I don't remember ever searching in a file manager on more than one
criteria, but this time I want to search only pdf files, and I want them
to be in date order.

I'm using win11, but I think the same question applies to win10.

IIUC, I should first sort on Date (Date Modified) and then on Type.

Unfortunately, when I sort on Type, it ignores date and sorts
alphabetically on file name, within type.

When I sort in the opposite order, on type and then date, it ignores
type.

Google ASI says to press Shift while doing the second sort, but that
doesn't change what happens.

Am I doing this wrong, or is there another file manager that allows
sorting within sorting? I've sort of assumed that all the file managers
use standard Windows functions and can only do the same things File
Explorer does. That their differences lie in right click options and
other things not depending on Windows file management functions, right?
This is true in File Explorer and also PowerDesk, which has two columns, extension and type, but the results are the same whicheve of the two I
use. File explorer has Type but not Extension, perhaps because there is
a 1-to-1 correspondence betweenn the two?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Mon, 5/25/2026 12:29 PM, micky wrote:

I don't remember ever searching in a file manager on more than one
criteria, but this time I want to search only pdf files, and I want them
to be in date order.

I'm using win11, but I think the same question applies to win10.

IIUC, I should first sort on Date (Date Modified) and then on Type.

Unfortunately, when I sort on Type, it ignores date and sorts
alphabetically on file name, within type.

When I sort in the opposite order, on type and then date, it ignores
type.

Google ASI says to press Shift while doing the second sort, but that
doesn't change what happens.

Am I doing this wrong, or is there another file manager that allows
sorting within sorting? I've sort of assumed that all the file managers
use standard Windows functions and can only do the same things File
Explorer does. That their differences lie in right click options and
other things not depending on Windows file management functions, right?
This is true in File Explorer and also PowerDesk, which has two columns, extension and type, but the results are the same whicheve of the two I
use. File explorer has Type but not Extension, perhaps because there is
a 1-to-1 correspondence betweenn the two?

You don't need a "second sort".
You're overdoing it.
Only one level of sort is needed for your query.

Break the operation into two parts. Using search,
look for all the PDF files via the Extension Type search option.
That's what "ext: " stands for, Extension.

Try this:

1) Open File Explorer.
In the upper right, enter ext:pdf
2) OK, your results have come back.
Go to View and select Detail. Now, you're in Detail view.
Then, click the Date column to sort all the PDFs by date.

Paul

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

Sorry. Should have been: Sorting withIN sorting in File Manager

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Mon, 25 May 2026 12:29:38 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

I don't remember ever searching in a file manager on more than one
criteria, but this time I want to search only pdf files, and I want them
to be in date order.

I'm using win11, but I think the same question applies to win10.

IIUC, I should first sort on Date (Date Modified) and then on Type.

Unfortunately, when I sort on Type, it ignores date and sorts
alphabetically on file name, within type.

When I sort in the opposite order, on type and then date, it ignores
type.

Google ASI says to press Shift while doing the second sort, but that
doesn't change what happens.

Am I doing this wrong, or is there another file manager that allows
sorting within sorting? I've sort of assumed that all the file managers
use standard Windows functions and can only do the same things File
Explorer does. That their differences lie in right click options and
other things not depending on Windows file management functions, right?
This is true in File Explorer and also PowerDesk, which has two columns, >extension and type, but the results are the same whicheve of the two I
use. File explorer has Type but not Extension, perhaps because there is
a 1-to-1 correspondence betweenn the two?

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 5/25/26 12:40 PM, micky wrote:

Sorry. Should have been: Sorting withIN sorting in File Manager

In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Mon, 25 May 2026 12:29:38 -0400, micky <NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com> wrote:

I don't remember ever searching in a file manager on more than one
criteria, but this time I want to search only pdf files, and I want them
to be in date order.

I'm using win11, but I think the same question applies to win10.

IIUC, I should first sort on Date (Date Modified) and then on Type.

Unfortunately, when I sort on Type, it ignores date and sorts
alphabetically on file name, within type.

When I sort in the opposite order, on type and then date, it ignores
type.

Google ASI says to press Shift while doing the second sort, but that
doesn't change what happens.

Am I doing this wrong, or is there another file manager that allows
sorting within sorting? I've sort of assumed that all the file managers
use standard Windows functions and can only do the same things File
Explorer does. That their differences lie in right click options and
other things not depending on Windows file management functions, right?
This is true in File Explorer and also PowerDesk, which has two columns,
extension and type, but the results are the same whicheve of the two I
use. File explorer has Type but not Extension, perhaps because there is
a 1-to-1 correspondence betweenn the two?

Why didn't you just change your 2nd post subject line?

--
Mint 22.3, Thunderbird 140.11.0esr, Firefox 151.0
Alan K.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026/5/25 17:29:38, micky wrote:

I don't remember ever searching in a file manager on more than one
criteria, but this time I want to search only pdf files, and I want them
to be in date order.

[]

This is true in File Explorer and also PowerDesk, which has two columns, extension and type, but the results are the same whicheve of the two I
use. File explorer has Type but not Extension, perhaps because there is
a 1-to-1 correspondence betweenn the two?

Paul has, of course, answered how to do it without any extra utility.

I would do it in Everything (the voidtools utility): just type .pdf into
the search box, and click on the date column (I have it sorted by that
anyway, newest at top). If you want to only search in a certain tree, copy/paste from the relevant box at the top of File Explorer into
Everything (before adding [a space and] .pdf).
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/<1985 MB++G()ALIS-Ch++(p)Ar++T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Who can refute a sneer?
- Archdeacon Paley, in his book Moral Philosophy

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On 2026-05-25 18:29, micky wrote:

Am I doing this wrong, or is there another file manager that allows
sorting within sorting? I've sort of assumed that all the file managers
use standard Windows functions and can only do the same things File
Explorer does.

Originally Windows did not have this. They used the older function from
MsDOS, FindFirst and FindNext, which produces a list of files in disk
order. It was file managers which implemented sort.

I don't know if later sorting was implemented.

--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES??, EU??;

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.15
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)