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Sorting & Grouping Files

This comparison has been updated for Windows Vista and moved to our new website Mac vs. Windows

Overview

When working with your filesystem, it's important to be able to sort and group your files according to the information you need at the time. Both operating systems can sort filesystem window contents by Name, Size, Type, and Date Modified. When sorting by name, both operating systems perform an alpha-numeric sort on your files — when it encounters numbers, it will sort them numerically (0, 01, 1, 02, 2) rather than alphabetically (0, 01, 02, 1, 2). There are, however, key differences in each operating system's implementation.

Mac OS X

OS X allows sorting in List view and Icons view. Both can sort by name, date modified, date created, size, kind, and label; in addtion, List view can sort by version and comments. Unfortunately (and inexplicably), Column View is always sorted by name, meaning that you cannot separate files from folders. An option to place all folders at the top of the list would make for much quicker navigation, especially when working with folders that contain many files and subfolders. Group view can group files by kind or date (and within those groups can sort by name or kind/date), but it is only available during searches and in smart folders.

While Spotlight is capable of indexing various file metadata for searching purposes (image dimensions, music tags, etc.), OS X lacks the ability to sort or group files by any of this information. Instead, it is restricted to the "basic" information listed above.

When you create a new folder, it immediately will conform to the sort order. This can be a nuisance if, for example, you have a folder of many items sorted by name, and you create a new folder at the end of the list that begins with a letter early in the alphabet. As soon as you type the name (say, "Apple") and hit return, the folder will be correctly sorted, which can move it a considerable distance from where it just was - possibly even outside of the view of the window. Inexperienced users may mistakenly interpret this as the folder "disappearing" since there is little indication as to what happened.

Windows XP

XP allows sorting in all of its folder views, and grouping in all other than List and Filmstrip views. In addition to name, size, type, and date modified, XP can also sort by these other criteria:

  • Attributes
  • Status
  • Owner
  • Author
  • Title
  • Subject
  • Category
  • Pages
  • Copyright
  • Duration (can also apply to videos)
  • Protected
  • Camera Model
  • Date Picture Taken
  • Company
  • Description
  • File Version
  • Product Name

"My Computer" has different sort capabilities (since files cannot be stored there) - it can be sorted by name, type, total size, free space, comments, and filesystem.

In Tiles view, the metadata that's shown for each icon changes depending on the sort option and the use of XP's "Show in Groups" feature. For example, if you have a folder in Tiles view and you sort by Owner, the Owner metadata is displayed instead of the filesize. If you turn off "Show in Groups," however, the standard type and filesize will be shown.

XP will always split listings into a folders section and a files section, each of which is sorted separately. This allows you to quickly see your folders at the top of the screen and speeds navigation. When reversing the sort order, however, folders jump to the bottom of the window.

Folder Types in XP

Understanding sorting in XP requires an understanding of XP's folder types. XP has 7 folder types (Documents, Pictures, Photo Album, Music, Music Artist, Music Album, and Videos). Each folder type has its own default view, details list of sortable columns, and tasks that are accessible from the side panel. XP has 32 different built in detail categories that can be used to sort data. Rather than show all 32 columns of data, XP displays the appropriate data columns based on the type of folder you're in.

When you first fill a folder with files, XP attempts to "guess" the folder type based on what kind of files predominate the folder. For example, if you have a folder with seven audio files and five images, XP will assume the folder is a music folder and will set the defaults accordingly. To change the folder type, go to View > Customize This Folder and select the folder type.

You can change how the folder appears manually using the Views button (or right-clicking within the folder). To change the details that are available, go to View > Choose Details.... You can select what sort criteria you want displayed, and in what order. You can even set the pixel width of each column in Details view.

XP can also sort by extra details about certain types of files. For instance, it can sort MP3 files based on the tags specified in them, and it can sort photos by the Date Taken or Dimensions.

Folders created in XP remain at the end of the list, rather than immediately conforming to the sort order (they will adjust themselves when you refresh the folder by hitting F5). This lets you easily access the newly-created folder without having to visually relocate it.

sort.jpg

Conclusion

XP's high quantity of sort options is very impressive. OS X cannot sort while in Column view and lacks the ability to group files for "static" folders; in addition, its selection of sort criteria is meager in comparison to XP's. Though OS X's insistence on maintaining sort order when creating folders is valid in theory, it often is a nuisance in practice - folders can easily "disappear" after you create them if the sort order places them outside of the current view.

Mac OS X: 5
Windows XP: 9

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