Sort order - Data midified / Created

[VistaXP]

This has been asked in many ways in many places, but I've yet to see a
solution to this... when using Windows Explorer to display folder contents,
and to then sort the files displayed by date (created, accessed, or modified,
the problem is the same), the files are sorted first by month, then by day,
then by year. The result is that all "January" date appear first, then all
days within January, then all years for January dates, and THEN all February
dates, etc. This is not how a sort by date is done.

Any first year programming student knows that when sorting by date, the
result HAS to be chronological. Why doesn't Microsoft know this?

Fields in a sort need to be handled by TYPE. Date fields are NOT the same as
numerical fields. When an ascending sort of "1/15/2007, 1/14/2009" produces
the results of "1/14/2009, 1/15/2007", that is a BUG, and Microsoft should
fix it.

Is there, or is there not, a workaround for this?

Thanks.

 

[H Brown]

What operating system and edition are you using?

It would also help if you would provide more of a step by step of what you
do after you open a folder so someone can try and reproduce your suspected
BUG.

((Example: ( I'm Using Windows (????) (edition) (Sp?). When I open the
Documents folder, set my view to (?). In heading column I add the headings
Date Created, Date Accessed and Date Modified properties. When trying to
sort files using these Date property columns by clicking in the heading
column for that date property I get the (following results abc...), but the
results I want and need are (cba...) etc, etc, etc.)

As it concerns Windows Explore, I am unclear what the meaning of your words
"by fields" and "by TYPE" when you said, as quoted below:

Fields in a sort need to be handled by TYPE. Date fields are NOT the same
as
numerical fields. When an ascending sort of "1/15/2007, 1/14/2009"
produces
the results of "1/14/2009, 1/15/2007", that is a BUG, and Microsoft should

In Windows Explorer I'm thinking "Type" is a Property as in *file type* and
fields are where I input data values to some Property. Did you mean to say
filters instead of fields?


On my machine in Windows Explorer in the headings column of Date Created,
Date Accessed and Date Modified, I have no problems arranging a sort just
about any way you, I or someone else would like to see the values of their
file properties sorted.
Be it ascending or descending sorts, you still scroll down from top to
bottom to view the files in the order you sorted them to.

H Brown

 

[VistaXP]

Thanks for the reply.

I'm on Vista Home Premium.

I view "Details", and the "Date Modified" column is evidently a default,
because I never added it.

All I do is click on the column header and the sort happens, and the results
are just the way I described them: by MM first, then DD, then YYYY. It should
be by YYYY first, then by MM, then by DD.

The results I see are along the lines of the example in my original post.

"Field" refers to the area in the record used to control the sort, which in
this case is a date field. TYPE is the type of field, which is a DATE, not a
NUMBER or CURRENCY or TEXT or some other TYPE of data.

 

[H Brown]

Now I understand how you want your Date: values to display.

Try this: open your control panel from the start menu. Now click on "Clock,
Language, and Region", Under "Regional and language Options" find and click
on the sub heading "Change the date, time, or number format" On the Formats
tab click the "Customize this format..." button. Now in this dialog box
that opens, click the "Date" tab. Under "Date formats" there is a drop down
menu that you click called "Short date:" it is here you can choose the
format you would like to have your dates display in. You would choose
yyyy-MM-dd. Now be sure to click the "Apply" button then the "OK" button.

To read the help and support file, open Help and Support from the start
menu. In the help and support window at the top type in "change how dates
are displayed. A list of the best 30 results for "change how dates are
displayed" will show a list of links to the topic, the first one on the list
should read "Change the display of dates, times, currency, and measurements.
Click it to open the help file.

Back to Window Explorer, you can change or add many different heading in
columns to view and sort the different properties that different apps will
let you set when you fill in the fields in the properties sheet for the file
you have created and or add your own Custom properties (tags) if allowed
depending on the application.
And those column properties that are appropriate for the file type
extension.

By example, when you are in your Document folder, and say you sort the Date
Created column this will sort every file and folder by Date and you can
change the assenting or descending order. But you would have all the files
and folder you have created over the years. There are many ways you can
filter this information. I use the MM/dd/yyyy format, so in the the search
box at the top of Windows Explorer I may type in it the following with out
quotes "Date: > 12/31/2008" to only show the files and folders in Documents
that I created since that date. Or I could have just clicked in the Date
Created column on the little drop down arrow to the right that shows up when
you are in the heading and choose "Stack by Date Created".

