File Order on Your Card (or "Where the Hell is that GCODE?")

[DanWake]

If you're having trouble finding that specific file on your card when printing using the LCD because they're all jumbled in whatever order you put them on, I've found a fix. Our printers use the old FAT (or FAT32) format which makes no concessions for file order - that's left up to the operating system. So, since most firmware doesn't do anything to sort you're out of luck. It was bugging me enough that I did some research and found a tool that will fix this: DriveSort (Anerty's Lair)

Stick your card in your computer, make sure the card isn't open in any windows (save/open dialogs, Explorer windows, command prompt, etc.) and open the disk from the menu in DriveSort. Click the arrow next to the third icon ("Sort Current Folder") and select your options - I set mine to long file names, reverse order (more on that below) and made sure that "Subdirectories" was checked. Once this is done, click the "Sort Current Folder" icon to get a preview of what your card will look like. If you're happy with it, click the arrow next to the next icon over ("Save Current Folder") and check the "Subdirectories" entry. Click the save icon, eject your card, pop it in your printer and enjoy being able to find that damned file!
 
On Marlin firmware, the files are displayed in reverse order (which when using an unsorted card does have the advantage of putting the newest files at the top), so you'll want to reverse the sort on your card if that's the case.

[BeeAmaker]

When you save a new file is it in order or is it at the end of the list as before? I achieve the same thing simply by copy the contents to a folder on the hard drive, Quick format the SD card, copy the files back and everything is in order. BUt when I save a new file it again places it at the wend of the list and not in alpha order.

[DanWake]

It would accomplish the same thing you're doing - new files will still end up at the end. This would automate your process, but not anything more unfortunately.

[jimustanguitar]

Oct 15, 2016 21:00:58 GMT -5 DanWake said:

 
On Marlin firmware, the files are displayed in reverse order (which when using an unsorted card does have the advantage of putting the newest files at the top), so you'll want to reverse the sort on your card if that's the case.

Any way to reverse this in Repetier? It always annoys me that the newest file goes to the bottom of the list.