How do I 'Sort by Type'?

I can sort by 'file association' (incorrectly labellled as file type) but this does not sort by the file's data type, only which application has grabbed it.

I would like to sort so that the APE files are distinct to the WAV, which are distinct to MP3 etc. All these are currently 'media files' and do not seem to be sorted beyond that (!) i.e. the file type suffix is ignored completely, even when visible.

Ideally, I would like this to happen as part of the context menu under 'sort by type'.

Thanks

Sorry,an additional but related question ... Using the filetype filter (OK in certain circumstances) ... it hides all but, for example .APE files, including allfolders. How do I stop it hiding folders? I can now isolate APEs but cannot see the target folder :confused:

[quote="Folbo"]I can sort by 'file association' (incorrectly labellled as file type)

I would like to sort so that the APE files are distinct to the WAV, which are distinct to MP3 etc. All these are currently 'media files' and do not seem to be sorted beyond that (!) i.e. the file type suffix is ignored completely, even when visible.

Ideally, I would like this to happen as part of the context menu under 'sort by type'.

Thanks[/quote]

I would agree that "Association" would be a more accurate name for this field. However, "File Type" in Opus means exactly the same thing as "File Type" in Windows by-design.

You can sort by file extension, by adding it as separate field via Folder Formats or Folder Options. Read HOW TO: Understand and Configure Folder Formats to understand how to do that correctly, and add this menu button to your toolbar to help you manage Folder Options and Folder Formats. This button contains a Sort By... submenu in it that you are interested in.

You could also add the Sort By... submenu directly to the Lister Column Header context menu.

Here's what to do:[ol][li] Copy the button code I linked to above from your browser window to the Windows Clipboard.[/li]
[li] Right-click any Opus toolbar and select Customize.[/li]
[li] In Customize mode, right-click on your desired toolbar position for the button, and select Paste to paste the toolbar button I linked above to the toolbar.
The new button will appear.[/li]
[li] Click on the button you just added to your toolbar above to display its menu.[/li]
[li] Right-click on the Sort By... menu item and select Copy.[/li]
[li] In the Customize dialog, click on the Context Menus tab.[/li]
[li] Select the Lister Column Header menu and click on the Show button.
The Lister Column Header context menu appears.[/li]
[li] Right-click on this menu and select Paste
The Sort By... submenu appears[/li]
[li] Drag the Sort By... submenu just below the List menu item.[/li]
[li] Right-click the Sort By... submenu and enable Begin a Group.[/li]
[li] Close the context menu and the Customize dialog.[/li]
[li] Check out your new toolbar button, and the also right-click on any Lister Column header.[/li][/ol]

Sort by extension

You can also sort by extension by Shift-Clicking the Name column. No need to add the Extension column.

Sort by Type

The Type column simply reflects the file types defined by Windows. If a program has merged APE, WAV etc. into a single type then that's what you'll see. You can manually use the File Type editor to correct this by creating separate types for .APE and .WAV.

Sometimes two file extensions should be part of the same type, e.g. .JPG and .JPEG and .HTM and .HTML, but sometimes programs are lazy and create a single type for every type of file they handle. (That's the program's fault though, not really a problem with Windows or Opus.)

Filter only Files

See FAQ: HOW TO: Add and Configure Filter.