Clever idea for custom sort order, reproducing everytime?

[sinus]

Hi all,
in IM3 we could arrange the thumbs individually, here in IM5 too (custom sort order).

As I understand, here in IM5 the sort order is per category.

Say, you have 5 different events and you wants create a custom sort order. As I understand, this could be done by creating for each of these events an own category, because the storing is per category. So we have allways the same sort order for these events.

But if we have 100 events and more, creating for each event an own category is not very clever, I think.

So, if you arranged a custom sort order, say for a wedding, and you want have also other sort orders, then I see no way to "reproducing" the old, custom sort order.

In IM3, I made it like this:

- Create a sort order manually (if I remember correctly, it called lighttable  )
- Give each file for this sort order a new numbered (1,2...)  filename, using "Smart rename"
- This filenname I stored in the properties (the original too)
- Then I could load again the original filename and to some sorting
- Evertime, when I needed the custom sort order, I loaded simply the numered filenames from the properties, and sorted it normally, so all thumbs have been neatly ordered by my old "custom sort order", and this I could repeat every thime

Do you have a clever idea, how we can "store" in a way a created custom sort order, so that we can "load" these sort order, when we need it?
We cannot save our custom sort orders, I think - or I have overlooked it.

One possibility is for me personally, to the same like in IM3, with help of Metadata (store a numbering there).

Thanks for ideas.

[Mario]

When you create a custom sort order, IMatch remembers the individual OIDs (object identifiers) of the files and the order in which you have arranged them. This is then stored in the folder or category for which you arranged the files manually. This could only be copied to another object (folder or category) when it contains exactly the same files. Which will not be the case for another event or wedding or... (different files).

[ubacher]

I created an attribute (per file)  called PageSequenceNumber.
When I want to store the sort order I run a little script which puts sequential numbers into this field
of each file. This also lets me store the sort order where IM does not store it.

I have a sort preset based on this field - I use it to restore the sort order.

If I need the files in this same order outside of Imatch  then I copy the files while renaming
them with the sequence number as a prefix.  001 filename, 002 filename, 003 filename......
These files sort the correctly in windows.
Works well for me.

[sinus]

When you create a custom sort order, IMatch remembers the individual OIDs (object identifiers) of the files and the order in which you have arranged them. This is then stored in the folder or category for which you arranged the files manually. This could only be copied to another object (folder or category) when it contains exactly the same files. Which will not be the case for another event or wedding or... (different files).

Thanks for the clarification, how IMatch stores this.

So this is not native possible. One way would be, I think, that we would be able to store custom sort orders with a name.
But I realize, that this would be very complicated to create.

So I think, the way of ubacher (what is basically the same, like I did in IM3) is a very good way to solve this.

[sinus]

I created an attribute (per file)  called PageSequenceNumber.
When I want to store the sort order I run a little script which puts sequential numbers into this field
of each file. This also lets me store the sort order where IM does not store it.

I have a sort preset based on this field - I use it to restore the sort order.

If I need the files in this same order outside of Imatch  then I copy the files while renaming
them with the sequence number as a prefix.  001 filename, 002 filename, 003 filename......
These files sort the correctly in windows.
Works well for me.

Thanks, ubacher, I will do something equal.
I will think about, where to store such a "PageSequenceNumber", like you did. Attributes are possible, or also a Metadata-Field.
Thanks a lot for your interesting input.

[sinus]

I created an attribute (per file)  called PageSequenceNumber.
When I want to store the sort order I run a little script which puts sequential numbers into this field
of each file. This also lets me store the sort order where IM does not store it.

I have a sort preset based on this field - I use it to restore the sort order.

If I need the files in this same order outside of Imatch  then I copy the files while renaming
them with the sequence number as a prefix.  001 filename, 002 filename, 003 filename......
These files sort the correctly in windows.
Works well for me.

Hi ubacher
I did now something equal. Since we cannot store custom sort orders, I wrote also a script for this.

step 1) Go to custom sort order and arrange the files in personal sort order
step 2) Select all files in this "project" (what should be sorted)
step 3) Let run the script, what does use an numbering from 001 upwards, behind the real filename (001-20141210-0942-246751-s-ref-kirche-stein_m_v1.jpg) and the script puts this name for all selected files in a metadata-field (in my case "Transmission Reference").
step 4) Create (only once) a new sort-profile, with the wished field (in my case a metadata-field)

Whenever I want now my custom sort order from this project, I simply change the sort order from for example "default" to the (created) sort-profile.

Works fine! Thanks for your input, because I think, that metadata - fields are easier to display, I decided not to take an attribute-field, but finally it is not very important.

Thanks!