Finder: Ordering Files in Column View

cocoanewbie · 06-01-2006, 05:02 AM

I'd like to order files the way I want them to be in Column View in Finder.

Currently, I'm using a number as prefix such as 1_finance.doc, 2_football_club.oo3, and 3_kids_matters.xsl, so that I can change the order of how files are listed.

But, I have a question: Is there any documents for which symbol comes ealier than others? For example, _ (underscore) sign comes above numbers (e.g., _myfile.doc and 1_jobfile.doc...). I'd like to know the complete list of this sort of thing.

This information is also helpful in organizing files in my SFTP server. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

JDV · 06-01-2006, 07:15 AM

You can find a listing of the ascii values of various sets on the web; I think it very likely sorts from the lowest to highest ascii values. Certainly, as you've noticed, some non-alphanumeric characters have lower numbers than the alphanumeric set.

Joe VanZandt

cocoanewbie · 06-01-2006, 11:40 PM

Thanks so much for your reply. I'll take a look at websites that explain acii values. If you know the situation on the web, whch is, like, the order in the views in SFTP clients, I'd apprecaite your knowledge.

JDV · 06-02-2006, 11:09 AM

http://www.lookuptables.com/ is a link to the ASCII tables. Generally, the first 32 ascii characters are non-printing characters. On a PC, typing the control+the ascii number on the numeric keypad will produce the corresponding character. It's likely possible to do this on a Mac, too, but I'm not sure what the key-combination is. Anyway, this will show you the order of precedence for the printing characters. Note that ASCII 255 looks blank...but it isn't. It's an invisible character. Some people use that to "disguise" file names, or used to at least.

This sorting mechanism is why often databases and spreadsheets sort in non-intuitive fashions if the items are mixed-case or contain non-alphanumeric characters.

Joe VanZandt

06-01-2006, 05:02 AM	#1
cocoanewbie Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 177	Finder: Ordering Files in Column View I'd like to order files the way I want them to be in Column View in Finder. Currently, I'm using a number as prefix such as 1_finance.doc, 2_football_club.oo3, and 3_kids_matters.xsl, so that I can change the order of how files are listed. But, I have a question: Is there any documents for which symbol comes ealier than others? For example, _ (underscore) sign comes above numbers (e.g., _myfile.doc and 1_jobfile.doc...). I'd like to know the complete list of this sort of thing. This information is also helpful in organizing files in my SFTP server. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

06-01-2006, 07:15 AM	#2
JDV Hall of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicago, Illinois Posts: 3,191	Probably uses ascii values........ You can find a listing of the ascii values of various sets on the web; I think it very likely sorts from the lowest to highest ascii values. Certainly, as you've noticed, some non-alphanumeric characters have lower numbers than the alphanumeric set. Joe VanZandt

06-02-2006, 11:09 AM	#4
JDV Hall of Famer Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Chicago, Illinois Posts: 3,191	The following link might help http://www.lookuptables.com/ is a link to the ASCII tables. Generally, the first 32 ascii characters are non-printing characters. On a PC, typing the control+the ascii number on the numeric keypad will produce the corresponding character. It's likely possible to do this on a Mac, too, but I'm not sure what the key-combination is. Anyway, this will show you the order of precedence for the printing characters. Note that ASCII 255 looks blank...but it isn't. It's an invisible character. Some people use that to "disguise" file names, or used to at least. This sorting mechanism is why often databases and spreadsheets sort in non-intuitive fashions if the items are mixed-case or contain non-alphanumeric characters. Joe VanZandt

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06-01-2006, 11:40 PM	#3
cocoanewbie Triple-A Player Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 177	Thanks so much for your reply. I'll take a look at websites that explain acii values. If you know the situation on the web, whch is, like, the order in the views in SFTP clients, I'd apprecaite your knowledge.