sortbib(1)               USER COMMANDS                 sortbib(1)



NAME
     sortbib - sort a bibliographic database

SYNOPSIS
     /usr/ucb/sortbib [ -skey-letters ] database...

DESCRIPTION
     The sortbib command sorts files of records containing  refer
     key-letters   by   user-specified   keys.   Records  may  be
     separated by blank lines, or by `.[' and  `.]'   delimiters,
     but  the two styles may not be mixed together.  This program
     reads through each database and pulls out key fields,  which
     are  sorted  separately.   The sorted key fields contain the
     file pointer,  byte  offset,  and  length  of  corresponding
     records.   These  records are delivered using disk seeks and
     reads, so sortbib may not be used  in  a  pipeline  to  read
     standard  input.   By  default,  sortbib alphabetizes by the
     first %A and the %D fields, which contain the senior  author
     and date.  The -s option is used to specify new key-letters.
     See addbib for a list of the most common key  letters.   For
     instance,  -sATD will sort by author, title, and date, while
     -sA+D will sort by all authors, and date.   Sort  keys  past
     the  fourth  are  not meaningful.  No more than 16 databases
     may be sorted together at one  time.   Records  longer  than
     4096  characters  will  be  truncated.  sortbib sorts on the
     last word on the  %A  line,  which  is  assumed  to  be  the
     author's  last  name.  A word in the final position, such as
     `jr.'  or `ed.', will be ignored if the name beforehand ends
     with  a  comma.  Authors with two-word last names or unusual
     constructions can be sorted correctly  by  using  the  nroff
     convention  `\0'  in  place  of a blank.  A %Q field is con-
     sidered to be the same as %A, except sorting begins with the
     first,  not  the last, word.  sortbib sorts on the last word
     of the %D line, usually the year.  It also  ignores  leading
     articles  (like  `A' or `The') when sorting by titles in the
     %T or %J fields; it will ignore articles of any modern Euro-
     pean language.  If a sort-significant field is absent from a
     record, sortbib places that record before other records con-
     taining that field.

SEE ALSO
     addbib(1), indxbib(1), lookbib(1), refer(1), roffbib(1).

NOTES
     Records with missing author fields should probably be sorted
     by title.









             Last change: BSD Compatibility Package             1