Question

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  • #2141527

    Search tool to sort files by index

    by sebastiankuebel ·

    Hi,
    I’m searching the internet like crazy.
    I am trying to find a tool to sort my drawing data. They always come in pairs as pdf and dwg.
    Whenever a drawing is updated, it gets a higher index in the file name,
    Ex.

    Index 0: “[Project]_[Type]_[Drawing]_—_[Status]”.
    Index 1: “[Project]_[Type]_[Drawing]_aa0_[Status]”
    Index 2: “[Project]_[Type]_[Drawing]_ab0_[Status]”.

    …..etc.
    Many different drawings are now stored in one folder, sometimes with subfolders.
    Of course with different old indexes that are no longer up to date.
    I would now like to have only the latest version of all drawings.
    Those with old indexes should be moved to an archive folder.

    Problem number 2 is that the [status] (f/g/p) in the file name is irrelevant.
    Ergo, the last 2 letters in the file name should be ignored when sorting.

    Does anyone know a tool for this? Or one where you can set the rules like this?
    That would be a great help!

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    • #2413464
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      I could be wrong.

      by rproffitt ·

      In reply to Search tool to sort files by index

      But this sounds like a DMS (document management system.) Sometimes you find staff trying to make do with a file manager. There are too many DMS out there so start with https://medium.com/@MarktrHimanshu/top-10-free-and-open-source-document-management-system-ddd4265adf5e or similar.

      Remember that open source means you can tailor it to your exact needs.

    • #2413457
      Avatar photo

      What I would do.

      by kees_b ·

      In reply to Search tool to sort files by index

      1. Write the output the correct dir-command (something with /s and /b) to a text file.
      2. Import that in column A of a spreadsheet.
      3. Write a macro to loop through the rows and fill
      column B with the document name and version number
      4. Sort column B with the latest version of each document on top.
      5. Write another macro checking on a change of document number and hide everything that’s not the uppermost of row of that document.

      You can fully automate this. dir searches and Excel sorts and filters. Both are very good at their job.

    • #2413426

      Search tool to sort files

      by deborasumopayroll ·

      In reply to Search tool to sort files by index

      8 Best Free File Search Tools
      Wise JetSearch
      Everything
      Duplicate File Finder
      Quick Search
      SearchMyFiles
      FileSeek
      UltraSearch
      LAN Search Pro

      • #2413425
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        Re: duplicate file finder

        by kees_b ·

        In reply to Search tool to sort files

        Can you explain how a duplicate file finder would find the highest of a set of files named aa, ab, ac, …, ax ? See the file names specified by the OP.

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