sorting files in folder?

[kat.hayes]

I have a folder full of lots of files that I want to arrange by date such as:

1-10-14_Third_Ultrasound
1-10-14_Second_Ultrasound
1-10-14_First_Ultrasound

1. How can I get 1-10-14_First_Ultrasound to display at the top of these files?

2. I have one file displaying in the middle of all my files that should appear at the very top since it dates the earliest, 11-13-13 though it is not displaying at the top. When I click on the "Name" sort field, it does not help. How can I get it to sort the way I want?

Thanks!

 

[Drgnldy1]

Sorting files in folders

The reason your oldest file "11-13-13" is not at the top of the list even though it is oldest is because the numbers are read in numerical or alphabetical order if you sort by name. The "11" comes after "2".

I've had this same issue repeatedly - on PCs at work and my Mac at home. The best solution I've found and have used for many years is a file naming convention of my own. I make sure that files that start with a date follow this - "01-xx-xx" - make sure your month has two digits. The file names will sort in numerical order that way and should come out from oldest to newest (or the reverse if you click on the Name column header). Another tip is to put the Year (xxxx) before the date - that way the names will sort by year and then month. If you don't do this and you have files from multiple years, the months will be grouped together.

Also, if I have a folder with a lot of files and I want a particular one or several to always be listed at the top, I just insert "1." at the start of the file name.

Hope this helps.

 

[kat.hayes]

Thanks!