[Cipher13]

Sorry if this has been discussed a lot already, but I don't really follow the Panther threads... I'm just wondering, as the title suggests, if OSX can FINALLY sort a folder viewed in column view? It's bloody stupid that you can only sort by name... Seriously...

[lookmark]

Answer so far, unfortunately, is no.

I find this frustrating too, but at the same time don't see a crystal clear answer how exactly the Finder should handle it.

Split each column into multiple subcolumns? Ugh. Windows-like interface disaster. No way.

View column by name, date, etc. in View Options, also available by contextual menu? Maybe, but also kind of obscure and invisible.

Maybe the above, with some kind of mini status icon showing the sort order for Column View, just like the mini status icon for "keep arranged by name"....

Whatever the solution, I totally agree; this is my only lament about the otherwise wonderful Column View. It's ridiculous to have to shift back and forth from Column to List just to see quickly what file has been most recently modified.

[IamBob]

Sorting would be nice...yes.

Is it possible to change file labels and figure out which file is the 'most recently modified' with an AppleScript?...

If possible, it seems like it would be a decent work-around for lookmark if nothing else.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by IamBob:
Sorting would be nice...yes.

Is it possible to change file labels and figure out which file is the 'most recently modified' with an AppleScript?...

If possible, it seems like it would be a decent work-around for lookmark if nothing else.

It's a nice idea (and thanks for the thought), but it's such a common procedure I don't think opening a little AppleScript app, getting results in a window, and pressing "OK" would do. At least, that's the kind of clunky AppleScript I have the skills to write.

I'm definitely not alone in this. When involved in a large project with files worked on by multiple people, often the only the way to find the file you need is to find the file last modified.

Yeah, doing the command-2, find the file, select it, command-3 thing isn't the worst thing in the world, but that's a workaround around a problem, and it can be so much better. I'll be disappointed if we have to wait until 10.4 until we have a way to sort by date modified in Column View.

[Toyin]

I believe OSX finder was initially meant for column-view only. I've said this several times, but if everyone hadn't complained during the Public Beta about List-view and Icon-view, we'd probably have a much more robust column-view with all the functionality of List-view.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by Toyin:
I believe OSX finder was initially meant for column-view only. I've said this several times, but if everyone hadn't complained during the Public Beta about List-view and Icon-view, we'd probably have a much more robust column-view with all the functionality of List-view.

Nope, the Public Beta had icon and list view, as well as column view.

http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/1...s-x-dp3-9.html

I think it's just a hard interface problem to solve. (Either that or Apple UE doesn't think it's a problem, which would be incredibly depressing.) But nearly three years after the PB, I think it's about time we have some kind of answer to this.

[Toyin]

Originally posted by lookmark:
Nope, the Public Beta had icon and list view, as well as column view.

http://www.arstechnica.com/reviews/1...s-x-dp3-9.html

I think it's just a hard interface problem to solve. (Either that or Apple UE doesn't think it's a problem, which would be incredibly depressing.) But nearly three years after the PB, I think it's about time we have some kind of answer to this.

I used the PB as my primary OS about 50% of the time. I know they had List and Icon views but they were poorly implemented, like an after-thought. List-view was basically unusable (very, very, slow with a lot of bugs) and Icon view was a shadow of OS9's implementation. IMHO they should have phased the 2 other views out and added sorting to columnview.

[GENERAL_SMILEY]

I can only point you all to Pathfinder, it will sort in column view and in fact is an all round fantastic file browser.

Admittedly before I got a relatively fast computer (17 AL) I'd avoided it because it was perceptibly slower than the Apple finder. However with a fast system it runs as fast, and is significantly faster if you are copying large numbers of files (hundreds/thousands) between disks. Although make sure you quit the Apple finder in the background, as running both feels slow.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by GENERAL_SMILEY:
I can only point you all to Pathfinder, it will sort in column view and in fact is an all round fantastic file browser.

Admittedly before I got a relatively fast computer (17 AL) I'd avoided it because it was perceptibly slower than the Apple finder. However with a fast system it runs as fast, and is significantly faster if you are copying large numbers of files (hundreds/thousands) between disks. Although make sure you quit the Apple finder in the background, as running both feels slow.

