Discussion on:

Weed through your files with the Windows Explorer Arrange by feature

Have you put the Arrange by feature to work on your system?

Thanks for this tip on the Windows Explorer arrange feature ??? this looks like a great way to easily sort through files and it seems pretty straightforward. For me, it???s usually easiest to sort by the date modified so I can find what I was working on most recently.
http://tek.io/eFmCpB

So it only works in the libraries? Can you say L-A-M-E! I don't use the libraries, I use file shares!

Good article. I use this in much the same way as you describe.
You can further filter the files by selecting the dropdown menu in each column

In the Type view, I have 488 CSS files but when I click on that group, it is empty. Also Type automatically arranges by name alphabetically but CSS File group is out of sequence between Cache File and CDR file. hmmm...

isn't this the 'sorting by columns' feature that's been in Explorer for the last several versions?

Also, how do you assign Tags to files? Can it be done inside Explorer, from somewhere else in Windows, or is that ability found only in apps?

Windows Vista has a very similar organizational system, but the UI and controls are set up a bit differently. Windows XP has a very limted version of the Show in Groups feature. Windows 7's Arrange by feature is the best of the breed, so to speak.

As to tagging files... Some file types can be tagged from within Windows Explorer by accessing a file's properties. Other file types can only be tagged from within the application. Some file types cannot be tagged.

I'll write an article on tagging files in the near future. Stay tuned...

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Great feature that has become easier to find and use down the Windows. Essential for organizing files and folders. To see in dark holes, around corners and find things you didn't know you had!

I've changed the stored path for the 'Libraries' categories, Documents, Music etc to point to a separate partitions when all my data is stored. I then deleted the default locations on 'C'.
When trying to sort by any field other than Folder, I get 'This folder is empty'. This applies to Docs, music etc.
I don't like my data being buried in the C drive in case of crashes/reloading. Also all data is shared between Win7 & WinXP, dual booting.
Where is the suggested 'Arrange by' going wrong for me?
Regards
Roy Lewis.

After the comments from your last article ???Take Advantage of Search Filters in Windows Explorer,??? I turned Windows indexing OFF. I had many of the complaints expressed about Windows search. Google desktop search is so much faster and less annoying.

I wish some of the old Explorer options such as searching by date modified were still available.

I forgot that the search by date was available. It seems that there were some other options that I use in XP that I couldn't find in Win 7. Will have to look at this some more.

I find Win 7 searches far less user-friendly than what was available in Win XP. A search in Win 7 returns far more useless info than usefull.

I sometimes need to just search folder names and not search sub-folders. Example, I want to find a folder that has a certain client name. In XP I select to not search sub folders and enter the Client's name, or part of it, and very quickly I see the folder I want. I don't see how to do that in Win 7, maybe I am missing that too. It seems Win 7 is not as easy to use when searching as XP is. Lots of powerful features but not as user friendly in some aspects.

Anyone know of a way to add date modified to the arrangement type of the music library?

PUT it in the title - there are still a LOT of people who use other OS's - so if it's JUST a specific OS, please include it in the title; that way I can easily avoid LOSE7 articles like this one. Thanks.

I completely agree! Your newsletter continues to publish tips and tricks for windows XP and inundates us with new ways to use Windows 7 but has never really paid much attention to Windows Vista. It seems as though you assume everyone went out and bought a new computer just because Windows came out with a new OS. This is not the case. I'm running Windows Vista and am really peeved that you treat it like Windows bastard child. I happen to like Vista and have no inclination nor the resources to upgrade to a new OS until I have to purchase a new computer. How about a few Windows Vista tips and tricks every once in awhile.

I hate it when MS has a bright idea - and then proceeds to stuff it down our throats without giving us the option to use it or not. This is not as big an issue as the menu farce they pulled with Office - but the mindset hasn't changed. Big Brother knows best! Yea right.
Libraries. Did we REALLY need another metaphor for a Folder or Directory entry? Sure - they are controlled by the OS - but - so what? Nothing new there.
I agree that limiting Arrange By to the Libraries is very lame. Almost all of this has been available since XP - just a few more options. Lets hope they also made it more permanent since XP kept loosing the sort order.

I can see how this might useful for people who aren't comfortable using the file attribute column headings in Windows Explorer's classic view. Personally, I prefer to simply sort the list of files (details view) by clicking on the column heading (e.g. filename, size, date modified, etc.) In fact, I have so far found no use for Libraries - perhaps because I use my own directory structure instead of Microsoft's default.

Greg, your explanation and helpful suggestions were excellent.
Personally, I'm staying an XP-Pro fan until Microsoft delivers some 'real' quantum leap improvements. Without millions of dollars and a team of programmers, 'i' and another database-app programmer created a better (than MS) file and document management system for businesses and of course power users like you. I watched several MS-tutorials extol their 5% improvement that certainly can help single users, but it offers little substance for SMB's. If anything, it only further complicates the issues, because it depends heavily on MS-Office features and it does not address the need for an organized yet easy to use system integrated with CRM/ERP database information. In business, File and Doc management needs to begin up front, not after the fact. The person or department creating a file stands the best chance of success if they have a flexible system that helps them quickly store the file where the naming and searching are quickly accomplished up front.
We call our homegrown integrated CRM feature o'SESAME~FileRoomCLERK and we would love for you Greg to remotely take a tour with you and me sharing the helm and see how we've done it. It is basically an open source structure. We didn't have a team and a bunch of $$$, but we had time and ignorance on our side and it works. We don't use gray scale scans, we just use the original files, viewers and other independent applications that work together to deliver a simple head-up system. With sincere regards for your work,
DKWagner;
Z0100~20110315TU@124244PM870001;

We are still on Windows XP but many of the features in the transcript are available in Windows Explorer back to Windows 3.1 if my memory serves me. That would be at least name, size, type and date. I would have to check the command line because with DOS it used to be DIR. Because of making changes to documentation in various locations before posting to a shared network location, I also use Winmerge software to help figure if two documents are the same before deleting one. Because of network admins concern for ever increasing retention of data by non-IT employees, I copy my excess files no longer currently needed to CD or DVD.

Arrange By is not new to Windows 7. Arrange By was called Stack by in Windows Vista and was introduced in Vista itself. In fact, in Vista, you can stack by ANY criteria, not just the 3-4 ones that Libraries limit to in Windows 7. And Arrange By does a Group By for some criteria, it's not even a true stack by like Vista for all criteria.