The following outlines the steps I went through to dynamically sort a list ascending and descending. This seemed ridiculously complicated for such a simple task (I do apologise for the length). Other solutions warmly welcomed.
Glide Sort Toggle – Full Step-by-Step Setup
This document details the full process to turn a static Ascending list into a dynamic toggle that allows switching between Ascending and Descending order in Glide. It includes all steps, workarounds, and reasons for certain choices – the ‘epic saga’ version.
Starting point
A list of orders in Glide sorted Ascending by Time Stamp.
Create a Boolean column to store sort preference
• Table: Users (so each user can have their own sort setting)
• Column name: Sort Desc
• Type: Boolean (checkbox)
• Holds TRUE if user wants descending sort, FALSE if ascending.
Duplicate your Orders list
• One tab/component for Ascending:
- Sort by Time Stamp Ascending
- Visibility: Sort Desc is NOT checked
• One tab/component for Descending: - Sort by Time Stamp Descending
- Visibility: Sort Desc is checked
Create a computed column to ‘flip’ the Boolean
• Table: Users
• Column name: Not Sort Desc
• Type: If–Then–Else
- If Sort Desc is 1 → Output 0
- Else → Output 1
• Lets us write the opposite value to Sort Desc when user clicks a toggle.
Add the toggle button
• On Orders screen, add a Button component
• Label: ‘Sort’ (with an up/down arrow icon)
• Action: Set Column Values
- Row: User Profile (signed-in user row, not a relation)
- Set: Sort Desc = Not Sort Desc
• Clicking the button flips the sort direction.
Test
• Click button → Sort Desc flips
• Glide instantly switches visible list between Ascending and Descending.
(Optional) Dynamic labelling
• In Users table, create an If-Then-Else column:
• Call it Sort Label
IF Sort Desc is checked THEN ‘Newest first’ ELSE ‘Oldest first’
• Use Sort Label as the button label so it changes with sort direction.
Compact (but honest) summary:
Add a user-specific Boolean (`Sort Desc`), duplicate the list for ASC/DESC, build a relation to the current user, then wire a button to flip it — while battling Glide’s UI quirks, disappearing buttons, and the occasional existential crisis. 
Why it was tricky
• The Set Column Values action won’t let you update another table unless you target a specific row (User Profile) instead of a relation.
• Visibility conditions on the lists must exactly match the Boolean’s true/false state.
• Glide doesn’t have a built-in ‘sort toggle’ action – this was a manual workaround.
Thanks for your feedback
Mark