Help: Change Name Sort Order

[swordzero]

Hi, sorry if this is the wrong section, I'm new and didn't see a request section.
I wanted to know how to change the default name sort order from this:
A 2
A Modified
A
To:
A
A 2
A Modified
In windows 7.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Brink]

Hello Swordzero, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might see if this may be able to have sorted the way you want after appying it.

Sort Order - Numbers in File and Folder Names - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[swordzero]

Thanks, but I tried that yesterday and that doesn't change the sort order for what I want.

 

[fseal]

Ok, that IS bizarre. It's the space thats doing it.

If you remove all the spaces it sorts correctly. Or if you add a space to the A file (A[space]) then it also sorts correctly.

But I would expect that even if spaces had some sort of special sorting rule that the rule would be "One word file names sort before two word filenames". And that is definately not the case here.

 

[Brink]

Ok, I think it is just with files that is getting sorted like this.

In the screenshot below, you will see that folders sort like the way you want, but notice how the files are. Not sure that can be changed.

 

[fseal]

I tried it with all files ending in .txt and got the "error"...

They sort likethis

A 2.txt
A Modified.txt
A.txt

but if you remove the space...

A.txt
A2.txt
AModified.txt

OR

A .txt
A 2.txt
A Modified.txt

works.

I too would expect this to sort properly:

A.txt
A 2.txt
A Modified.txt

If folders sort differently than file names, that is even stranger.

 

[Brink]

Strange, it just seems to only be happening with files. The folders sort just fine using those examples.

 

[fseal]

Spooky!



I did a short search on the web and couldn't find anyne else mentioning it but I didn't spend more than a cople minutes on that... it does seem like an actual bug though. I can't think of a logical rule that would make sense. Fewer letters always sorts first and I would think that would exptend to fewer words as well.

Another experiement, I get the following:

A AAA.txt
A.txt
AA.txt
AAA.txt

I think I would expect this

A.txt
A AAA.txt
AA.txt
AAA.txt

or maybe even this:

A.txt
AA.txt
AAA.txt
A AAA.txt

But not the top one which is what you get

 

[swordzero]

I don't know if this helps but as Brink said the problem only presents to files and not folders, unless the file has no extension then it sorts correctly, so the problem is that explorer thinks .(dot) is before space.

 

[fseal]

Well whatever the rules are, this issue affects XP too so it's not new

 

[swordzero]

No, in XP files have the proper order. I use that format to name my images so I know they're wrong in Seven

 

[fseal]

I just tested it on XP SP3 and the sort order is the same "bad" order as 7... wonder if SP 2 is different from SP3?

There were BIG changes to how Explorer works in SP3...

[Edit]Yup, found an XP SP 2 machine and the bug is NOT THERE. The sorting bug was introduced in XP SP3 and is perpetuated all the way through Windows 7. Nice... [/edit]

 

[swordzero]

I have SP3 and check my attachment is ordered my name.

 

[fseal]

I don't think that that list of files would show it. You need one file in there with no spaces. like just "MCZ" and the question is, should that srt before or after all the other MCZ* files? on SP 2 (assuming the names are actually MCZ*.jpg) MCZ will be before and on SP3 it will be after.

 

[swordzero]

there's no space between name and extension but the same set of files sort different in 7 and XP

 

[fseal]

Not sure those file names show the sorting issue you first brought up, I was just testing with "A.txt" "A 2.txt" and "A Modified.txt".

The Q is, if you had a single MMZ file, would it sort at the front or the back of the other MMZ * files? (Assiming they are really called MMZ.jpg etc)

There could be other sorting differences as well but I was just sticking with the original example.

Oops, sorry, partial double post

 

[swordzero]

Ok maybe the screenshot I picked was a bad idea but I have a folder with:
Ada.jpg
Ada 2.jpg
Ada Artwork.jpg
and they sort like this:
Ada 2.jpg
Ada Artwork.jpg
Ada.jpg
I realized of the worng order with that set of images.

 

[fseal]

Well I just tested it out on my current linux dev box and sort of amazingly it sorts:

Ada 2.jpg
Ada Artwork.jpg
Ada.jpg

Maybe there is some sort of international standard on sorting order that windows now conforms to. But it doesn't really make sense to me logically.

 

[swordzero]

Checked on wikipedia to see if there was an standard or something and nothing, I asked to see i there was a registry hack or something but I guess I'll just have to rename my images.
Anyways thanks.