Quirks when adding Categories

Some users have reported that when cataloguing new items there is a difference in the order of the resulting list of Category subfolders which are created using the "Path As Categories: Selected Folders" Cataloguing option. The difference is in the default sort order and typeface of the folders and subfolders.

To illustrate:
When the source files are located locally - on either the C: drive, CD-ROM, or local JAZ drive, the result is a reverse, descending (Z-A) alphabetical listing. This is undesirable. The folder names and path keywords use mixed upper and lower case folder names as they appear in Windows Explorer.

One the other hand, when the same identical source files are located on a mapped Network drive, the result is a correct (A-Z) sort order. However, all the folder names as well as all the path keywords use all upper case characters.

The sort order of the resulting Categories is fixed - unless one is willing to perform many manual drag-and-drops back and forth). Ideally, the Category folder names (and Keywords created from the Path) should reflect the sort order (A-Z) and case-type as seen in the Windows Explorer when the parent folder is dragged-and-dropped into Portfolio for cataloguing.

This doesn't surprise me. Despite the fact Portfolio is supposed to store all paths in Mac format (i.e. colons not slashes) inside the Catalogue, exporting path fields shows a discrepancy between local (Windows) drives and network/CD, i.e. some paths in Mac format and some in PC. (Error trapping this inconsistency makes the scripting of changing paths for CD-mounted catalogues very difficult.)

This doesn't solve the problem, I'm afraid, but indicates the path handling/resolution 'under the hood' and its visual display to the user is not quite as orderly as perhaps it should be (or was intended).

If you are experiencing this problem, there is a workaround of sorts for this quirk. Ensure that source files are on a local drive, and that folders on the same level, or hierarchy, are drag/dropped together as a group, rather than using a more senior parent directory. This will keep the ascending alphabetical sorting of the categories, and keep the mixed case spelling of both the folder names and path keywords.

Question: Quirks when adding Categories [FAQ00038.htm]
Last Update:- 31 May 2006

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