

SORT (1)                    04/15/78                     SORT (1)


NAME
       sort - sort and/or merge text files
       
SYNOPSIS
       sort [-bdfimr] [+sn] [file] ... 
       
DESCRIPTION
       Sort  sorts  lines  of  all  the  named files together and
       writes the result on the standard  output.   If  no  files
       are  given  or the filename '-' appears, standard input is
       read. 
       
       The sort key is  an  entire  line.   Default  ordering  is
       alphabetic  by characters as they are represented in ASCII
       format.  The ordering is affected by the following  flags,
       one or more of which may appear. 
       
        -b Leading blanks  are not included in keys. 
           
        -d 'Dictionary'  order:  only  letters, digits and blanks
           are significant in comparisons. 
           
        -f Fold all letters to a single case. 
           
        -i Ignore all nonprinting nonblank characters. 
           
        -m Merge only, the input files are already sorted. 
           
        -r Reverse the sense of the sort
           
       +sn Sort according to the subfield starting on column n
           
       
FILES
       A series of scratch files are generated  and  subsequently
       deleted.   Presently the files are named "Sn" where "n" is
       a sequence number. 
       
SEE ALSO
       tsort
       The Unix command "sort" in the Unix User's Manual. 
       
DIAGNOSTICS
       file:  can't open
            This message is printed if either an input file or  a
            scratch file cannot be opened; execution ceases. 

       too many arguments
            Printed  if  too  many  files  are  specified  on the
            command line.  The limit is determined by  the  FLMAX
            definition in the source code. 
       
AUTHORS
       Original  design  from  Kernighan  and Plauger's "Software
       Tools", with  modificatations  by  Joe  Sventek  (Lawrence
       Berkeley Laboratory). 


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SORT (1)                    04/15/78                     SORT (1)


       
BUGS
       The  merge  phase is performed with a polyphase merge/sort
       algorithm, which requires an end-of-run delimiter  on  the
       scratch  files.   The  one chosen is a bare ^D (ASCII code
       4) on a line.  If this  is  in  conflict  with  your  data
       files,  the  symbol  CTRLD  in the sort symbol definitions
       should be redefined. 


















































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