Options for different file sorting methods

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advice1010
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Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:38 am

Options for different file sorting methods

Post by advice1010 »

Something I have found a little strange is the lack of different file sorting methods within Linux.
I have not really been able to even find out what is responsible for generating these options and who to mention it to.
I am refering to a global setting for file sorting that gets applied to all file lists within a Distro / DE.

This setting seems to be linked to Language Formats / Locale settings within DE settings.
Find it odd that this is not a separate setting by itself, someones speaking languages does not necessarily define what file sorting method they want to use.

I would imagine there are many different type of file sorting methods, odd that Linux does not offer a simple setting with more options to choose from.

The only two I have found are
1.) locale LC_Collate=en_US.UTF-8
which is case sensitive and does not support underscores at top of list
lowercase letters show up before uppercase letters

2.) locale LC_Collate=C
which puts files that start with underscores at bottom and also lower case letters at bottom?


Natural Sort Method
What I am looking for is called a "Natural Sort" method (I know "Linux is not Windows") but why would there not be a setting to support this, I don't think Windows created this sorting method? even if they did, why not an option to support it?
I don't personally dual boot but for those who have NTFS drives, Linux supports NTFS drivers. This means that any user that have a Windows based drive / data drive that follows a natural sort method then when they boot up using Linux all there files are sorted completely differently.

Natural Sort provides....
Underscores at top
Ignore letter case
numbering sorted naturally

Code: Select all

__1
__2
__10
__A
__a
_1
_2
_10
_A
_a
1
2
10
Apple (1)
apple (2)
apple (3)
Apple (10)
Apple (11)
The only desktop environment that supports this is KDE Plasma, so it is possible.
Just don't want to have to abandon others distros such as Mint, for such an issue.
If this and a Nemo issue I am having don't get fixed I will have no choice but to do so, which is sad.

Could any developers of Mint please let me know if something like this would be considered to be added and (I know hard to answer) but maybe give an idea of how long something like this would take to implement?

Thank you to whoever reads all of this sorry know this is a long post
advice1010
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Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:38 am

Re: Options for different file sorting methods

Post by advice1010 »

Any others users interested in something like this?

Is there anyone associated with the development of Mint that could let me know if something like this would be implemented?

Hard to know where to post something like this because I am looking at it as a global option to be available in Mint so that users of all desktop environments would be able to have access to this setting, but this setting may be something that can only be added per desktop environment? Therefore Mint would only have the ablity to add this to Cinnamon, if they even consider adding it at all?

Thank You
Atari1030
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Joined: Sat Jan 28, 2023 11:57 pm

Re: Options for different file sorting methods

Post by Atari1030 »

I would also like to see this feature.
elminster
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Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2023 5:24 pm

Re: Options for different file sorting methods

Post by elminster »

There is a long ticket Fix sorting of files/folders with special characters in the beginning and the (currently) last post suggests adding

Code: Select all

export LC_ALL=C.UTF-8
into

Code: Select all

.profile
. It's not really natural sort but partly fixes the weird default sorting.
BigJonMCMLXX
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Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jul 15, 2021 3:28 am

Re: Options for different file sorting methods

Post by BigJonMCMLXX »

PLEASE fix this.

mint shows this...
con_apple
con_banana
config
con_turnip

seriously?!?!!?
this is making changes just for the sake of changes. the "natural order" adopted by windows is the standard for good reasons.
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