PDF XChange Forum

When entering combine PDFs-mode through the file explorer in Windows 10 and you have the files in a specific alphabetical order

P01
P02
P03
P04

and you right click to combine all, they are all opened, but in a different order, could you please make it so that it opens correctly (in a n alphabetical order) – because as of now it seems to get all jumbled up e.g.:

P04
P02
P03
P01

Get the gist?

Hello MedBooster,

I am afraid that this is up to windows.
You might have the files sorted alphabetically in the file selection window (served by Windows), but when you then click the OK - and windows starts sending us those files so that we can populate our list - windows uses a different order and sends them to us differently. We can not tell how the files were initially ordered, and can only order them for you in the way we receive them - so a reorder in our window will also be needed.

Kind regards,
Stefan

Hi MedBooster,

Did you press the right-click button directly above the first file icon after selecting multiple files? In other words, in the first example you show, if you right-click over the P01 file icon and merge them, they should be entered into the PDF-XCE dialog in the same order as they appear in Explorer. This is not absolute, but if you have been operating without regard to where you click, this is most likely the cause. When manipulating multiple files in Windows, it is basic practice to always hover the mouse cursor over the first file.

For example, if you right-click over P02 file icon, it will be imported into the PDF-XCE dialog in the following order.

P02
P03
P04
P01

Over P03 file icon, it would be as follows.

P03
P04
P01
P02

Over P04 file icon, it would be as follows.

P04
P01
P02
P03

However, the cause may be different, since what you show in your second example does not match any of the above examples.

Best regards,
rakunavi

@rakunavi
could be right here

Anyway, if it is up to Windows I guess there is nothing to be done about ti...
like with the color palette custom color dialogue we discussed...

Hello, MedBooster

The best way to get around this limitation is, after you choose the "combine in PDFX" option, simply click one of the headers in the combine files dialog that appears, to re-sort them after we receive the files: Kind regards,

Please fix this or enable an option to toggle it from increasing/decreasing values
It does not make sense that it shows L04 before L01 ... version 386

I am referring to the alphabetical automatic sorting that occurs when you click on "Title"

Hello MedBooster,

If you click a second time - does it not reverse the sort.
There would be a small triangle indicating the sorting direction: Kind regards,
Stefan

The second time I clicked it just reversed to the unsorted order. I'll let you know if I can reproduce this in another session.

Hello MedBooster,

Thanks! I hope it is all now working as it should, however if you do reproduce that again - please do let us know!

Kind regards,
Stefan

If I have a list of 20 files . all with names starting with
P01
P02
P03
P04

P03 will be added first if I right click and click combine from file explorer,


but if I right click on the first file (while having selected all 20 files), and chose combine, it appears correctly (alphabetically), so Rakunavi was right.

Even if it is alphabetically sorted in File Explorer, you have to make sure to right click the first file (the one you want to appear first)

Otherwise they get all mixed up... not just a matter of the first PDF pages getting displaced.

Hello, MedBooster

I am glad to hear you have found some consistency in your use. throughout my testing in the past, that has not reliably been the case, aspects like file size, creation date, and others seemed to somehow influence it and the order could be just as random as it could be steady.

I really do hope that has changed and is more stable now than it used to be.

Kind regards,