Why does tilde ('~') go before numeric digits in NTFS file names?
I have a folder structure in which the folder names start with numbers. After a while, some folders (or, rather, the info they contain) become "archived", and I don't want them to visually clutter the space of the parent folder.
My solution so far is to rename the folders (as non-intrusively as possible) so that the "archived" folders go to the end of the list. I decided to go with adding a tilde character (~) to the beginning of the folder names, expecting to see ~-prefixed folders below the number-prefixed ones when sorting by name in ascending order.
But, instead of something like
parent folder:
123
456
789
~012
I see this:
parent folder:
~012
123
456
789
That's surprising, considering that NTFS uses Unicode for its file name characters, and tilde's Unicode value is higher than of the [0-9] characters, which should put it after in the lexicographic order.
What's the reason of the behavior I'm observing and how to I make ~-prefixed folders be sorted after the number-prefixed ones?
Edit: To display the folder contents, I mostly use FAR Manager. But so far its sorting by name looks the same as in Windows Explorer. So a solution that works for Windows Explorer would also work for FAR Manager.
windows ntfs unicode filenames
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
add a comment |
I have a folder structure in which the folder names start with numbers. After a while, some folders (or, rather, the info they contain) become "archived", and I don't want them to visually clutter the space of the parent folder.
My solution so far is to rename the folders (as non-intrusively as possible) so that the "archived" folders go to the end of the list. I decided to go with adding a tilde character (~) to the beginning of the folder names, expecting to see ~-prefixed folders below the number-prefixed ones when sorting by name in ascending order.
But, instead of something like
parent folder:
123
456
789
~012
I see this:
parent folder:
~012
123
456
789
That's surprising, considering that NTFS uses Unicode for its file name characters, and tilde's Unicode value is higher than of the [0-9] characters, which should put it after in the lexicographic order.
What's the reason of the behavior I'm observing and how to I make ~-prefixed folders be sorted after the number-prefixed ones?
Edit: To display the folder contents, I mostly use FAR Manager. But so far its sorting by name looks the same as in Windows Explorer. So a solution that works for Windows Explorer would also work for FAR Manager.
windows ntfs unicode filenames
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
1
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16
add a comment |
I have a folder structure in which the folder names start with numbers. After a while, some folders (or, rather, the info they contain) become "archived", and I don't want them to visually clutter the space of the parent folder.
My solution so far is to rename the folders (as non-intrusively as possible) so that the "archived" folders go to the end of the list. I decided to go with adding a tilde character (~) to the beginning of the folder names, expecting to see ~-prefixed folders below the number-prefixed ones when sorting by name in ascending order.
But, instead of something like
parent folder:
123
456
789
~012
I see this:
parent folder:
~012
123
456
789
That's surprising, considering that NTFS uses Unicode for its file name characters, and tilde's Unicode value is higher than of the [0-9] characters, which should put it after in the lexicographic order.
What's the reason of the behavior I'm observing and how to I make ~-prefixed folders be sorted after the number-prefixed ones?
Edit: To display the folder contents, I mostly use FAR Manager. But so far its sorting by name looks the same as in Windows Explorer. So a solution that works for Windows Explorer would also work for FAR Manager.
windows ntfs unicode filenames
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
I have a folder structure in which the folder names start with numbers. After a while, some folders (or, rather, the info they contain) become "archived", and I don't want them to visually clutter the space of the parent folder.
My solution so far is to rename the folders (as non-intrusively as possible) so that the "archived" folders go to the end of the list. I decided to go with adding a tilde character (~) to the beginning of the folder names, expecting to see ~-prefixed folders below the number-prefixed ones when sorting by name in ascending order.
But, instead of something like
parent folder:
123
456
789
~012
I see this:
parent folder:
~012
123
456
789
That's surprising, considering that NTFS uses Unicode for its file name characters, and tilde's Unicode value is higher than of the [0-9] characters, which should put it after in the lexicographic order.
What's the reason of the behavior I'm observing and how to I make ~-prefixed folders be sorted after the number-prefixed ones?
Edit: To display the folder contents, I mostly use FAR Manager. But so far its sorting by name looks the same as in Windows Explorer. So a solution that works for Windows Explorer would also work for FAR Manager.
windows ntfs unicode filenames
windows ntfs unicode filenames
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
edited Jan 10 at 10:02
Semisonic
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
asked Jan 9 at 13:33
SemisonicSemisonic
1011
1011
How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
1
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16
add a comment |
How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
1
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16
How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
1
1
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16
add a comment |
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How exactly are you displaying the filenames? Please edit the question and be specific.
– DavidPostill♦
Jan 9 at 14:26
Sorting in Windows isn't always by numeric value of characters. In Windows explorer normal punctuation characters precede alphabetic. This includes the tilde.
– LMiller7
Jan 9 at 19:35
@LMiller7 is there any formal description of the character ordering in Windows file names? So that I could possibly pick up a symbol that would actually precede the numeric digits.
– Semisonic
Jan 10 at 10:01
1
Newer Windows also uses some sort of "smart" numbering detection. This is mostly so you don't get a sequence like 1, 10, 11, 12, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 but also seems to detect slight character misalignments and adjusts the sequence to match the numbers despite any character table ordering.
– BeowulfNode42
Jan 10 at 10:08
@Semisonic MSDN states only that punctuation characters precede alphabetic. Which ones they are I don't know. There are only a few ASCII characters above 'z' and I suspect they behave the same way. There are many characters in the extended ASCII range above 160 that would work. I am sure you can find one that is suitable and not too difficult to enter.
– LMiller7
Jan 10 at 15:16