[Solved] Shell controls sorting rule (CompareText vs. AnsiCompareText)

[TRon]

Is this not due to

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if not FileExists(CurrentNodePath) then
2.  

It is after all a directory not a file ?

[jipété]

Please post a small project demonstrating the issue.

It is the shelltreeview_custom.zip as found in https://forum.lazarus.freepascal.org/index.php/topic,61347.msg462091.html#msg462091.

Just replaced the last begin-end part of the original procedure TCustomShellTreeView.DoSelectionChanged; with this one :

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.DoSelectionChanged;
2. ...
3.     begin
4. showmessage(CurrentNodePath); // OK
5. //      if not FileExistsUtf8(CurrentNodePath) then // commented out for test
6.       if not FileExists(CurrentNodePath) then // but same bad result
7.         Raise EShellCtrl.CreateFmt(sShellCtrlsSelectedItemDoesNotExists,[CurrentNodePath]);
8.       if Assigned(Anode.Parent) then
9.         FShellListView.Root := GetPathFromNode(ANode.Parent)
10.       else
11.         FShellListView.Root := '';
12.     end;
13.   end;
14. end;

and then, after reading the TRon post, simply comment out the

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if not FileExists(CurrentNodePath) then

line and add below

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. if not DirectoryExists(CurrentNodePath) then // new, better

Now it runs OK but with strange results : after F9 I see one ShowMessage with the ShellTreeview.root string but anywhere else I click I don't see other ShowMessage.
If I click on 6_fonts_Vista folder, I don't see a sorted result.

If I ask Linux to sort by name in the pcmanfm ExplorerFile, of course the result begins with calibri.ttf (bottom of img, "6_fonts_Vista"), but it is not or badly sorted in the top window ("Form1") from shelltreeview_custom.zip.

It is after all a directory not a file ?

I remember that sentence, "in Linux everything is file".
After all, a directory is just a special file, isn't it ?
Regards,

[wp]

Now I can reproduce the issue. I am on Windows, though, with some chance that things may be different. But the issue seems to be that the root node is not detected as a directory which forced the code into the file branch of the "if".

I'd ask you to try the following modification in TShellTreeNode.IsDirectory, and to report back:

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1.  function TShellTreeNode.IsDirectory: Boolean;
2. begin
3.   Result := (Owner.GetFirstNode = self) or ((FFileInfo.Attr and faDirectory) > 0);   // Added "(...) or"
4. end;  

[TRon]

It is after all a directory not a file ?

I remember that sentence, "in Linux everything is file".
After all, a directory is just a special file, isn't it ?

Yes and no 

But, to be fair, the behaviour for FPC changed over the years. It is now required to use the functions FileExists and DirectoryExists as intended.

[wp]

... try the following modification in TShellTreeNode.IsDirectory...

I think now that this is just a workaround without solving the real issue. TShellTreeView creates nodes of its own type, TShellTreeNode, which contain the searchrecord (FileInfo) found during populating the tree. The problem is that there are places in the code where the searchrecord is not assigned to the TShellTreeNode.FileInfo, and this happens when custom sorting is active and the root node is not the root of the file system.

As "real" fix please make the following modifications

• Add a new method CreateRootNode to the private section of TCustomShellTreeView and implement it as follows below
• Call it in TCustomShellTreeView.SetRoot, .SetFileSortType, and .SetOnSortCompare to replace the currently used RootNode := Items.AddChild(nil, APath), and remove the following assignments to TShellTreeNode(RootNode) since they are already contained in CreateRootNode

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. function TCustomShellTreeView.CreateRootNode(const APath: string): TTreeNode;
2. var
3.   dirInfo: TSearchRec;
4. begin
5.   Result := Items.AddChild(nil, APath);
6.   TShellTreeNode(Result).SetBasePath('');
7.   FindFirstUTF8(APath, faAnyFile, dirInfo);
8.   TShellTreeNode(Result).FFileInfo := dirInfo;
9.   FindCloseUTF8(dirInfo);
10.   Result.HasChildren := True;
11.   Result.Expand(False);
12. end;
13.  
14. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.SetRoot(const AValue: string);
15. ...
16.     //Add a node for Root and expand it (issue #0024230)
17.     //Make FRoot contain fully qualified pathname, we need it later in GetPathFromNode()
18.     FRoot := ExpandFileNameUtf8(FRoot);
19.     //Set RootNode.Text to AValue so user can choose if text is fully qualified path or not
20.     RootNode := CreateRootNode(AValue);
21.   end;
22.   if Assigned(ShellListView) then
23.     ShellListView.Root := FRoot;
24. end;
25.  
26. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.SetFileSortType(const AValue: TFileSortType);
27. ...
28.     else
29.     begin
30.       RootNode := CreateRootNode(FRoot);
31.       if ExistsAndIsValid(CurrPath) then
32.         SetPath(CurrPath);
33.     end;
34.   finally
35.     EndUpdate;
36.   end;
37. end;  
38.  
39. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.SetOnSortCompare(AValue: TFileItemCompareEvent);
40. ...
41.     else
42.     begin
43.       RootNode := CreateRootNode(FRoot);
44.       if ExistsAndIsValid(Currpath) then
45.         SetPath(CurrPath);
46.     end;
47.   finally
48.     EndUpdate;
49.   end;
50. end;  

I am not sure about the consequences of the SetRoot "Set RootNode.Text to AValue so user can choose if text is fully qualified path or not" since the "AValue" used in SetRoot has been replaced by the fully qualified root path in SetFileSortType and SetOnSortCompare.


