toggling sort between date-descending and name-ascending

[ok_image_viewer]

Version: XnView MP 1.9.5 64-bit (2025-10-12) Windows

Hi - In my use of XnView MP, I am finding myself frequently wanting to skim over images and change between different sort orders. As mentioned in the topic title, I usually go by created date field in descending order. However, sometimes it makes a lot more sense to use the filename field sorted in ascending order.

Let's say a sort "schema" would be a set of individual sort options: field (name, date, size, etc), order (ascending, descending), and Name order (numeric/normal/alphabetic)

It would be great if I could somehow make it easier to jump back and forth between two sort "schema" without having to change all three of those settings manually. So far I have been poking around but not getting anywhere significant yet. I am looking at the following general ideas:

1. scripting using the CLI (ran out of energy already, my brain is full from scanning too many forum posts, lol)
2. tweaking the xnview.ini file in a text editor - I have found some settings under the BROWSER section, but I don't know how to read the values/arguments, e.g., sort=5; sortOrder=0... however if I were to figure it out, then the question of toggling between two alternate .ini files is unsolved
3. using the custom sort - pretty much same confusion as with the xnview.ini file
4. customization - I see a subforum for contributions, but I see mostly custom skins and add-on utitlities, such as auto tagging.
5. using the view -> layout; trying to see if I can define a given sort order to one layout and a different sort to another layout

I'm also thinking of ways to get creative, e.g., by cobbling together an auto-hotkeys script somehow. I'm asking here first, though, because I would really hate to be getting that inventive over a problem that might have already been solved more elegantly by someone else.

[dave80]

I use the Header to quickly change the sort order. To enable the Header click View > Sort By > Show Header. Once enabled you should see a bar containing lots of different attributes across the top of the thumbnails in the Browser. Click one of the options on the Header to sort by that attribute, click it again to reverse the sort order. Right click the Header to add and remove attributes.