I am developing a program, which splits data into small messages. I send these messages one by one to another program in a random order. The other program can restore the original order of the messages.
Can I use reinstate the order or only restore is an appropriate word in this context?
It is better to use to restore the order in that case if you want to mean "to put it back to the original order".
Reinstate is more broadly used in a job or position as defined in Merriam-Webster:
to put (someone) back in a job or position that had been taken away
to begin using or dealing with (a law, policy, system, etc.) again
Restore has a closer meaning in:
to return (something) to an earlier or original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.
the suffix "re-" generally means - to do again
reinstate - to instate, or appoint, him to the possition again
restore, however, breaks it a bit by meaning to take back to a previois state according to it's history.
what you're looking for is more of a reassembly so you'll want to use reassemble
