


SORT(1L)                                                 SORT(1L)


NNAAMMEE
       sort - sort lines of text files

SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
       ssoorrtt  [-cmus]  [-t  separator] [-o output-file] [-bdfiMnr]
       [+POS1 [-POS2]] [-k POS1[,POS2]] [file...]

DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
       This manual page documents the GNU version of ssoorrtt.   ssoorrtt
       sorts,  merges,  or  compares all the lines from the given
       files, or the standard input if no  files  are  given.   A
       file  name  of `-' means standard input.  By default, ssoorrtt
       writes the results to the standard output.

       ssoorrtt has three modes of  operation:  sort  (the  default),
       merge,  and  check  for sortedness.  The following options
       change the operation mode:

       _-_c     Check whether the given files are  already  sorted:
              if  they are not all sorted, print an error message
              and exit with a status of 1.

       _-_m     Merge the given files by sorting them as  a  group.
              Each  input  file  should  already  be individually
              sorted.  It always works to sort instead of  merge;
              merging  is  provided  because it is faster, in the
              case where it works.

       A pair of lines is compared as follows: if any key  fields
       have been specified, ssoorrtt compares each pair of fields, in
       the order specified on the command line, according to  the
       associated  ordering  options, until a difference is found
       or no fields are left.

       If any of the global options _M_b_d_f_i_n_r are given but no  key
       fields  are  specified,  ssoorrtt  compares  the  entire lines
       according to the global options.

       Finally, as a last resort when all keys compare equal  (or
       if  no  ordering options were specified at all), ssoorrtt com-
       pares  the  lines  byte  by  byte  in  machine   collating
       sequence.  The _-_s option disables this last resort compar-
       ison, producing a stable sort.

       GNU ssoorrtt has no limits on input line  length  or  restric-
       tions  on bytes allowed within lines.  In addition, if the
       final byte of an input file is not  a  newline,  GNU  ssoorrtt
       silently  supplies  one.   In  some cases, such as exactly
       what the _-_b and _-_f options do, BSD and System V ssoorrtt  pro-
       grams produce different output; GNU ssoorrtt follows the POSIX
       behavior, which is usually like the System V behavior.

       If the environment variable TMPDIR is set, ssoorrtt uses it as
       the  directory  in which to put temporary files instead of



                                                                1





SORT(1L)                                                 SORT(1L)


       the default, /tmp.

       The following options affect the ordering of output lines.
       They  may  be  specified globally or as part of a specific
       key field.  If no key fields are specified, global options
       apply  to comparison of entire lines; otherwise the global
       options are inherited by key fields that  do  not  specify
       any special options of their own.

       _-_b     Ignore  leading  blanks  when  finding sort keys in
              each line.

       _-_d     Sort in `dictionary order': ignore  all  characters
              except letters, digits and blanks when sorting.

       _-_f     Fold  lower  case  characters  into  the equivalent
              upper case characters when  sorting  so  that,  for
              example, `b' is sorted the same way `B' is.

       _-_i     Ignore  characters outside the ASCII range 040-0176
              (inclusive) when sorting.

       _-_M     An initial string,  consisting  of  any  amount  of
              white space, followed by three letters abbreviating
              a month name, is folded to lower case and  compared
              in  the order `jan' < `feb' < ... < `dec.'  Invalid
              names compare low  to  valid  names.   This  option
              implies _-_b.

       _-_n     Compare  according  to  arithmetic value an initial
              numeric string consisting of optional white  space,
              an  optional  -  sign,  and  zero  or  more digits,
              optionally followed by a decimal point and zero  or
              more digits.  This option implies _-_b.

       _-_r     Reverse  the  result  of  comparison, so that lines
              with greater key values appear earlier in the  out-
              put instead of later.

       Other options are:

       _-_o _o_u_t_p_u_t_-_f_i_l_e
              Write output to _o_u_t_p_u_t_-_f_i_l_e instead of to the stan-
              dard output.  If _o_u_t_p_u_t_-_f_i_l_e is one  of  the  input
              files,  ssoorrtt  copies  it to a temporary file before
              sorting and writing the output to _o_u_t_p_u_t_-_f_i_l_e.

       _-_t _s_e_p_a_r_a_t_o_r
              Use character _s_e_p_a_r_a_t_o_r as the field separator when
              finding  the  sort  keys in each line.  By default,
              fields are separated by the empty string between  a
              non-whitespace  character  and a whitespace charac-
              ter.  That is to say, given the input  line  `  foo
              bar', ssoorrtt breaks it into fields ` foo' and ` bar'.



                                                                2





SORT(1L)                                                 SORT(1L)


              The field separator is not considered to be part of
              either  the  field preceding or the field following
              it.

       _-_u     For the default case or the _-_m option, only  output
              the  first  of  a  sequence  of  lines that compare
              equal.  For the _-_c option, check that  no  pair  of
              consecutive lines compares equal.

       _+_P_O_S_1 _[_-_P_O_S_2_]
              Specify  a field within each line to use as a sort-
              ing key.  The field consists of the portion of  the
              line starting at POS1 and up to (but not including)
              POS2 (or to the end of the  line  if  POS2  is  not
              given).   The  fields  and  character positions are
              numbered starting with 0.

       _-_k _P_O_S_1_[_,_P_O_S_2_]
              An alternate syntax for  specifying  sorting  keys.
              The  fields  and  character  positions are numbered
              starting with 1.

       A position has the form _f._c, where _f is the number of  the
       field  to  use  and _c is the number of the first character
       from the beginning of the field (for _+_p_o_s) or from the end
       of  the previous field (for _-_p_o_s).  The ._c part of a posi-
       tion may be omitted in which case it is taken  to  be  the
       first  character  in the field.  If the _-_b option has been
       given, the ._c part of a  field  specification  is  counted
       from  the first nonblank character of the field (for _+_p_o_s)
       or from the first nonblank character following the  previ-
       ous field (for _-_p_o_s).

       A  _+_p_o_s  or  _-_p_o_s argument may also have any of the option
       letters _M_b_d_f_i_n_r appended to it, in which case  the  global
       ordering  options  are not used for that particular field.
       The _-_b option may be independently attached to  either  or
       both  of the _+_p_o_s and _-_p_o_s parts of a field specification,
       and if it is inherited from the global options it will  be
       attached  to  both.   If  a  _-_n or _-_M option is used, thus
       implying a _-_b option, the _-_b option is taken to  apply  to
       both  the  _+_p_o_s and the _-_p_o_s parts of a key specification.
       Keys may span multiple fields.














                                                                3


