Custom Column Sorting

[AnthonyCian]

I was going to list the example setup, but it's not showing correctly. So I will try to explain it so it's understandable.

I want to sort by a custom column CUSID#, but it is not following the sort sequence, all are numbers. I don't know why it's not sorting correctly.

So my questions are:
What is causing this behavior?
How can I have TC show the sort order based on that custom column?

Thanks,

AnthonyC

[Balderstrom]

Are the numbers all the same length?
Or are they like:

1
12
2
22
3
300

If so, then you need to use a sort method like WinXP

Config | Display | Sort Method:
And choose one of the "Natural Sort" methods.

Although it would be really cool if the CustomColumn config allowed you to select a specific SortMethod to use for the CC.

[AnthonyCian]

The sort is doing this:
X5-328162000T0012366006195372.RAW 95372
X5-328162000T00114860061137970.RAW 137970
X5-328162000T00114860061137990.raw 137990
X5-328162000T00114860061337070.raw 337070
X5-328162000T00114860061418920.RAW 418920
X5-328162000T00114860061418960.RAW 418960
X5-328162000T00114860061419010.raw 419010
X5-328162000T00114860061419020.RAW 419020
X5-328162000T00114960061137955.raw 137955
X5-328162000T00114960061137965.raw 137965
X5-328162000T00114960061337065.raw 337065
X5-328162000T00114960061418925.RAW 418925
X5-328162000T00114960061418985.RAW 418985
X5-328162000T00114960061419015.raw 419015

I am showing the filename column to give you an idea that I think this how TC is sorting, regardless. I clicked on the custom column with just numbers (the numbers you see are just to the right of the filenames which is in it's own column). I don't care where the 95xxx is placed, by looking at the custom column numbers nothing sorted! All the number are out of sequence. Is this a limitation on custom columns?

AnthonyC

[Balderstrom]

No, except you are using:
[tc.name:25-]

Which is just displaying the 25th character onwards, but it will still sort on the actual name.

You need to use something like regexp.wdx --- maybe there is something else that can do it, but I haven't seen it - unfortunately regexp.wdx can only do 1 specific custom-column. If you need it to do others, you need to rename the regexp.wdx to something else and copy all the files to another folder.

E.g. I have

TC\Plugsin\wdx\regexp\regexp.wdx
TC\Plugsin\wdx\regexp\regexp.ini
TC\Plugins\wdx\regexp25\regexp.ini
TC\Plugins\wdx\regexp25\regexp_cut25.wdx

So whereever you install regexp.wdx

the .ini file should look something like:

[Regexp]
Rule=NumCut25

[NumCut25]
Find=^(.){24}(.*)\.[a-zA-Z]+
Change="$2"
Substitute=1
Others=0

Your Custom column will be:
---> [regexp.Result]

If you need to change the regex - you edit it's regex.ini - and if you need two active, in either the same custom column, or two different CC's - as I note above, you need to rename the wdx and install it again.


In the future, you might want to show what output you are getting in your first post, and show what setting you are using to generate that output, in this case, what your custom column field was. Instead of making people "guess"

[AnthonyCian]

Thanks for your reply and yes, next time I will remember to add more helpful info as you explained.
As for your information, it's to complicated for what I need to get into as much as you explained. I've opt doing a "cm_CopyFileDetailsToClip" then paste it in Excel, then sort by the custom column.
I guess custom columns in TC has it's place and uses. The weak point would be in SORTING. Was hoping for a more simple easy way to do this.

Thanks again for your info Balderstrom...

AnthonyC

[AnthonyCian]

It's been awhile since I asked this (see above threads) and wonder if the sorting as improved and if it is now possible to sort as explained above? The files that have the .RAW extension.

The column that I am interested in sorting is setup as explained by Balderstrom, which is displaying the 25th character on onwards of the filename. But by design it sorts on the actual name, and not the section of the filename.

Maybe 4 years later it might be possible?????

AnthonyC

[Hacker]

I still support the request to offer an option to sort only by the value currently shown in the custom column, eg. [tc.name:25-].

Roman

[Balderstrom]

Or you know, just allow a column's field to be parsed by an MRT-rule.
And sort by the resulting "rename" instead of the original field value.

Although if one was to have a slew of MRT rules, it might be nice to be abe to manage them via something like, well, pretty much any other list-view that TC uses --- instead of the oh-so-user-friendly "MRT Drop-Down".

[AnthonyCian]

To Balderstrom:
What would the Syntax be using (parsed?) a MRT-Rule since the [+] are plugins and MRT is built in...

Thanks for replying...

To Hacker:
Thanks for the suport on this...

Anthony

[Balderstrom]

@AnthonyCian

Something like:
[path#MRT:NameOfRenameRuleToApply]
[path:10-#MRT:NameOfRenameRuleToApply]

The Regexp/plugin was one of the more useful things I used in custom columns, but its implementation requiring manual editing of ini files and each "install" only being able to reference a single regular-expression for a return value, made it much less useful and awkward in practice.

