Nautilus: How are files sorted?

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I am quite new to Debian 8.4. I am not sure if this is the right community on stackexchange to pose this question. Please tell me, if not.

My question: I am using the Nautilus file manager. I view a directory with some files in list view. Then I click on the bar with 'Name' on it. The order of sorting changes. My question is: How does Nautilus sort the files if I click on this button. More specifically, what is the sort order? e.g I have four files - and _ and a and b. If I have them sorted in ascending order (I call it this way, if a is before b) then _ will be before -. What is the general rule for sorting in Nautilus? And how could I find this information on my own - for example in the source code? I spent half an hour searching the web...

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

2

nautilus follows your locale collation rules (which determine the sort order).
â€“Â don_crissti
May 19 '16 at 23:38

1

@don_crissti Collation affects how it sorts the characters it chooses to sort. But the point here is that it ignores some when evaluating sort order.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:35

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

I am quite new to Debian 8.4. I am not sure if this is the right community on stackexchange to pose this question. Please tell me, if not.

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

2

nautilus follows your locale collation rules (which determine the sort order).
â€“Â don_crissti
May 19 '16 at 23:38

1

@don_crissti Collation affects how it sorts the characters it chooses to sort. But the point here is that it ignores some when evaluating sort order.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:35

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
3
down vote

favorite

I am quite new to Debian 8.4. I am not sure if this is the right community on stackexchange to pose this question. Please tell me, if not.

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

I am quite new to Debian 8.4. I am not sure if this is the right community on stackexchange to pose this question. Please tell me, if not.

filenames sort nautilus

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

edited May 19 '16 at 21:51

Gilles

513k12010161547

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

asked May 19 '16 at 18:25

user50224

1162

2

nautilus follows your locale collation rules (which determine the sort order).
â€“Â don_crissti
May 19 '16 at 23:38

1

@don_crissti Collation affects how it sorts the characters it chooses to sort. But the point here is that it ignores some when evaluating sort order.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:35

add a commentÂ |Â

2

nautilus follows your locale collation rules (which determine the sort order).
â€“Â don_crissti
May 19 '16 at 23:38

1

@don_crissti Collation affects how it sorts the characters it chooses to sort. But the point here is that it ignores some when evaluating sort order.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:35

nautilus follows your locale collation rules (which determine the sort order).
â€“Â don_crissti
May 19 '16 at 23:38

@don_crissti Collation affects how it sorts the characters it chooses to sort. But the point here is that it ignores some when evaluating sort order.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:35

add a commentÂ |Â

3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

up vote
0
down vote

Nautilus takes the "ls sort order" of the operating system (which is not always the same) and adds natural sorting to it.

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

Nautilus used to have these options :

View >> Arrange Items >>>
1 Manually
2 By Name
3 By Type
4 By Modification Date
5 By Emblems

Suggest "By Name", then it should be alphabetical order.

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

3

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

1

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

"_" or "-" or other symbols do not have any impact at all, only the following letters are relevant for sorting. It's really annoying but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

1

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

1

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

add a commentÂ |Â

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3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

3 Answers
3

active

oldest

votes

up vote
0
down vote

Nautilus takes the "ls sort order" of the operating system (which is not always the same) and adds natural sorting to it.

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
0
down vote

Nautilus takes the "ls sort order" of the operating system (which is not always the same) and adds natural sorting to it.

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
0
down vote

Nautilus takes the "ls sort order" of the operating system (which is not always the same) and adds natural sorting to it.

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

Nautilus takes the "ls sort order" of the operating system (which is not always the same) and adds natural sorting to it.

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

answered 9 hours ago

damian101

New contributor

damian101 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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up vote
-1
down vote

Nautilus used to have these options :

View >> Arrange Items >>>
1 Manually
2 By Name
3 By Type
4 By Modification Date
5 By Emblems

Suggest "By Name", then it should be alphabetical order.

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

3

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

1

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

Nautilus used to have these options :

View >> Arrange Items >>>
1 Manually
2 By Name
3 By Type
4 By Modification Date
5 By Emblems

Suggest "By Name", then it should be alphabetical order.

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

3

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

1

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

Nautilus used to have these options :

View >> Arrange Items >>>
1 Manually
2 By Name
3 By Type
4 By Modification Date
5 By Emblems

Suggest "By Name", then it should be alphabetical order.

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

Nautilus used to have these options :

View >> Arrange Items >>>
1 Manually
2 By Name
3 By Type
4 By Modification Date
5 By Emblems

Suggest "By Name", then it should be alphabetical order.

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

answered May 19 '16 at 18:50

Knud Larsen

938137

3

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

1

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

add a commentÂ |Â

3

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

1

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

thanks, but as I mentioned the problem is not the alphabet. How are _ and - treated? How is hierarchy? And where can I find the official way it is sorted?
â€“Â user50224
May 19 '16 at 19:14

@user50224 And where can I find the official way it is sorted? in the open source code, of course.
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:32

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

1

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

1

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

1

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

1

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

add a commentÂ |Â

up vote
-1
down vote

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

edited Jul 17 '16 at 15:35

phk

3,89152147

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

answered Jul 17 '16 at 14:56

piedro

1

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

1

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

add a commentÂ |Â

1

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

1

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

Are you sure about that this is generally the case? See the comment under OP's question, what's your collate setting? Also, did you find that out through trial and error or can you please cite any sources?
â€“Â phk
Jul 17 '16 at 15:22

but I guess sort options are too hard to code for the devsÃ¢Â€Â¦ Lame attempt at a dig. Rather it's probably a deliberate decision so that things sort lexically, by the intuitively sorted alphanumerical characters only - rather than expecting general users to know/remember/not be baffled by the arcane sorting order of non-alphanumeric characters in their particular collation. While you and I might be well versed in the old trick of 'put an underscore at the front so it sorts first', the general desktop user definitely would never predict this intuitively. GNOME aims to be inclusive of those users
â€“Â underscore_d
Oct 19 '16 at 18:37

add a commentÂ |Â

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