Title: Index Column
Author: Tobias Bäthge
Published: December 1, 2022
Last modified: May 14, 2025

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Make the first column an index or counter column with the row position.

# Index Column

Having a first column that shows a fixed position number can be beneficial when 
showing rankings and similar.

## Feature description

This table shows a fixed ranking column, no matter if the visitor searches or sorts
for a different column. Give it a try by sorting for some columns! Note how the “
Rank” column will always be in ascending order.

  |  Rank | First Name | Last Name | ZIP | Points | Average |  
   |   | Gloria | Smythe | 67439 | 4 | 0.1 |

[Use this feature with a TablePress Premium plan today](https://tablepress.org/pricing/?output_format=md)

## Usage instructions

To use these features with your tables, activate the “Index Column” feature module
on the “Modules” screen of TablePress Pro or TablePress Max. Then, configure the
desired options in the “Index Column” section on the table’s “Edit” screen.

![Screenshot of the "Index Column" configuration section in the TablePress Premium
versions.](https://tablepress.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/datatables-counter-
column.png)

The “Index Column” configuration section in the TablePress Premium versions.

## Configuration parameters

To configure this module’s features, you can also use these [configuration parameters](https://tablepress.org/faq/configuration-parameter-reference/)
in the “TablePress Table” [block](https://tablepress.org/faq/documentation-tablepress-table-block/),
the Elementor widget, or in the [Shortcode](https://tablepress.org/faq/documentation-shortcode-table/)
that you are using to embed the table:

  |  Module | Slug |  | Configuration parameter | Name | Description | Type | Default value |  
   |  Index Column | datatables-counter-column |  | datatables_counter_column | Index Column or Counter Column | Whether to make the first column a counter or index column indicating a rank of the rows after searching and ordering. | boolean (`true` or `false`) | `false` |

The “Index Column” feature module is part of the [**TablePress Premium plans**](https://tablepress.org/pricing/?output_format=md).

**On this page**

 1. [Feature description](https://tablepress.org/modules/datatables-counter-column/#feature-description)
 2. [Usage instructions](https://tablepress.org/modules/datatables-counter-column/#instructions)
 3. [Configuration parameters](https://tablepress.org/modules/datatables-counter-column/#configuration)