prototype clear the tbody; Please see issue #217 for more details.

// Change thead & tbody column of cells
// remember, "eq()" is zero based & "nth-child()" is 1 based
$("table thead th:eq(2)").html("Number");
// add some random numbers to the table cell
$("table tbody").find('td:nth-child(3)').html(function(i,h){
  return Math.floor(Math.random()*10) + 1; // random number from 0 to 10
});

var resort = true, // re-apply the current sort
  callback = function(table){
    alert('table updated!');
  };

// let the plugin know that we made a update, then the plugin will
// automatically sort the table based on the header settings
$("table").trigger("updateAll", [ resort, callback ]);

This method is used by the pager (addon & widget) to update the data stored within the cache after the content has been updated using ajax.

$("table").trigger("updateCache");

This method was originally designed to be used with the pager. It should be used under these conditions:

• When the pager removeRows option is true.
• When not using the "updateCell" or "addRows" methods.
• Before manually adding or removing table rows.
• And, before triggering an "update".

Note: The entire table is stored in the cache, but when using the pager with the removeRows option set to true, only the visible portion is actually exists within the table. So, use this option to add all stored rows back into the table before manually changing the contents. Otherwise, if any update method is triggered, only the visible rows will be added back to the cache.

// how to update the table contents
$("table")
  .trigger("appendCache")
  .append('<tr>...</tr>') // add new row(s), or delete rows
  .trigger("update"); // update the cache

$(function() {
  $("table").tablesorter();

  $("td.discount").click(function(){

        // Do we want to reapply the current sort on the column?
    var resort = false,
        // Do something after the cell update in this callback function
        callback = function(table){
          /* do something */
        },
        // randomize a number & add it to the cell
        discount = '$' + Math.round(Math.random() * Math.random() * 100) + '.' +
          ('0' + Math.round(Math.random() * Math.random() * 100)).slice(-2);

    // add new table cell text
    $(this).text(discount);

    // update the table, so the tablesorter plugin can update its value
    // set resort flag to false to prevent automatic resort (since we're using a different sort below)
    // leave the resort flag as undefined, or with any other value, to automatically resort the table
    // $("table").trigger("updateCell", [this]); < - resort is undefined so the table WILL resort
    $("table").trigger("updateCell", [this, resort, callback]);

    // As of version 2.0.14, the table will automatically resort (using the current sort selection)
    // after the update, so include the following if you want to specify a different sort

    // set sorting column and direction, this will sort on the first and third column
    var sorting = [[3,1]];
    $("table").trigger("sorton", [sorting]);

    return false;
  });
});

$(function(){
  // initialize tablesorter without the widget
  $("table").tablesorter();

  // click a button to apply the zebra striping
  $("button").click(function(){
    $('table').trigger('applyWidgetId', ['zebra']);
    return false;
  });

});

This method can be used after a table has been initialized, but it won't work unless you update the configuration settings. See the example, it's easier than describing it.

// Update the list of widgets to apply to the table (add or remove)
// $("table").data("tablesorter").widgets = ["zebra"]; // works the same as
$("table")[0].config.widgets = ["zebra"];

// This method applies the widget - no need to keep updating
$('table').trigger('applyWidgets');

// Remove tablesorter and all classes
$("table").trigger("destroy");

// Remove tablesorter and all classes but the "tablesorter" class on the table
// callback is a function
$("table").trigger("destroy", [false, callback]);

Trigger this method using either of the following methods (they are equivalent):

// trigger a refresh widget event
$('table').trigger('refreshWidgets', [doAll, dontapply]);

// Use the API directly
$.tablesorter.refreshWidgets(table, doAll, dontapply)

• If doAll is true it removes all widgets from the table. If false only non-current widgets (from the widgets option) are removed.
• When done removing widgets, the widget re-initializes the currently selected widgets, unless the dontapply parameter is true leaving the table widget-less.
• Note that if the widgets option has any named widgets, they will be re-applied to the table when it gets resorted. So if you want to completely remove all widgets from the table, also clear out the widgets option $('table')[0].config.widgets = [];

This first method sends an array with the search strings to the filter widget.

$(function(){
  // apply "2?%" filter to the fifth column (zero-based index)
  var columns = [];
  columns[4] = '2?%'; // or define the array this way [ '', '', '', '', '2?%' ]
  $('table').trigger('search', [columns]);
});

or, directly add the search string to the filter input as follows:

$(function(){
  // apply "2?%" filter to the fifth column (zero-based index)
  $('table').find('input.tablesorter-filter').eq(4).val('2?%');
  $('table').trigger('search', false); // add a false flag to skip the search delay
});

In v2.15, one additional parameter can be added to the array to perform an "any-match" of the table; Warning! please note that if no external input (with a data-column="all" is attached using bindSearch function) is visible, the user will not know that a filter has been applied.

// in a table with 4 columns; set the 5th parameter to any-match
$('table').trigger( 'search', [['', '', '', '', 'orange']] ); // find orange in any column

If you are using the filter_formatter option to add custom input elements, this function may not work on those columns. Please refer to the filter_formatter section for more details.

$(function(){
  // this is the same code that the "filter_reset" element runs to clear out the filters.
  $('button').click(function(){
    $('table').trigger('filterReset');
    return false;
});

This method is used by the filter_reset option when defined.

