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[Wish] Sort FileList/DirList by offset   [Wish]

By: John Gruener     Orlando, Florida  
Date: Aug 04,2013 at 01:37
In Response to: [Wish] Sort FileList/DirList by offset (John Wright)

> I still have a STRONG need for the capability to sort display-lists
> by an offset other than zero (default 0) within the FileName/DirName.
> This is Alt-S added choice 'O' (for offset), or just enter a number for
> the desired offset.

I would find this quite useful as well.

As usual, however, things are not as simple as they may initially appear. While easy enough to suggest such a feature, and perhaps easy enough to program the actual sorting, the devil is in the details of the design.

So here are some design questions:

1. What keystroke? Unfortunately 'O' is already used for Order, and other logical letters like 'P' for position are also used. Simply beginning to enter numerics could work, but raises other questions.

2. When do we accept the numerics? Obviously this is a subset of Name sort, so do we automatically switch to Name-offset sort if in some other sequence like Date, Extension or Size? Or do we apply the numerics to the Name sub-sort of those sort orders? Or do we ignore numerics if Name sequence is not already selected?

3. Do we allow multiple offsets? This sorting would be very powerful and useful if more than one offset is supported, perhaps by separating the numerics with a comma or space.

4. Relative offset or actual position? Is sorting on the first position designated by 0 or 1? This may depend on what we call it. "Offset" I think implies a relative selection, while "Position" implies actual character position. Some might find it confusing to start counting characters with zero.

5. What to display in the Alt-Sort menu? There appears to be enough room for "(name offset)", but not enough for "(name position)".

6. What to display in the FW/DW sort indicator? Either "O" or "P" could replace "N".

7. How to return to Name sort without the offset/position? If offset/position is retained as a sub-sort of other sort orders, will "N" return to Name sort without the offset/position, or will it require entering 0 (or 1) to change to a Name sort without a specified offset/position?

Things will be much simpler if we don't support offset/position as a sub-sort of other sort orders, but perhaps not as flexible and powerful. IMO, supporting it as a sub-sort is not required. I favor the simplicity of the design without it.

- John

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