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From: avr@hou2d.UUCP (Adam V. Reed)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions,comp.sources.wanted
Subject: Re: Multiple Field Sorts in UNIX(tm)
Message-ID: <1480@hou2d.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 22-Jul-87 12:26:47 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou2d.1480
Posted: Wed Jul 22 12:26:47 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 25-Jul-87 01:34:27 EDT
References: <2459@whuts.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories, Holmdel
Lines: 13
Summary: cut and paste, sort and cut
Xref: mnetor comp.unix.questions:3297 comp.sources.wanted:1684

In article <2459@whuts.UUCP>, tes@whuts.UUCP (STERKEL) writes:
> I need a multiple field sort that maintains sub-field order. 
> 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.
> 
> Any hints?

Yes. Use cut(1) to merge the relevant fields in the proper order into a
single field, paste(1) the result in front of the original, sort(1) the
result on the merged field, and then cut(1) the merged field away. This
is a classic UNIX one-liner pipeline problem.
						Adam Reed