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View Full Version : How to Move Data Items/Subfolders Within a Folder?


J-Mac
02-15-2010, 12:50 AM
I am aware of the Ctrl+Shft+Up Arrow and Ctrl+Shft+Down Arrow hotkeys that accomplish this, however that can be very time intensive when moving a number of items.

I made the mistake of right-clicking and selecting "Sort Siblings" in a folder in the Data Explorer. I wanted that folder sorted by alpha and the default sort is by date. The folder has a few dozen data items in it, but worse it also has about 20 subfolders in it. I didn't realize - or probably just forgot - that in UR sorting includes subfolders, not just files/data items like most file explorers. I had wanted the subfolders sorted by alpha at the top of that particular folder, and the data items below them also sorted by alpha.

No problem, I thought. I'll just drag and drop the subfolders to where I want them. But that didn't work; you can't drag and drop a subfolder in to another location within the same folder. For that matter once you try you can't leave it where it was either! It will become a child of whatever item you drop it near. If you drop it into the folder icon/title itself that just causes it to go to the bottom of that folder.

Using the hotkeys to move each subfolder up to the top of the directory takes a long time if there are a few dozen items to pass. I keep thinking that there has to be a better way to do this in UR.

Anyone know what that better way is?

Thanks!

Jim

quant
02-15-2010, 04:53 AM
select several items (just like anywhere else in windows by holding ctrl or shift) and then you can move them at once either by shortcut or the buttons that do that.

Or, you might consider preceed "folder" titles with some letter if you want them to be sorted at the top/bottom. For that purpose I use dot "." (I use it not for folders, but for searches that are relevant for the siblings only)

$bill
02-15-2010, 06:46 AM
Originally posted by J-Mac
I'll just drag and drop the subfolders to where I want them. But that didn't work; you can't drag and drop a subfolder in to another location within the same folder. For that matter once you try you can't leave it where it was either!

To use drag and drop to move items in the Explore pane use shift- left click...you will see the cursor change (up or down arrow) to indicate the move.

To abort a dragging operation ESC then release mouse.

J-Mac
02-15-2010, 03:00 PM
Thank you both.

Bill, Shft+Left Click is what I was hoping for; excellent!

Thanks!

Jim

quant
02-16-2010, 11:45 AM
Originally posted by J-Mac
Bill, Shft+Left Click is what I was hoping for; excellent!
[/B]
just for the reference, there is also ctrl+left click combination, and just like shift+left click, they are standard windows operations to select items.

J-Mac
02-16-2010, 02:22 PM
Thanks quant.

I often use SHFT and CTRL+Click for selecting files, though I haven't used them for dragging and dropping files.

Learn something new every day!

Jim