When I copy and pasted 50 files (used drag and drop) from my computer to Audacity, the file numbering changed. In my computer they were named as such: P1 1, P1 2, P1 3, …, P1 50. My computer file screenshot is attached in audacity1.png.
In Audacity, however, the order of files automatically change into P 1, P 10, P 11, P 12, …, P 19, P 2, P 20, P 21, … P 29, P 3, P 30, … and finally P 1 50, P1 6, P1 7, … P1 9.
I imported the files into Audacity, edited them, and exported them back into my computer. Had I not discovered that the numbering in Audacity had changed, I would’ve mislabeled the individual files when exporting back. I believe others may encounter the same problem if the same process is followed.
I thought this would be worthy of reporting. Anyway, thanks for the great update and awesome freeware.
Are the individual tracks getting renumbered? Or are they just getting re-ordered?
I can’t see any reason why Audacity woould generate a numbering that goes from 19 to 2.
Instead, what you’ve illustrated is a classic computer sorting issue: if the program sorts strictly letter by letter, “P1 2” comes after “P1 19” - and both come after “P1 185 andothercharacters”
Several file managers recognise numbers in file names and apply a numeric sorting, so “P1 2” comes before “P1 19” but you can’t rely on this applying the same way in every program. The only reliable method for ensuring items are sorted the same way when moving between programs is to use fixed-width names like P1 01 (or P1 001 if you might ever go beyond 99! - and for safety use a different separator like P1-001, because space is a thousands separator in some locales!)
Thank you for the reply. It helped me understand the underlying reasons.
FYI, the individual tracks are getting re-ordered when imported into Audacity. The files were originally named in Audacity as P1 1, P1 2, …, with one single space for all the names. When the files were exported into my computer, they were in order. But when they were imported back into Audacity, I encounted this situation.
Thanks to your advice, I plan to name my files without a space or with a separator. I had no idea that the space could be a problem. Great tip. Much appreciated. Have a nice day!
