Currently, Framer collections allow sorting Date fields using “New → Old” or “Old → New.”

While this works for strict chronological ordering, it does not support one of the most common real-world needs when working with dates: displaying items in order of proximity to today.

The problem

“Old → New” sorts dates from earliest to latest.

However, this is not the same as showing the date that is closest to the current moment.

Example

Today is December 2025.

My collection includes upcoming dates in January 2026:

02/01/2026

10/01/2026

Sorting Old → New gives:

02/01/2026

10/01/2026

This appears correct until past dates are also present.

Mixed past + future dates

10/12/2025 (past)

21/09/2025 (past)

02/01/2026 (future)

10/01/2026 (future)

Sorting Old → New results in:

21/09/2025

10/12/2025

02/01/2026

10/01/2026

This is not suitable when the priority is to surface dates that are upcoming, nearest, or most relevant right now.

Past dates will always appear before future dates unless manually filtered out, which adds unnecessary overhead for editors.

This limitation applies across many contexts: scheduled updates, launch dates, deadlines, expirations, content rotations, time-bound offers, and any scenario where the next relevant date matters more than absolute chronological position.

Why a “Soonest” sorting mode is needed

A proximity-based “Soonest” sort would:

Automatically prioritize the date closest to today

Push past dates below upcoming ones

Remain correct even if content editors enter items out of order

Remove the need for helper fields (e.g., “isUpcoming”, “isExpired”)

Align with how most systems handle time-sensitive or relevance-based ordering

This is a very common pattern when working with dates, regardless of the domain.

Proposed solution

Introduce a new sort mode for Date fields:

Sort → Soonest

Sorts items based on proximity to the current date, so the next relevant date appears first.

Possible enhancements:

Option: Allow a custom reference date (default = today)

This would make Framer collections significantly more flexible for any scenario involving time-based relevance.

Conclusion

Chronological sorting alone is not sufficient for many real-world workflows involving dates.

A native “Soonest” sorting mode would provide a simple, intuitive way to surface the next relevant item without requiring code components or manual data handling.

It would benefit a wide range of use cases where dates represent relevance, priority, or upcoming changes.