Filed a bug report https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/issues/41373

[jipété]

Hi !

I can't answer your request because your code relies on a function that I don't have: ExistsAndIsValid, and yet I just upgraded to Laz 3.8.

I don't know what to do.

[wp]

Where do you need ExistsAndIsValid? You cannot apply the bugreport patch to Laz 3.8 because it depends on Laz/main, but you can follow the verbal description.

Here are the new CreateRootNode method (which you should declare in the private or protected section of TCustomShellTreeView), as well as the fully patched SetFileSortType and SetOnSortCompare methods (which you just copy over the existing ones). There is no immediate need to patch SetRoot (I just included it in my patch because it contains duplicated code).

Code: Pascal  [Select][+][-]

1. function TCustomShellTreeView.CreateRootNode(const APath: string): TTreeNode; TCustomShellTreeView
2. var
3.   dirInfo: TSearchRec;
4. begin
5.   Result := Items.AddChild(nil, APath);
6.   TShellTreeNode(Result).SetBasePath('');
7.   FindFirstUTF8(APath, faAnyFile, dirInfo);
8.   TShellTreeNode(Result).FFileInfo := dirInfo;
9.   FindCloseUTF8(dirInfo);
10.   Result.HasChildren := True;
11.   Result.Expand(False);
12. end;
13.  
14. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.SetFileSortType(const AValue: TFileSortType);
15. var
16.   RootNode: TTreeNode;
17.   CurrPath: String;
18. begin
19.   if FFileSortType=AValue then exit;
20.   FFileSortType:=AValue;
21.   if (([csLoading,csDesigning] * ComponentState) <> []) then Exit;
22.   CurrPath := GetPath;
23.   try
24.     BeginUpdate;
25.     Items.Clear;
26.     if FRoot = '' then
27.       PopulateWithBaseFiles()
28.     else
29.     begin
30.       RootNode := CreateRootNode(FRoot);
31.       if ExistsAndIsValid(CurrPath) then
32.         SetPath(CurrPath);
33.     end;
34.   finally
35.     EndUpdate;
36.   end;
37. end;
38.  
39. procedure TCustomShellTreeView.SetOnSortCompare(AValue: TFileItemCompareEvent);
40. var
41.   RootNode: TTreeNode;
42.   CurrPath: String;
43. begin
44.   if TMethod(AValue) = TMethod(FOnSortCompare) then
45.     Exit;
46.  
47.   FOnSortCompare := AValue;
48.  
49.   if (([csLoading,csDesigning] * ComponentState) <> []) or (FFileSortType <> fstCustom) then
50.     Exit;
51.  
52.   CurrPath := GetPath;
53.   try
54.     BeginUpdate;
55.     Items.Clear;
56.     if FRoot = '' then
57.       PopulateWithBaseFiles()
58.     else
59.     begin
60.       RootNode := CreateRootNode(FRoot);
61.       if ExistsAndIsValid(Currpath) then
62.         SetPath(CurrPath);
63.     end;
64.   finally
65.     EndUpdate;
66.   end;
67. end;

With these changes the bug is gone in Laz 3.6.

But make a backup copy of the shellctrls.pas file before changing it.

[jipété]

Where do you need ExistsAndIsValid?

Yesterday, see yesterday.png

you can follow the verbal description.

dunno where to get that.

With these changes the bug is gone in Laz 3.6.

or 3.8 but I cannot apply the changes, my Lazarus 3.8 complains about ExistsAndIsValid.
see ExistsAndIsValid.png

But make a backup copy of the shellctrls.pas file before changing it.

As usual.

My original shellctrls.pas version 3.8 has 54513 bytes, the one I find here https://gitlab.com/freepascal.org/lazarus/lazarus/-/blob/b1d3af8d2155442a1fda2ffa1d04c5f00c711a2c/lcl/shellctrls.pas has 59341 bytes.
So I tried to replace mine with this one from gitlab, still bugged... On the 1137 line I get a SigSegv.
See sigsegv.png

Maybe I must apply the lines from your last post ?

Well, shellctrls.pas is a nightmare !
and version control is a disgrace...

[wp]

shellctrls.pas is not a nightmare. The problem is that I (working with Laz main) included the neighbouring line around the patch locations to help you find the location to be changed, and these neighbouring lines (if ExistsAndIsValid) are not available in Laz 3.8.

I installed a fresh Laz 3.8 and patched the shellctrls.pas for you. Just unzip the attachment and copy the unit over its original in folder lcl of your Laz 3.8 installation.

[jipété]

I installed a fresh Laz 3.8 and patched the shellctrls.pas for you. Just unzip the attachment and copy the unit over its original in folder lcl of your Laz 3.8 installation.

Thanks for your efforts.

Now it works.

But in the Lazarus way, that is to say that the one holding the mouse does not understand the results displayed, for example, the sorts "by Name" and "custom (by size)" return the same results, when there are only folders.
If there are also files, ok, they are sorted but just on the left, not on the right, in the Listview, where it would be useful to find the size if we have chosen a sort by size, for example.

Have a nice day.