sort(CMD) 19 June 1992 sort(CMD) Name sort - read input, sort data, and write the results to screen, a file, or another device Syntax sort [/r] [/+n] [<] [drive1:][path1]filename1 [> [drive2:][path2]filename2] [command |] sort [/r] [/+n] [> [drive2:][path2]filename2] Description sort acts as a filter, reading characters in a specified column and rear- ranging them in ascending or descending order. Parameters [drive1:][path1]filename1 Specifies the location and name of the file whose data you want to sort. [[drive2:][path2]filename2 Specifies the location and name of a file in which the sorted output is to be stored. command Specifies a command whose output is the data you want to sort. Switches /r Reverses the order of the sorting operation; that is, sorts from Z to A, and then from 9 to 0. /+n Sorts the file according to the character in column n. If you do not use this switch, the sort command sorts data according to the characters in column 1. Notes Specifying a source Unless you specify the command or filename parameter, sort acts as a filter and takes input from the MS-DOS standard input (usually from the keyboard, from a pipe, or from a file). Using redirection symbols with sort You can use the pipe (|) or the less-than sign (<) to direct data through the sort command from command or filename. If you want to display the in- formation one screen at a time or direct the information to a file, you can also specify the more command or a filename. You can use the greater-than sign (>) to direct the sorted output to a file. Before using a pipe for redirection, you should set the TEMP environment variable in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Collating sequence The sort program uses the collating-sequence table corresponding to the country code and code-page settings. Characters greater than ASCII code 127 are sorted based on information in the COUNTRY.SYS file or in an alternate file specified by the country command in your CONFIG.SYS file. Uppercase vs. lowercase sort does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters. Limits on file size The sort command can handle files as large as 64K. Examples The following command reads the file EXPENSES.TXT, sorts it in reverse order, and displays it on your screen: sort /r < expenses.txt Suppose you want to search a large file named MAILLST.TXT for the text ``Jones'', and suppose you want to sort the results of the search. To do this, use the pipe (|) to direct the output of a find command to the sort command, as shown in the following example: find Jones maillst.txt | sort The command produces a sorted list of lines that contain the specified text. To sort keyboard input and display the results alphabetically on the screen, you can first use the sort command with no parameters, as the following example shows: sort Then type the text you want sorted, pressing Enter at the end of each line. When you have finished typing text, press CtrlZ, and then press Enter. The sort command displays the text you typed, sorted alphabeti- cally. You could also redirect sorted keyboard input to a file. Related command For information about displaying information one screen at a time, see the more(CMD) command.