# Using /fp: files are not ordered correctly
**URL:** https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597
**Category:** Fixed Bugs
**Tags:** bug-fixed
**Created:** [August 7, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597 "2018-08-07T19:31:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2018, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/1 "2018-08-07T19:31:48Z")
1. Open Mp3tag with some folder. Files will be ordered according to the column sort order.
2. While Mp3tag is still open, use the command line switch /fp:{path} to open another folder.
Result: the files in the specified folder will be added in a **random order**.
What's more, when I press F5 to hopefully quickly correct the order, previously removed items reappear in the list.
Mp3tag v2.89a
Win10 x64 English
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2018, 7:55pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/2 "2018-08-07T19:55:15Z")
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> previously removed items reappear in the list.
How do you remove them?
Just "delete" simply removes them from the list but does not delete them from the file system. If you want that, you have to press ctrl-delete
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/3 "2018-08-07T19:59:18Z")
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> While Mp3tag is still open, use the command line switch /fp:{path} to open another folder.
I don't understand: I thought it is not possible to open a second instance of MP3tag
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2018, 8:18pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/4 "2018-08-07T20:18:11Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> How do you remove them?
> Just "delete" simply removes them from the list but does not delete them from the file system. If you want that, you have to press ctrl-delete
That's what I want, I just want to remove them from the list within Mp3tag. But since I'm loading a different folder via /fp: it makes no sense that F5 causes those removed files to reappear, next to the files inside the folder that I actually chose via /fp:
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2018, 8:19pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/5 "2018-08-07T20:19:43Z")
> [@ohrenkino](#):
>
> I don't understand: I thought it is not possible to open a second instance of MP3tag
I didn't say anywhere I wanted to open a new instance. I just want to open a different folder in the existing Mp3tag instance.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2018, 9:54am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/6 "2018-08-08T09:54:00Z")
It's by design that previously removed files via Del or right-click "Remove" are relisted if the directory is read again.
Regarding the sorting: are you loading a new folder via `/fp:` or are you adding a folder via `/add /fp:` or while holding the Ctrl key down?
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 8, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/7 "2018-08-08T11:45:58Z")
> [@Florian](#):
>
> It's by design that previously removed files via Del or right-click "Remove" are relisted if the directory is read again.
Yes, that would make sense, IF the directory that should be read still is the same. But I changed the directory via `/fp:` to an entirely different one. Still, the files of the previous directory show up after F5.
> [@Florian](#):
>
> Regarding the sorting: are you loading a new folder via `/fp:` or are you adding a folder via `/add /fp:` or while holding the Ctrl key down?
I am loading a new folder (no `/add`, no Ctrl). By the way, I didn't even know about `/add`, it's not (yet) in the manual.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2018, 7:49am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/8 "2018-08-09T07:49:29Z")
It's really strange: I cannot reproduce both the files reappearing via F5 and the random sort order. Can you describe the process to reproduce it once more?
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2018, 10:52am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/9 "2018-08-09T10:52:24Z")
**The Return Of The Files™**
1. `mp3tag.exe /fp:somefolder`
2. Select all files in the pane and press Del to remove them from the list. Leave Mp3tag open.
3. `mp3tag.exe /fp:differentfolder`
4. Press F5
Result: the files of both folders are shown. _This can be endlessly repeated, with the files of all previous folders being shown._
**Screwing up the order**
1. Set the sort order to something different than path or filename, such as **reversed** %tracknumber%
2. Repeat steps 1-3 from above.
Result: the files are not ordered by reversed %tracknumber%
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/10 "2018-08-09T12:08:27Z")
Thanks — still no luck here. Are you doing all this via the command line, i.e., `cmd.exe` or in some other way?
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 9, 2018, 9:38pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/11 "2018-08-09T21:38:36Z")
You're right! Oh damn now I get it:
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> or while holding the Ctrl key down?
This causes _both_ of the strange behaviors I've described.
Actually, I was holding down RAlt, because that + F3 is the shortcut I chose for it in Total Commander. But RAlt essentially is Ctrl+Alt. So sorry I didn't make that connection before.
I'm guessing there's no way around this? May I ask what exactly is the rationale of this feature (no sorting when holding Ctrl while adding/opening, and The Return Of The Files™ upon F5)? It's not mentioned in the Keyboard shortcuts page of Help either.
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/12 "2018-08-10T06:04:12Z")
It's starting to make sense!
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> I'm guessing there's no way around this?
Not if the Ctrl key is pressed (either directly or indirectly).
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> May I ask what exactly is the rationale of this feature
Yes, sure: holding down the Ctrl key while performing the `/fp:`command-line action adds the files of the given directory to the existing list instead of loading the given directory afresh. This feature can be used, e.g., to create a playlist including specific files and folders. Often, the order is of great importance when creating playlists, so sorting is not performed in this case.
And for The Return Of The Files™ upon F5: If you _add_ a directory, the previous directory is also still active (even if you removed all files from the file list). As soon as the file list is refreshed, all given active directories are processed again and the files return.
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2018, 12:52pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/13 "2018-08-10T12:52:11Z")
All right, then I'm all informed and can act accordingly 🤣 Thanks for taking the time to explain.
As far as the Help files, as I said, I couldn't find any information on the use of Ctrl while opening a folder, so I think it would be useful to describe this.
Happy tagging!
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### Author:  [@ohrenkino](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/ohrenkino)
#### Post date: [August 10, 2018, 1:13pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/14 "2018-08-10T13:13:54Z")
some of the functions are described in the forum, see e.g.:
> [@Hidden Tips & Tricks - CTRL Drag & Drop](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/hidden-tips-tricks-ctrl-drag-drop/17817):
>
> I discovered the other day you can CTRL drag & drop mp3's into an open panel, adding them to an existing listing. Pretty helpful for how I do my tag cleanup routines. If you just drag them into the panel then you lose the existing listing. Any other undiscovered niceties folks may have found out there? K
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2018, 7:57am UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/15 "2018-08-21T07:57:08Z")
> [@Guillaume](#):
>
> As far as the Help files, as I said, I couldn't find any information on the use of Ctrl while opening a folder, so I think it would be useful to describe this.
I've added the missing information to the help files with [Mp3tag v2.89c](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/455) Development Build. Thanks for pointing!
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### Author:  [@Guillaume](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Guillaume)
#### Post date: [August 22, 2018, 4:16pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/16 "2018-08-22T16:16:43Z")
Thanks, great! 🙂
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### Author:  [@Florian](https://community.mp3tag.de/u/Florian)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2018, 2:12pm UTC](https://community.mp3tag.de/t/using-fp-files-are-not-ordered-correctly/42597/17 "2018-12-28T14:12:22Z")
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