$(function(){
  $('button').click(function(){
    $('table').trigger('saveSortReset');
    return false;
  });
});

$(function(){
  $('table').trigger('pageSize', 15);
});

$(function(){
  $('table').trigger('pageSet', 3);
});

$(function(){
  $('table').trigger('destroy.pager');
});

The only way to restore the pager is to re-initialize the pager addon

$(function(){
  $('table').tablesorterPager(pagerOptions);
});

The disabled state will reveal all table rows and disable, but not hide, pager controls.

$(function(){
  $('table').trigger('disable.pager');
});

$(function(){
  $('table').trigger('enable.pager');
});

$(function(){

  // bind to initialized event BEFORE initializing tablesorter
  $("table")
    .bind("tablesorter-initialized",function(e, table) {
      // do something after tablesorter has initialized
    });

  // initialize the tablesorter plugin
  $("table").tablesorter({
    // this is equivalent to the above bind method
    initialized : function(table){
      // do something after tablesorter has initialized
    }
  });

});

$(function(){

  // initialize the tablesorter plugin
  $("table").tablesorter();

  // bind to sort events
  $("table").bind("sortBegin",function(e, table) {
    // do something crazy!
  });
});

$(function(){

  // initialize the tablesorter plugin
  $("table").tablesorter();

  // bind to sort events
  $("table")
    .bind("sortStart",function(e, table) {
      $("#overlay").show();
    })
    .bind("sortEnd",function(e, table) {
      $("#overlay").hide();
    });
});

$(function(){

  // initialize the tablesorter plugin
  $("table").tablesorter();

  // bind to sort events
  $("table")
    .bind("sortStart",function(e, table) {
      $("#overlay").show();
    })
    .bind("sortEnd",function(e, table) {
      $("#overlay").hide();
    });
});

This occurs after an "update", "updateAll", "updateCell" or "addRows" method was called, but before any callback functions are executed.

$(function(){

  // initialize the tablesorter plugin
  $("table").tablesorter();

  // bind to sort events
  $("table")
    .bind("updateComplete",function(e, table) {
      // do something after the table has been altered;
    });
});

You can use this event to modify the filter elements (row, inputs and/or selects) as desired. Use it as follows:

$(function(){
  $('table').bind('filterInit', function(){
    $(this).find('tr.tablesorter-filter-row').addClass('fred');
  });
});

You can use this event to do something like add a class to the filter row. Use it as follows:

$(function(){
  $('table').bind('filterStart', function(){
    $(this).find('tr.tablesorter-filter-row').addClass('filtering');
  });
});

You can use this event to do something like remove the class added to the filter row when the filtering started. Use it as follows:

$(function(){
  $('table').bind('filterEnd', function(){
    $(this).find('tr.tablesorter-filter-row').removeClass('filtering');
  });
});

You can use this event to do something like modify content within the sticky header:

$(function(){
  $('table').bind('stickyHeadersInit', function(){
    // this.config.widgetOptions.$sticky contains the entire sticky header table
    this.config.widgetOptions.$sticky.find('tr.tablesorter-headerRow').addClass('sticky-styling');
  });
});

$(function(){

  // initialize the sorter
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()

    // initialize the pager plugin
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $("#pager")
    })

    // bind to pager events
    .bind('pagerChange pagerComplete', function(event, options){
      // options = table.config.pager (pager addon)
      // options = table.config (pager widget) - so use options.pager.page below
      // c.totalPages contains the total number of pages
      $('#display').html( event.type + " event triggered, now on page " + (options.page + 1) );
    });

});

$(function(){

  // initialize the sorter
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()

    // initialize the pager plugin
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $("#pager")
    })

    // bind to pager events
    .bind('pagerChange pagerComplete', function(event, options){
      // options = table.config.pager (pager addon)
      // options = table.config (pager widget) - so use options.pager.page below
      // c.totalPages contains the total number of pages
      $('#display').html( event.type + " event triggered, now on page " + (options.page + 1) );
    });

});

$(function(){

  $("table")

    // initialize the sorter
    .tablesorter()

    // bind to pager initialized event BEFORE calling the addon
    .bind('pagerBeforeInitialized', function(event, options){
      // options = table.config.pager (pager addon)
      // options = table.config (pager widget)

      // event = event object; options = pager options
    })

    // initialize the pager plugin
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $("#pager")
    });

});

$(function(){

  $("table")

    // initialize the sorter
    .tablesorter()

    // bind to pager initialized event BEFORE calling the addon
    .bind('pagerInitialized', function(event, options){
      // options = table.config.pager (pager addon)
      // options = table.config (pager widget) - so use options.pager.page below
      // c.totalPages contains the total number of pages
      $('#display').html( e.type + " event triggered, now on page " + (options.page + 1) );
    })

    // initialize the pager plugin
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $("#pager")
    });

});

This event may fire before the pagerComplete event when ajax processing is involved, or after the pagerComplete on normal use. See issue #153.

$(function(){

  // initialize the sorter
  $("table")
    .tablesorter()

    // initialize the pager plugin
    .tablesorterPager({
      container: $("#pager")
    })

    // bind to pager events
    .bind('pageMoved', function(event, options){
      // options = table.config.pager (pager addon)
      // options = table.config (pager widget) - so use options.pager.page below
      // c.totalPages contains the total number of pages
      $('#display').html( event.type + " event triggered, now on page " + (options.page + 1) );
    });

});