[FEAT] Implement "Sort by Duration" parameter for efficient video indexing

[Aristta]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Yes. As Lap grows into a comprehensive media manager, navigating directories heavy with video files becomes cumbersome. Currently, users lack a way to logically order media by time length. When trying to locate a specific long-form recording among dozens of short clips, or when visually identifying duplicated exports, users are forced to manually inspect files. Sorting by "File Size" is an inaccurate proxy, as a short, high-bitrate file can be larger than a lengthy, low-bitrate one.

Describe the solution you'd like
I propose adding a "Duration" metric to the existing sorting parameters (Ascending / Descending).

Technical implementation considerations for a mixed-media library:

1. Metadata Parsing: The system should utilize the parsed duration metadata (extracted from container headers like the MP4 moov atom).
2. Handling Images (Windows Explorer Pattern): Since Lap handles both photos and videos, it should mimic the established behavior of the Windows File Explorer. Still images (which inherently have a null or 0 duration) should be cleanly grouped together and placed after the video files in the sorted list. This ensures the visual hierarchy of video files remains predictable and intuitive for desktop users.

Describe alternatives you've considered

• Sorting by File Size: Rejected. As mentioned, variations in codecs and bitrates make file size a completely unreliable indicator of a video's actual length.
• Manual Inspection: Hovering over or opening each file to check the duration badge is unscalable for large archives.

Additional context
"Sort by Duration" is not just a feature of professional DAM systems and video platforms (like YouTube), but a native, baseline capability of the Windows File Explorer. Replicating this native OS behavior inside Lap will significantly accelerate the culling and organizational workflows for users, keeping them within the application rather than forcing them to fall back to the system explorer to find a specific video.

[julyx10]

Thanks for the feedback. Sorting by duration would actually be very easy to implement. The main thing I’m concerned about is adding too many sorting options and making the UI feel overly complicated.

I’ll think it through carefully. Thanks again for the suggestion!

[Aristta]

I completely agree with your concern. Keeping the UI clean and avoiding "feature creep" is exactly why Lap is so appealing in the first place.

If duration sorting is easy to implement under the hood, we could handle the UI complexity using standard UX patterns that maintain a minimalist feel without sacrificing functionality. Here are a few approaches used by other major file managers to keep menus clean:

1. Semantic Grouping (Visual Dividers)
Instead of a flat, overwhelming list, the dropdown can be visually chunked using subtle horizontal separators. For example, grouping time-based metrics (Date Taken, Created, Modified, Duration) together, separating them from Name/Size, and putting technical/fringe options at the bottom.
Used by: macOS Finder, Adobe Lightroom.

2. Progressive Disclosure ("More..." submenu)
Keep the default list strictly to the essentials (Name, Date, Size, Ascending/Descending). Move everything else into a "More options..." sub-menu or dialog. This allows advanced users to customize their workflow while keeping the default UI lightweight.
Used by: Windows 11 File Explorer.

3. Context-Aware Visibility (Dynamic UI)
This might be the most elegant solution for Lap. The "Sort by Duration" option only appears in the menu if the currently viewed directory actually contains video or audio files. If the user is browsing a folder of purely still images, the option stays hidden, keeping the UI perfectly lean.
Used by: Smart DAMs (like Eagle) and modern media players.

From a practical standpoint, when organizing long recorded sets alongside short promotional clips, sorting by duration becomes just as critical as sorting by size. But I totally trust your judgment on which UI approach (if any) best fits Lap's long-term design philosophy!