[Solved] - ExamineDirectory() or OS X bug?

[J. Baker]

The following code has obviously worked fine for years but now loads files out of order. Well, this is not my exact code but posting PureBasic example for reference. It does the same. For example, images in a numerical order.

Image00001.png
Image00002.png
Image00003.png
Etc.

I believe this may be an OS X bug though. An app I made has worked fine for years until some one recently pointed this issue out to me.

Code: Select all

ImageFolder$ = PathRequester("Select Image Folder...", "")

If ExamineDirectory(0, ImageFolder$, "*.*")  
    While NextDirectoryEntry(0)
      If DirectoryEntryType(0) = #PB_DirectoryEntry_File
        Type$ = "[File] "
        Size$ = " (Size: " + DirectoryEntrySize(0) + ")"
      Else
        Type$ = "[Directory] "
        Size$ = "" ; A directory doesn't have a size
      EndIf
      
      Debug Type$ + DirectoryEntryName(0) + Size$
    Wend
    FinishDirectory(0)
  EndIf

[STARGÅTE]

To my knowledge ExamineDirectory() does not return a sorted file list, on all OS.
And if it looks like a sorted list, it is just because of the currently used file system.

[kenmo]

ExamineDirectory() does not guarantee sorted results, even if it often appears so!

I believe it returns the results in the order as the API functions it's internally using. Which vary with OS, Filesystem, drive etc.

I've noticed USB drives (FAT32 maybe?) can return VERY unsorted results.


If you want to guarantee sorted files in your program, I recommend adding them to a String List and calling SortList() afterward.

If the results are mostly in order anyway, the performance hit should be negligible.


** STARGATE beat me

[J. Baker]

Yes, you both are correct but the file naming order has always worked until recently. I will look into SortList(). Thanks!

[J. Baker]

Ok, so if on OS X I have the folder set to arrange and sort by name, shouldn't NextDirectoryEntry(0) list them the order they are in? I'm just having a hard time understanding why they are being listed out of order if the directory has them in order.

[freak]

Directories don't have a defined order. If it looks that way it is just luck or an artifact of the underlying file system. You can't rely on it.

If you need an order, you have to sort the result.

[J. Baker]

That's what I'll do then. Just wonder why it worked that way for so long.

[Wolfram]

I think the order is dependent the way you copy each file.
Try to copy file by file and see whats happened.

[J. Baker]

I think the order is dependent the way you copy each file.
Try to copy file by file and see whats happened.

I'm not understanding?

[J. Baker]

I used SortList() and that worked great.