Mac OS X’s Finder: Sort order when copying a list of files in View As List view mode
Posted by Pierre Igot in: MacintoshSeptember 22nd, 2004 • 5:09 am
I have a folder containing the following 8 files:
bully lesson plan.wpd bullying lesson plan.wpd Child Traffic grade 1.wpd DEFY 1 (medicine cabinet)outline.wpd defy level 1(medicinecabinet)lesson plan.wpd Elementary Drugs.wpd Halloween Safety lesson plan.wpd internet safety.wpd
If I open the folder in a Finder window in View As Columns view mode, select the 8 files, and use command-C to copy the list of file names, I get the expected result, which is the list of files above.
But if I switch the Finder window in question to View As List view mode, select the 8 files, and use command-C, I get this:
defy level 1(medicinecabinet)lesson plan.wpd Elementary Drugs.wpd Halloween Safety lesson plan.wpd internet safety.wpd Child Traffic grade 1.wpd DEFY 1 (medicine cabinet)outline.wpd bullying lesson plan.wpd bully lesson plan.wpd
even though the files are sorted in alphabetical order properly in the Finder window!
This sort order defies human comprehension. Where the hell does it come from? It’s not based on the modification date, or file type, or anything. Very puzzling — and obviously rather useless.
September 22nd, 2004 at Sep 22, 04 | 5:32 pm
I think the Finder copies the file names in the order the files were selecting. When selectin them with Command-A (which I assume you did), you won’t know that order. I assume it’s the order the files are read from the directory.
Try selecting the files by clicking the first one and then Shift-clicking the last one in the list. That may give the desired result.
While this technique has the disadvantage of giving strange results for command-A, it’s quite nice if you want to copy file names in a order you choose yourself. So if anything is to blame it’s the way the Select All command works. It’d probably be better if it used an easier-to-understand order.
I also think that the real bug is in column mode. There you’ll get alphabetical order when copying names – regardless of the order you selected items in. That’s the inconsistency.