That being said there are many ways you can display the information about
files and folders from within Windows Explorer from Stacking, filtering ,
grouping and using the search box at the top of Windows Explorer. You can
find all information for doing this in your Help and Support files using
keywords in the search box at the top or browsing the help files. You may
prefer to use Natural Language Search if you don't know how to apply the
syntax. Open control panel type "Folder options" in the dialog that opens
under the search tab check the box next to use natural language search.

H Brown

 

[VistaXP]

I hear what you say, and I appreciate your response. But that's not what
should happen. In American English, the date format MM/DD/YYYY is the
standard, and that's how I want the dates displayed, and sorted correctly.
What you suggest is a kludge to get around a Windows flaw. I also use WinXP,
and that seems to work correctly. So the rules were evidently changed between
XP and Vista.

I only hope that in Windows 7, MS gets this fixed. Not that I intend to go
to Windows 7 without being dragged kicking and screaming.

 

[Dave]

As far as I can tell, Vista and Win7 both sort correctly.

I booted into Vista Home Premium x86 SP2 and sorted a folder by Date
Modified...
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/dnorris5/Vista-doc.jpg

then did the same folder in Windows 7 RC x64...
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p272/dnorris5/Win7-doc.jpg

 

[H Brown]

No mater how you choose to display/format your date the three heading you
have been talking about, Date (created, accessed, or modified) are sorted in
_chronological_ order by *Year* then *Month* then *Day* and further by
*Time* of/for _that/the_ Day.

In the heading column in Windows Explorer for Date created click at the top
of the heading column where you see Date created. This will highlight that
column heading and you are now sorting only by the Date created column
heading. All other information in all column heading will also be sorted by
the same criteria. This will be for all files and subfolders in the folder
you are in. That sort order will not change until you click in a different
heading column such as *Name* heading. That would cause all other columns
to sort based on the A-Z or Z-A of the Name heading column for file names
and folders. For more info go to
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/319827

The format of my date displayed in example below is M/d/yyyy. If it were
formated as MM/dd/yyyy the first date in the list would display 01/31/2009
1:48 PM
In Chronological order from the last file and subfolder that was created in
this folder to the very first file and subfolder created.
Date created (is heading)
1/31/2009 1:48 PM
12/19/2009 8:17 PM
12/19/2009 3:04 PM
4/6/2009 12:18 PM
2/24/2008 8:31 AM
3/4/2007 7:45 AM
9/8/2006 1:15 PM
1/1/2001 10:00 AM

When I click on the Date created column heading *again* to get the first
created file and subfolder to the very last that was created in still in
Chronological order.
Date created (is heading)
1/1/2001 10:00 AM
9/8/2006 1:15 PM
3/4/2007 7:45 AM
2/24/2008 8:31 AM
4/6/2009 12:18 PM
12/19/2009 3:04 PM
12/19/2009 8:17 PM
1/31/2009 1:48 PM

In the example above the "Regional and Language Options" are set to "United
States" under the Location tab.
You may want to check your location setting.
Short date: formats you can use,M/d/yyyy or M/d/yy or MM/dd/yy or
_*MM/dd/yyyy*_ or yy/MM/dd or yyyy-MM-dd or dd-MMM-yy.

If you still think your system is not sorting correctly open your documents
folder set your view to detail and make sure you have the Date created
heading in the heading column. Click the Date created Column to highlight
it. As long as that heading is highlighted you or sorting by the Date
created ONLY. Using the Snipping tool capture that screen, save it. Now
click on the Date created column *again* to change form the first order.
Capture and save that screen and then post those two screen shots,as Dave
did in an earlier thread to this article. Create links/copy and paste the
urls to those screen shots in your next reply this will let everyone who
knows how to help see what your system is generating/displaying and/or
missing.

H Brown

 

[Gene E. Bloch]

No mater how you choose to display/format your date the three heading you
have been talking about, Date (created, accessed, or modified) are sorted in
_chronological_ order by *Year* then *Month* then *Day* and further by
*Time* of/for _that/the_ Day.

I just wanted to add my 2 cents to this. I agree with H Brown.

When I read VistaXP's OP, I opened Explorer and verified that it sorts the
way I always though it did, which is exactly the way that VistaXP is asking
for.

He has a unique problem of his own.