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From: kimcm@olamb.UUCP (Kim Chr. Madsen)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: Multiple Field Sorts in UNIX(tm)
Message-ID: <305@olamb.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 23-Jul-87 06:07:18 EDT
Article-I.D.: olamb.305
Posted: Thu Jul 23 06:07:18 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 11:58:34 EDT
References: <2459@whuts.UUCP>
Organization: AmbraSoft A/S (Denmark)
Lines: 19
Summary: sort CAN do it in one pass
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:3319 comp.sources.wanted:1703

In article <2459@whuts.UUCP>, tes@whuts.UUCP (STERKEL) writes:
> 
>  An inefficient implementation of this has been:
>  cat file | sort on field3 | sort on field2 | sort on field1 > sorted
> 
> BUT, this only for sorts that are "bubble" and/or "shell". 
> Using Sort(1) "scrambles" the previous sorts on each pass,
> leaving me with no easy way to use sort(1) to do multiple
> field sorts.

You can do it in one pass through standard sort(1), by specifying the
fields in order.

	sort +1 -2 +3 -4 +2 -3 datafile

should sort "datafile" by primary key field 2 secondary key field 4
tertiary key field 3 and ignoring cointents of field 1.

					Kim Chr. Madsen.