Hey General, thanks for the tip. I hadn't checked out Path Finder in a little while. The latest beta -- which seems strongly influenced by Panther, and the Panther Finder -- is really interesting. Jam-packed with stuff, some of it quite good (some not so good), and very customizable. Definitely worth checking out.

However. I can't say I'm dazzled by Path Finder's sort abilities in Column View. There's no shortcut -- a sort has to be chosen by a menu each time, for each column -- and no visible indicator how it's sorted. No contextual menu for sorting either, which seems like a no-brainer for a geeky, power-user Finder alternative. Odd.


Path Finder beta in Jaguar


There's something called Smart Sorting, but all this is does separately organize folders and files (a la Windows).

So if there's a great solution to this issue in PF, I haven't discovered it yet.

It's great to see viable alternatives, though -- some nice stuff in there. I like the widgets to instantly hide and show the PF Sidebar, Shelf, and Preview drawer.

[GENERAL_SMILEY]

Originally posted by lookmark:
However. I can't say I'm dazzled by Path Finder's sort abilities in Column View. There's no shortcut -- a sort has to be chosen by a menu each time, for each column -- and no visible indicator how it's sorted. No contextual menu for sorting either, which seems like a no-brainer for a geeky, power-user Finder alternative. Odd.

Good point that would be pretty useful, a contextual menu sort option would be good - and is pretty obvious now you mention it. Maybe suggest it?

I'm going to download the beta - see what's up.

[IamBob]

It's a nice idea (and thanks for the thought), but it's such a common procedure I don't think opening a little AppleScript app, getting results in a window, and pressing "OK" would do. At least, that's the kind of clunky AppleScript I have the skills to write.

Actually, I was thinking that you/someone could make an AppleScript that you could attach to a folder that changes the file label(s) automagically.

I couldn't AppleScript my way out of a wet paper bag (and I'm Panther-less) or I'd give it a shot.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by IamBob:
Actually, I was thinking that you/someone could make an AppleScript that you could attach to a folder that changes the file label(s) automagically.

I'm not sure I get this. How would changing file labels (or even any Folder Action, really) help sort by date while browsing in Column View?

[IamBob]

Okay, if I could write the script ...

You could open a folder, the script would figure out which file was modified last and change that file's label to _SomeColor_. Now, when you see a _SomeColor_ label you know that that is the last modified file in that folder.


Obviously it wouldn't help in sorting, exactly. It would only tell you at-a-glance which file was modified last -- which was, basically, your (example?) goal in your first post.

[lookmark]

Originally posted by IamBob:
You could open a folder, the script would figure out which file was modified last and change that file's label to _SomeColor_. Now, when you see a _SomeColor_ label you know that that is the last modified file in that folder.

Obviously it wouldn't help in sorting, exactly. It would only tell you at-a-glance which file was modified last -- which was, basically, your (example?) goal in your first post.

I see -- clever.

But honestly, it's still too much of a quirky workaround (changing file state, only showing the very last file modified) to be useful. I'm not always looking for the *very* last file modified (sometimes I am), but understanding how recently an entire group of files has been modified.

Switching from Column to List view still works better. And it does work, to be fair. It just seems like... there has to be better way.

I'm would very much like something like this (rough conceptual sketch ahead):



Am I not correct in thinking that there's a need out there among users for sorting other than name in Column View...?

At my computer at home, I've never needed it; but when working at an agency or firm on a large project with hundreds of files, its absence sticks out to me like a sore thumb.

[ZackS]

I could create an Applescript folder action that checks the modified dates and renames the files accordingly:

001 File1
002 file4
003 panther7b28.torrent
004 Movies...

But it would be annoying to have the names of your files constantly changing.

[IamBob]

How 'bout a script that makes aliases of the files and sorts them by date/size/whatever into subfolders? And if you did it with aliases you could rename those....


~/Files/ImportantDoc.rtf
~/Files/HugePDF.pdf

~/Files/aliases/by-date/01.rtf
~/Files/aliases/by-date/02.pdf

~/Files/aliases/by-size/01.pdf
~/Files/aliases/by-size/02.rtf

and so on...?

Still not better than real sorting in column-view but maybe something like that could be useful.