image #1: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/gDCgo_SHMbnAOmHCh0LQCtMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
When examining a Magento configurable test product (ski goggles with a color option), I see that the colors of the dropdown list (see image #1) are ordered like this: White, Blue, Red, Silver. However, when I examine the product in the admin view and select the "Associated Products" tab, there seems to be no correlation between the frontend list organization and the product ID numbers, price, or anything else for that matter.
To demonstrate, if I connect the product ID numbers to the above list, I get: White (170), Blue (169), Red (168), Silver (175) - see image #2 below.
image #2: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/ES0i3_wZsdiU35w4_MGLrdMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink
At the time I initially created the configurable product, I had added three color options (168, 169, 170) and they appeared to be displaying in descending order by ID in the dropdown on the frontend. But I just now added another individual product (the color Silver), with an ID of 175, and it doesn't follow this trend.
Question: What logic does Magento use to order these lists, and what file is this function located in? I'm looking for a way to arrange the config. product dropdown list(s) in ASCENDING order, regardless of price or any other factor, ex. from 168-175.
Thanks.
B