I wanna order my questions and answers sort to the “key” paragraph style, from smallest to largest

Try this one.

Select one of the text frames that your exam story sits in, then run the script.

(function () {
  var i, par, temp;
  var blocks = [];
  var story = app.selection[0].parentStory;
  
  if (story.characters[-1].contents != '\r') {
    story.insertionPoints[-1].contents = '\r';
  }

  par = story.paragraphs.everyItem().getElements();
  for (i = 0; i < par.length-6; i = i + 7) {
    blocks.push ({
      key: Number(par[i+5].contents.match(/\d+/)[0]),
      text: story.paragraphs.itemByRange(i,i+6)
    });
  }

  blocks.sort (function (a, b) {
    return a.key - b.key;
  });

  temp = app.documents[0].textFrames.add ({
    geometricBounds: [0,0,'100mm','100mm'],
  });

  for (i = 0; i < blocks.length; i++) {
    blocks[i].text.duplicate (LocationOptions.AT_END, temp.parentStory);
  }

  story.contents = '';
  temp.parentStory.move (LocationOptions.AFTER, story.insertionPoints[0]);
  temp.remove();
}());

Hi everyone,

150 questions take 3 hours. This is quite tiring.

I guess I have to look for another method...

@m1b 

Mark --

> It sounds like you are getting much more robust object references than I am!

In this script (https://creativepro.com/files/kahrel/indesign/sort.html) I do something similar to what Robert mentioned: after sorting the keys, move the paragrapgraphs to be sorted one by one to a separate text frame, then move them back to the original story. Originally I used a method more or less like yours, in situ sorting, and that often caused problems. Moving them elsewhere (end of story, like Robert does, other frame, like I do) solves all those problems and is a lot quicker to boot.

Hi @m1b,

Worked perfectly Mark. Thank you very much.

I will have to work hard to understand the logic of this script.

Hi @uniq1, here's my attempt. Let me know if it works for you.

- Mark

/**
 * Sort 'questions' by 'key number', where
 * questions are paragraph groupings delimited
 * by the paragraph style "question". The key
 * number is derived from the paragraph with
 * style "key" using a regexp.
 *
 * Usage: select a text frame or put cursor in
 * text of a story and run script.
 *
 * NOTE: cannot currently sort multiple stories.
 *
 * @author m1b
 * @discussion https://community.adobe.com/t5/indesign-discussions/i-wanna-order-my-questions-and-answers-sort-to-the-key-paragraph-style-from-smallest-to-largest/m-p/14320542
 */

var settings = {

    doc: app.activeDocument,

    // match the key number
    keyGrep: /^Key\s*(\d+)/,

    // the key paragraph style name
    keyParagraphStyleName: 'key',

    // the question paragraph style
    questionParagraphStyle: (
        app.activeDocument.paragraphStyleGroups.itemByName('quiz')
            .paragraphStyles.itemByName('question')
    ),

};

function main() {

    var target = settings.doc.selection[0] || settings.doc;

    if ('function' !== typeof target.findGrep)
        return alert('Please select a text object, or nothing, and try again.')

    if (!settings.questionParagraphStyle.isValid)
        return alert('Error: no valid `key` paragraph style found.');

    if ('TextFrame' === target.constructor.name)
        target = target.parentStory;

    else if (
        target.hasOwnProperty('parent')
        && 'Story' === target.parent.constructor.name
    )
        target = target.parent;

    app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.findGrepPreferences.appliedParagraphStyle = settings.questionParagraphStyle;

    // this will be a collection of texts
    var found = target.findGrep();

    app.findGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;
    app.changeGrepPreferences = NothingEnum.nothing;

    var questions = [],
        story,
        paras,
        para,
        match;

    foundLoop:
    for (var i = 0; i < found.length; i++) {

        if (undefined != story) {
            if (found[i].parent !== story)
                return alert('Abort: There are muliple stories to sort. Please do them one at a time.');
        }
        else {
            story = found[i].parent;
        }

        paras = [];
        para = found[i].paragraphs[0];
        questions.push(paras);

        // the first para is the question
        paras.push(update(para));

        while (para.isValid) {

            // get the next paragraph
            para = found[i].parent.paragraphs.nextItem(para);

            if (!para.isValid)
                // probably end of text
                break;

            if (settings.questionParagraphStyle === para.appliedParagraphStyle)
                // this is the next question!
                continue foundLoop;

            if (para.contents.slice(-1) != '\r')
                // makes things easier if we have a CR here
                para.insertionPoints[-1].contents = '\r';

            // add the paragraph
            paras.push(update(para));

            if (
                settings.keyParagraphStyleName === para.appliedParagraphStyle.name
                && (match = para.contents.match(settings.keyGrep))
                && 2 === match.length
            )
                // this is the key paragraph
                paras.keyNumber = Number(match[1]);

        }

    }

    if (0 === questions.length)
        return alert('No questions found.');

    // get the last insertion point of the last para of the last question
    var afterPoint = update(questions[questions.length - 1][questions[questions.length - 1].length - 1].insertionPoints[-1]);

    // sort the questions by key number
    questions.sort(function (a, b) { return a.keyNumber - b.keyNumber });

    // duplicate paragraphs in sorted order *after* the last found insertion point
    for (var i = 0; i < questions.length; i++)
        for (var j = 0; j < questions[i].length; j++)
            update(questions[i][j]).duplicate(LocationOptions.AFTER, afterPoint);

    // remove the unsorted paras
    afterPoint.parent.characters.itemByRange(afterPoint.parent.insertionPoints[0], afterPoint).remove()

    // helper function to clean up the code a bit
    function update(obj) { return resolve(obj.toSpecifier()) };

};
app.doScript(main, ScriptLanguage.JAVASCRIPT, undefined, UndoModes.ENTIRE_SCRIPT, 'Sort Answers');

Edit 2023-12-27: minor change to put the resolve/toSpecifier calls into a little helper function. Trying to make code more readable for people.