Sorting data in same way as explorer

[chunkymonkey]

Is it possible to sort Excel data in the same way as Windows Explorer? I realise that Excel has it's own sort rules, but can these be modified in any way (other than just by checking different day or date options)?

 

[MintJulep]

Do you mean in the file open dialog box?

 

[pmover]

i do not quite understand the question...

any continuous range of columns can be sorted by criteria choosen while executing the sort command.

are you thinking about filtering data - the auto-filter feature?

please advise.
-pmover

 

[chunkymonkey]

I'll try and explain:

I've got a list of filenames in one column in an Excel sheet (about 200 or so), and I want to sort this column (data/sort command) using the same character order as Windows explorer.

One problem though - I don't know what order that explorer uses to sort the data, I just know that it's different to that used in Excel.

 

[QualityEngr]

chunky,

Are you trying to sort these filenames by date? If yes, are the dates in a column separate from the filenames? If yes, are they formated as dates or as text?

 

[MintJulep]

I think Explore uses ASCII chr code sort.

Create another column, cause it to contain the ASCII codes for the file names, then sort on that column.

 

[QualityEngr]

Chunky,

FYI - Excel's sorting rules are included in the Microsoft Knowledge Base article:

XL2000: Sorting Alphanumeric Text as Numeric Values

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;214282&Product=xlw2K

Text and numbers are sorted differently, which is why I am curious about your formatting and search criteria.

- Elliot