Windows 10: Numerical Sorting in File Explorer - Change the Collating Sequence

I was checking out the collating sequence on Windows 7 for a friend and found this post on SevenForums:

Numerical Sorting in Windows Explorer - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Help Forums

Curious, I decided to give it a go on W10 even though this computer did not have the full key in the registry. I was not especially brave since I had saved a full image this morning. (You do have to reboot between changes for them to take effect.)

I created 8 files numbered 01, 1, 02, 2, 4, 15, 25, and 45. Then I downloaded the .reg files from that web site and applied them to see what happens. It appears W10 changed the default. It also appears the changes are still valid choices.

Anyway, W10 default is definitely with numeric sort enabled. As I created them, they came out in 01, 1, 02, 2, 4, 15, 25, and 45. (I don't know if the leading 0 is disregarded completely and might sort differently at some times, but they are in true numeric sequence since lead 0s should be disregarded.)

I ran the one to enable them first since disabled was the W7 default, and nothing changed. That reinforced that the defaults have been switched.

Then I ran the one to disable the numeric sort and the sequence changed to 01, 02, 1, 15, 2, 25, 4, 45. Basically straight ASCII collating sequence, not the numeric sequence Windows provides.

Anyway, I thought someone might be interested, and perhaps the equivalent information could be added to the Tutorials for W10 (reversing the default spec).

(edited to clean up mixed fonts)


:)

 

organise favorites

hi jesrael,

thanks for your response.

found the favourites folder, which is a file explorer folder

within users->me>favourites sorted by name or date, au choix.

tweaked this by changing the names of the folders to start with 01,02 etc. to sequence them.

closed IE

opened IE and checked the favourites icon

my changes were there, but at the bottom of the list, which appears to be sorted by date modified

the file explorer folder is correctly sorted by name.

what am I (not) doing correctly?

cheers,

wolf

 

Explorer saved searches default to Content View/Descending Order in spite of being saved as Xtra Large Icon/Name (Ascending)

Still no answers - and this is definitely a Windows bug which seems to have existed for a long time...

1) I define a search in File Explorer. The files originally appear in a default Layout/Sort-By sequence.

2) I re-order the Sorting sequence to Name/Ascending and change the Layout to Xtra Large Icons.

3) I save the result to a (brand new file-name) search-ms file.

4) Opening that search-ms file in Notepad++ I see, for instance, the correct Sort-By instruction :

<sortList><sort viewField="System.ItemNameDisplay" direction="ascending"/></sortList>

5) I run the search but it still displays in the original/default Layout/Sort-By sequence - not the one I gave it.

I have now established the following:

If I re-sort/display for a second time AND OVERWRITE THE SEARCH-MS file my new layout will "stick. Any changes made from then on and overwritten to the search-ms file will "stick.

Every time I write to a new file-name I end up at #5 instead.

If I re-name a file after I have fixed it it reverts back to #5.

If I select the search-ms file via a second search (ie if I look for all the search-ms files with 2017 in their name) it runs as per #5 - but if I run it directly from within its folder in File Explorer it continues to display correctly.

The Fix:

Either:

a) Tell me how to change File Explorer's default Sort/Display to Name/Ascending and change the Layout to Xtra Large Icons within the Registry.

b) Fix File Explorer so that it actually uses the Sort/Display instructions held as text within the search-ms file.

c) Fix the error in the file write to ensure that the FIRST search works.

Thanks