2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

I have new session with an empty timeline and some freshly imported clips in the Clips List. The Clips all have the same names as their parent filenames because I've done nothing to change them since importing them.

Why then if I toggle the Sort by option between Name and File Name do I get wildly different results?

...and why does there seem to be no inherent logic to the way the clips are sorted when I select File Name?

Sort by name:
https://imgur.com/4RWZYOJ

Sort by File Name:
https://imgur.com/7dXW9Pj

If I sort by Disk Name I get results the same as sorting by Name. So what's the difference between File Name and Disk Name?

Lastly, none of these sorting styles follow the same rules as the Mac Finder or Excel alphanumeric sort!

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Look in this screenshot:

Test-Track_01 is an existing Disk Name for the file underlying the whole clip (on the Left) the dialog is for naming just the clip or also the disk file.

On the right, is a whole clip separated once, and on the dialog just says Name, because the clip does not represent a whole file but just a portion of it.

The clip list can sort by Disk Name (which can be the same for a whole bunch of separated clips) or by Name (which to name clips you have to double click to make the dialog in my screenshot, or use the batch rename utility to do for many clips).

Various operations, such as audiosuite or other edit renderings can create a whole array of random but unique disk names, but the clips can be another whole array of random that is sometimes not exactly related to the disk name.

Do you have other questions, or does this make sense of the issue?

edit: one extra thing. alphanumeric sort can be a LITTLE misleading in different parts of a computer. Example, what is first, second, third, and fourth in the list:
Name0
Name1
Name00
Name01?

What if - _ $ characters are in the name?

I would press you to see if it is just a bit odd to pick, or if you see there could be an argument for potential choices for ordering. Especially if a computer program MIGHT sort - before _ and the OS does it differently.

Yes, there are standards, but trouble is more than one. Maybe the hexadecimal software A3 got coded by Windows as MacOS binary 001010 or WHATEVER, but what that represented is - or _ so the sort gets mixed in some other software. So that's a potential issue for sorting. Maybe it's simpler in your situation, or it could be a little arbitrary and convoluted

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Thank you for trying to add clarity. The User Guide says this:
I understand now the difference between File Name and Disk Name but don't understand why they would sort completely differently. I have no child clips auto-generated by edits or renders or anything. The timeline is completely empty at this point.

Edit: And yes you're right it's perhaps unfair to expect Pro Tools to sort by the same arbitrary order as the OS but since all of the other software I use seems to agree on which characters should sort to the top I'm getting frustrated. I see why everyone is migrating to Reaper for programmatic/game audio.

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

One mistake I made:

See screenshot regarding difference between File Name and Disk Name....


Disk name is the volume (your hard drive), meaning you'd have to sort by Disk Name THEN another sort, or it will be a weird order probably.

So maybe what you want is (clip) "Name" and "File Name" to make more sense of it.

Maybe Disk Name sort then is followed by Time/ Date or another parameter, hence the weird order between Disk Name and File Name sorts

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

But my clip names and my file names are one and the same, so it begs the question. . .

I have no idea why Clip Name and File Name results in irrationally different sorting results.

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Also, Reaper is totally free. I was there first, then went to audio school and learned Pro Tools, and at this time I wouldn't consider changing as in jumping ship, but it could be valid route for others. Software UI and under the hood operation is similar to vehicle controls and engines. Add in "SMART" so called technology of present date, and it gets very different what individuals can even learn well enough for themselves. One size does not fit all.

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

That is strange.... When I do sort operations on some clips, it makes sense to me. I'm not sure what the exact state of your file and clip names are or why it doesn't make sense for you.

Hmmm.

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Here is a short clip of me importing the clips into an empty session and sorting the Clips List:
https://youtu.be/-cBDRYC130k

I still don't understand why sorting by Name vs File Name gives different results.

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Did you check the file name in the Audio Files folder? Did they get renamed for some reason?

Yes, I agree it seems very strange without a logical reason

Sent from my Pixel 6 Pro using Tapatalk

Re: 2022.4 - Clips List Sorting Woes
 

Reaper is not free. That's repeated a lot but it is not free.