Sorting Options

DEVONthink Tips
1

I’m trying to find out how to set different sorting preferences for different areas in DevonThink. Whenever I change the sort setting (view>sort), it changes the setting for all folders and sub-folders. I would like to be able to sort by label in the main view, but then sort by kind within specific folders and sub-folders. This is because in the sort by label option, documents are above folders, unless you label them with a “lower” color. I’d like the sub-folders to come to the top of the folders in which they are embedded, but I don’t really want to have to label every document and sub-folder individually in order to make this happen.

Is it possible to use different sorting settings for different folder? If not, why not?

Thanks a lot,
Matthew

2

Yes. You will see the maximum sorting flexibility in Vertical Split and Horizontal split, as you can change sorting of the group order in those views.

You can have different sorts in different groups.

And you can have multiple views open with different sorts.

And you can add columns to views, using View > Columns > … and sort by them, as well.

3

Bill,
Thanks for your response. The response time on this board is great. I still don’t quite see how to set up different sorting choices, however. I am in vertical split, and have, say, 20 main files. Within those files there are sub-files and documents (unfiled). When I select either a main file or a sub-file, and try to change the sorting option on it alone, Devon re-orders all the main files to the new sorting option. That is to say, I can’t preserve the master sorting option for the list of main files, and establish a different sorting option within a particular file.

I’d rather not use the view>column option, as that takes up screen space. How exactly to stop Devon from re-ordering all files everytime I change the sort option for a single file?

Thanks again
Matthew

4

Hi, Matthew. What do you mean by ‘main file’ and ‘sub-file’?

Note that it’s recommended that you don’t store a mixture of documents and groups together.

Suggestion: You really shouldn’t have documents stored at the top level of your database – only groups. So why not create a new group name “Unfiled”? Switch to the Three-Panes view. Select all of the documents that are visible when no group is selected. Control-click and choose the option ‘Move To’. Now choose "Unfiled’ as the destination. Now you won’t have mixed documents and groups at the top level.

While in Three-Panes, click on a group that contains documents. Click in the documents pane and select View > Sort. Sort by any characteristic you choose. Now choose a different group and sort its contents by a different characteristic. That works.