User-defined sorting

[frankdarwin]

Hello,
When I want to sort photos in my own order, I currently proceed as follows:
I select all the photos I want to move to a new position, scroll to the position where I want to insert these photos by holding down the left mouse button and release the mouse button. This works.
Unfortunately, in my opinion, there is a weak point here.
If the selected photos are far back in the file window and the position where they are to be inserted, I have to be very careful when selecting the target position. Sometimes it happens that I let go of the pressed left mouse button while searching for the target position and I have to start all over again. This is annoying.
Is there a way to mark the target position, then select the photos to be moved and then insert them in the previously selected position?

Frank

[Mario]

Is there a way to mark the target position, then select the photos to be moved and then insert them in the previously selected position?

Yes. That's what bookmarks are for. You bookmark the target file with <B> and later go back to it with <Ctrl>+<Shift>+<B> (next bookmark) or <Ctrl>+<Alt>+<B> (previous bookmark).

Unfortunately, for your use case, this does not really work since "Go to next bookmark" or "Go to previous bookmark" also selects/focuses the bookmarked file - which removes the previous selection.

Tip: If you accidentally lose or change the selection by clicking a file, just use Edit menu > Undo (or press <Ctrl>+<Z>) to restore the previous selection.

Another tip: Select the files you want to move and the file you want to move them before or after. Then use the filter panel to hide all other files. No move the files by dragging them. Ignore the warning about the filter panel. Disable the filter again and see if this has worked the way it should (it might not always, depending on what is filtered, hence the warning).
For your case, this should work just fine and you have only to deal with the files you want to move in the File Window.

[ubacher]

I also have this difficulty when doing a custom sort - and I have two ways :
1. I move the selected files in stages up or down.
or 2. I expand the M&F panel (F9 BS) and set small thumbnails to get all (or at least many) files on the screen.
(unfortunately returning from the expanded panel does not restore the previous layout, A known bug I remember.
 I just load my workspace to recover.)

[Mario]

I have thought about this for a day and made an improvement for IMatch 2025:

When the user uses the goto previous/next bookmark commands, the selection is no longer reset when there is more than one file selected. If more than one file is selected, the prev/next bookmarked file is focused/selected and scrolled into view, but the previously selected files remain selected.

This should help with this particular workflow (and others).

Consider a File Window with 200 files.
You want to reorder 20 files from somewhere in the File Window.

1. You bookmark the file you want to use as the insert target
2. Scroll around to select the 20 files you want to reorder.
3. Press <Shift>+<Ctrl>+<B> to bring the focused file back into view - it is now also selected.
4. Click and hold into the focused file and move the mouse a bit. This reorders all selected files in front of the focused file. Done.