Instagram Post Sorter Fields

Define Likes, Comments, Views, and Date in INS Sorter, including missing values, direction, and the boundary between public grid evidence and private Insights.

Aug 31, 2026Reference

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INS Sorter sorts only Likes, Comments, Views, or Date from the currently loaded set on a supported Instagram profile grid. Likes, Comments, and Views are visible counts; Date is publication time. None of them means reach, saves, shares, impressions, conversion, or an Instagram recommendation score. A missing field stays missing—it is not evidence of zero.

The four-field dictionary

Field	Runtime type	Direction	Available when	Missing means	Does not prove
Likes	`number \| null`	High-to-low or low-to-high	The current page snapshot exposes a like count	No Likes badge; never fill zero	Reach, saves, quality, conversion
Comments	`number \| null`	High-to-low or low-to-high	A comment count is exposed	No Comments badge	Discussion quality or intent
Views	`number \| null`	High-to-low or low-to-high	A view/play count is exposed for that card	No Views badge; images and page differences may be missing	Unique reach or complete plays
Date	parseable string	New-to-old or old-to-new	A parseable publication date is exposed	No Date badge; never invent a timestamp	Performance or business timezone

Use Likes for a visible-response shortlist, Comments for discussion candidates, Views for rows that actually expose a view count, and Date for recency or chronology. Date is not a performance metric. Every result remains relative to the loaded set.

Anonymous JSON example

[
  {
    "id": "post-A",
    "type": "image",
    "likes": 420,
    "comments": 18,
    "views": null,
    "date": "2026-08-20T09:00:00Z"
  },
  {
    "id": "post-B",
    "type": "carousel",
    "likes": 310,
    "comments": 44,
    "views": null,
    "date": "2026-08-24T09:00:00Z"
  },
  {
    "id": "post-C",
    "type": "reel",
    "likes": 280,
    "comments": 21,
    "views": 12600,
    "date": "2026-08-29T09:00:00Z"
  }
]

Likes descending gives A, B, C. Comments descending gives B, C, A. Date descending gives C, B, A. Views can support a conclusion only for rows with Views evidence; null is not a tie at zero.

Public counts are not private Insights

Large connector dictionaries mix post fields, Stories, account data, and owner-only Insights. Field-name availability in those systems does not make it available on every public profile. INS Sorter's local runtime fixes the choice to four fields and does not inherit reach, saves, shares, impressions, profile visits, or the other fields listed by analytics connectors.

How to verify a field choice

Confirm the URL is a supported one-segment profile root.
Write the research question and choose one field.
Record Count or Date Range plus direction.
After sorting, confirm the first row actually has the selected badge.
Open the first row and one control post; verify URL, media type, value, and date.
Keep missing values missing or choose a better-evidenced field.
Report “rank within the currently loaded set,” not “lifetime account rank.”

Limits

Visible counts can change with Instagram's page presentation. A missing badge is not a known zero, so do not use a missing row to claim the highest or lowest known value. Equal known values retain their original page order; that is a stable fallback, not an official Instagram tie-break.

INS Sorter does not calculate a weighted engagement score, access private Insights, save analysis history, merge multiple accounts, create CSV/JSON/XLSX, or change the public grid. Navigating away clears profile-scoped ranks, badges, and evidence.

Start with the right field

Once you can name the field, direction, and loaded-set boundary, start from the INS Sorter product page. Related cluster pages are not public yet, so this page does not create placeholder links.

Frequently asked questions

Does missing Views mean zero?

No. It means the current page did not provide verifiable Views evidence.

Can Likes stand in for Reach or conversion?

No. They are different metrics with different access and interpretation boundaries.

Is Date descending “best performing”?

No. It only places newer dated rows before older dated rows.

Is rank #1 the account's lifetime winner?

No. It is first only for this field, direction, and loaded set.

Sources

Instagram Post Details field reference: examples of integer, nullable Views, and date/timestamp fields; an API vendor contract, not INS Sorter runtime evidence.
Porter Metrics Instagram field list: demonstrates why post, Story, account, and Insights fields require surface context.
Nekt Instagram data source: separates media fields from owner/professional Insights and Business Discovery.

INS Sorter field types, badges, route scope, and temporary reordering were checked against the SKU10 local runtime on August 31, 2026. No login, real-account collection, deployment, publication, or production readback was performed.