From the DataTables documentation linked above:
No ordering applied by DataTables during initialisation. The rows are shown in the order they are read by DataTables (i.e. the original order from the DOM if DOM sourced, or the array of data if Ajax / data sourced):
$('#example').dataTable( {
"order": []
} );
From this plugin’s FAQ:
All of these DataTables options are accessible through shortcode attributes. The shortcode attribute is an underscore-separated version of the DataTables’s CamelCase’ed option name, prefixed with datatables_.
[…]
Some DataTables options need to be given JavaScript array literals, such as in the case of the DataTables order option, which controls the initial sort order for a table. However, using square brackets ([ and ]) inside a shortcode confuses the WordPress parser, so these characters must be URL-escaped (into %5B and %5D, respectively).
So step one, use a shortcode that starts with datatables_
Step two, choose the DataTables configuration option you want, which if you read the DataTables docs or even if you didn’t after I linked you to it above you know is: order
Step three, set attribute to the value you want, the empty array, URL-encoded as per the FAQ: ="%5B%5D"
datatables_order="%5B%5D"
I didn’t know this off the bat. I (re-)read the DataTables docs and the FAQ. That’s. What. They’re. There. For.
As for why I don’t just spit out answers, it is because I would rather live in and work towards making a world where people are capable of reading and experimenting than one in which they are given answers by authorities that they do not understand, even if that authority is me. What’s your excuse?