I always thought it should of been something that Ghisler should of implemented as a filter for any column field, ala MRT --- without needing to reinvent the wheel.

[AnthonyCian]

@ Balderstrom
Sorry but I'm not getting it...
Is there suppose to be an "=" sign somewhere?
And what would the "NameOFRenameRuleToApply" be? [N22-]

Anthony

[Balderstrom]

Ah, I'm talking about "saved settings", the drop-down below the counter dialogs. Where you can save a Rename Pattern (along with other dialogs pre-populated).

So you wouldn't have to "fill-in" the [N] pattern (although you could).

In the case I am talking about the mainfield of the MRT would be blank, or a new [V]alue would be used to indicate the "FileNamePattern" is obtained from the CustomColumn field, that is referencing this MRT "saved setting".

Athough, now that I think about it... It would be cleaner if the MRT could just access any CustomColumn field natively.

Then you would do:
[CC:TC:path] ; or the like, fill in the Search/Replace fields, Save this via the drop down dialog as "Example10". And reference it via the CustomColumn dialog: [MRT:Example10]


So TLDR;
What I am talking about:
1) Save a "FilePattern Search/Replace" via TC's MRT (that can reference TC's Custom Column fields).
2) Use that saved FilePattern Search/Replace, as a Custom Column data field by name.

[AnthonyCian]

Hi Balderstrom:

Okay, I really really appreciate the time and effort on your explanation. BUT I just can't get it 100%. I do understand part of what you are saying, at least I think I do. I know how to save a MRT setup, I have many that I load when needed. I am not sure what the MRT for the search/replace fields is suppose to be in this case. I did manage to save a test setup, but it only uses the Rename Mask File Name field, using [N25-], and saved as CustCol.

Can you explain [CC:TC:path], what role this has and is this used in the MRT?

I think I understand when in the Custom Column Mode, the syntax would be [MRT:CustCol] but nothing shows up.

Can you assist just a little more please?

Thanks,
Anthony

[Balderstrom]

It's nothing but an idea.

Custom Columns are one of TC's strengths that other File Managers don't do anywhere near as well - though unlike TC, many support native Windows Explorer columns (and there are a lot of them).

MRT is definitely a TC strength, along with TC's internal viewer and Sync-tool.

5-10 years ago, I would say with confidence that TC was the best File Manager. Period. These days, not so much. TC still has its strengths (and weaknesses), but the "others" are catching up --- they are starting to do what TC does well AND many of the things that TC/Ghisler has refused over the years.

TC is good. Other file managers are also good.

[RANT]
After 14 years we still don't have proper Junction/Symlink/Hardlink handling in TC. An offer by the Link Shell Extension author to better integrate his tool with TC and improve the situation was flat out refused by Ghisler.

Users have begged for years to put SyncTool and Copy/Move file dialogs that prevent file operations to the *END* of the process.
If I run a damned BATCH/DOS copy process, or an AHK script or ANY other copy tool, I have better control than with TC. Some files might fail to copy, but the proccess can and will continue without useless pop-ups to get my input when I'm NOT THERE.
Which just seems like some bizarro world bad joke.

Many of us have begged for improved scripting for TC - especially after the Lazarus 64bit reamed all the control dialog names to a generic class that is the same for every control except the file panels. We got a half-assed messaging system that allows querying a couple TC values, and its been ignored since.
Other file managers? Oh they give us an actual integrated scripting environment.

I've beggged for years to fix the piss-poor "quoting-mechanism" that TC uses for filename passing: forced quotes when there are spaces in file names, no quotes otherwise. Which makes it impossible to pass TC %P%N variables to CMD.exe batch, since you can't force quote everything to prevent interpretation of special chars "()%&^!" by cmd batch.

A whole shitload of begging and pleading to implement basic features that is naught but demeaning to us as users when it's just flat out ignored.

E.g.
* improved IgnoreList, so you can easily toggle between different ignore-states.
* allow an option for which tab to activate when one is closed.
* Custom Column triggers, that can activate automatically when entering a matching path.
* allow custom characters for folder display in file panels:
"/Foo" or "/Foo/" instead of "Foo" or "[Foo]"

TC has been stagnant since 6.5 with little more than bugfixes and minor refinement of existing features.

99%+ of all "suggestions/feature requests" are flat out refused.

[/RANT]

Anyways, this is naught but an idea (that will never be implemented, so I'm not sure why I bother anymore).

[AnthonyCian]

Oh okay, interesting...

In short the only rant I have about the Custom Column Mode. It's a good feature, but I feel it's limited if one can not sort-by the Custom Columns that were created. And the fact nothing has changed since I first asked about this.

As I mentioned in the start of the threat, I have to do a "Copy all Shown Columns" (cm_CopyFileDetailsToClip), paste in Excel then sort it by the column I need.

Thanks for your feedback Balderstrom

AC