Hi, Ross 

Thanks for reaching out to us

-

I have a custom workaround with a bit of JS script added to any, or all WordPress pages, and this will check if there is a table on the page, and if there is - it will add the row numbers, fixed from 1 > until the last row.

If you change the sorting, filtering, that first column will always have fixed numbers ( Starting from 1).

The front-end (JS) part of wpDataTables plays a significant role in the plugin’s functionality. Generally, front-end rendering is done by the DataTables jQuery plugin

All wpDataTables existing on the page are reflected in the global JavaScript object called ‘wpDataTables‘. If you check this variable in the JS developer console you will see the wpDataTables as properties of this object. 

What you can do is add one column in your file or data source at the start of the table (as first column), then use this script on the page ( this will work for every "first table on the page", so, for example, if you have multiple, you have to add another script, and change this bit "wpDataTables.table_1.api " to 

" wpDataTables.table_2.api ", for the second table on same page, and so on... :

<script type="text/javascript">
jQuery(window).on('load',function(){  wpDataTables.table_1.api().on( 'order.dt search.dt', function ( e, dt, type, indexes ) {      wpDataTables.table_1.api().column(0, {search:'applied', order:'applied'}).nodes().each( function (cell, i) {         cell.innerHTML = i+1;       } );   } ).draw(); });
</script>

-

This is just going to render on the front-end,  it will show as empty column at the back-end.

If you need help adding custom JS to WP pages, check this article.

Here is an example i made with a dummy table :

I used this easy plugin that is shown on that article, Insert Headers and Footers plugin,

and i inserted this script to entire WordPress :

also, i added a first column to a table, with empty rows, set it as integer type :

And this is how the table outputs on front end :

That is without any sorting/filtering applied.

and now i revert the sorting on the "Countries" column, but as you can see - the first column stays with the "fixed row numbers" on the front page.

-

Let me know if this will work for you as a solution, and if you have any further questions. Thanks

Hi, Ross 

I can completely understand where you're coming from, and that you need this specific solution for your use-case,

but unfortunately, the custom workaround with JS is the only one we have for the time being in terms of making a "fixed row number column", that will not be affected by sorting/filtering.

We did have a couple of other users with a similar use-case, so we have this in scope for the future to add better solutions,

i just can't promise any ETA on that at this time.

You can suggest it for our developers - they will do their best to make a solution in the future.

Please feel free to search on our suggestions page, 

 to see if someone may be already suggested this feature. If you can't see it, feel free to add your suggestion there,  and as more people vote, the feature will move higher on the priority list.

You can certainly follow our changeLog page if you'd like ( it is also available in the plugin dashboard), where we state any changes/new features/bug fixes during updates;

and our newsletter, so you're informed about new features, bug fixes, freebies, etc.

-

If you need a solution for it now, maybe it can be done with a high level of custom work, but I am not sure, to be honest. Our developers are very busy at the moment, working on some priority tasks and fixing bugs and issues with our plugins, so they won't be having the time for custom work in the near future.

We can recommend reaching out to someone who does custom solutions, such as WP Kraken, but we can't advise on their pricing.

-

I do realise that you asked for a refund, on the other ticket, we will respond to that now,

you will get a full refund, of course, 

but in case if any of this helps, just wanted to share the information.

Thank you