diff --git a/spaceweather_processing/app.py b/spaceweather_processing/app.py
index 9970e44e2a2ad6a1570ed9005ec2da3b720d793e..2a1db227b23a5cb82f334e0238e678de521a4365 100644
--- a/spaceweather_processing/app.py
+++ b/spaceweather_processing/app.py
@@ -137,8 +137,14 @@ class DataProductDB:
 
         # if a &sort=<field> url parameter is given then use sort, otherwise omit it (backward compatibility)
         if sort:
+            if sort[0]=='-':
+                direction = -1
+                sort = sort[1:]
+            else:
+                direction = 1
+
             results = [augment_item(item) for item in
-                       self.db[collection_name].find(query, selected_fields).skip(skip).limit(limit).sort(sort)]
+                       self.db[collection_name].find(query, selected_fields).skip(skip).limit(limit).sort(sort,direction)]
         else:
             results = [augment_item(item) for item in
                        self.db[collection_name].find(query, selected_fields).skip(skip).limit(limit)]
@@ -218,7 +224,7 @@ def get_tasks(collection_name: str, task_id: str, request: Request):
     else:
         raise exceptions.HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f'Collection {collection_name} does not exist')
 
-@app.get('/{collection_name}/distinct_field/')
+@app.get('/{collection_name}/distinct/')
 def get_tasks_distinct_field(collection_name: str, request: Request, filter: Union[str, None] = None, distinct: str = None):
     print(filter)
     DB.base_url = from_urlobj_to_url(request.url)
@@ -250,6 +256,7 @@ def get_tasks(collection_name: str, request: Request, skip: int = 0, limit: int
     except:
         raise exceptions.HTTPException(status_code=422, detail='filter syntax invalid')
     if DB.does_collection_exist(collection_name):
+        print(query)
         return DB.get_items(collection_name, query=query, limit=limit, skip=skip, url=from_urlobj_to_url(request.url), select=select, sort=sort)
     else:
         raise exceptions.HTTPException(status_code=404, detail=f'collection {collection_name} does not exist')