Do the sorting with the SQLite Manager extension.

• SQLite Manager: https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/sqlite-manager/

1. Open formhistory.sqlite (Select Profile Database)
2. Hit the Execute SQL tab
3. Drop the existing moz_formhistory_index and create a new moz_formhistory_index

DROP INDEX "main"."moz_formhistory_index";
CREATE INDEX moz_formhistory_index ON moz_formhistory (fieldname,value);

Use this for case insensitive sorting instead:

CREATE INDEX moz_formhistory_index ON moz_formhistory (fieldname,value COLLATE NOCASE);

• http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=790815&p=4675755#p4675755

Thanks for you help, but I've not used the SQLite Manager extension before, and haven't been successful in figuring out how to do what you suggested. Perhaps step-by-step instructions would suffice. If you don't feel inclined to take the time required to provide these, I'll understand, and just continue using the unalphabetized drop down lists. Thanks in any event.

Did you manage to install the SQLite Manager extension and open it via the (F10 >) Tools menu?

There is a bar at the top of the right pane of the SQLite Manager window that allows to open SQLite database files from the current profile folder.
If you click that button then a drop down menu opens and you can select the formhistory.sqlite file.
Click the Go button to open that file.
Click the Execute SQL tab to go to the tab where you can execute SQL commands.
Paste the above posted code in the text area below Enter SQL and click the Run SQL button.

Yes, I was successful in installing and opening SQLite Manager. Thank you for the step-by-step instructions, but they did not accomplish the desired change to alphabetized drop down lists. When I got to the last step, of pasting in one of the above SQL code for alphabetized listing, I found that the text window already had the following in it: "SELECT * FROM tablename." I deleted this then pasted in your code (for case-insensitive listing from above) in its place. Was that the correct thing to do?

One other thing: When I found that lists were still not alphabetized, I then restarted Firefox 4, but found that they still weren't being alphabetized.

Quote

I found that the text window already had the following in it: "SELECT * FROM tablename." I deleted this then pasted in your code (for case-insensitive listing from above) in its place. Was that the correct thing to do?

That should be OK.

Did you click the Run SQL button?

Were there any error messages after creating the new index?

Yes, I did click the Run SQL button, but saw nothing happen when I did. There was no error message. Nothing was displayed in the larger window below the button.

Are admin rights required for this to work? This feature is needed on a computer I use twice each week in a medical clinic which helps low income patients, where I do volunteer office work, and do not have admin rights. The contract admin is not freqently on site.

You need to select Tables > moz_formhistory.

Do you see the entries if you click the Browse & Search tab ?

Did you check it on a website to see if the entries are sorted?
You may not see it in the SQLite Manager extension.

I selected Tables > moz_formhistory and was able to see the entries when clicking the Browse & Search tab. I checked the website and the entries are still not alphabetized. Perhaps the instruction you provided above to "Drop the existing moz_formhistory_index and create a new moz_formhistory_index", needs additional detail for me to implement it correctly. For example, do I need to enter the text

              drop index "main"."moz_formhistory_index"; 

into the window as-is, or with the parts you put in quotes replaced with something else, perhaps without the quotes?

No, that should work as I wrote it above.

If it doesn't work with the formhistory.sqlite file then make a copy of that file formhistory-copy.sqlite and do the re-indexing on that file.
After you have done that then close Firefox and copy formhistory-copy.sqlite back to formhistory.sqlite
You may want to keep a copy of the original formhistory.sqlite file.

• http://www.sqlite.org/lang.html
• http://www.sqlite.org/lang_dropindex.html
• http://www.sqlite.org/lang_createindex.html
• http://www.sqlite.org/datatype3.html#collation