In message <[log in to unmask]>, Olav Kappert 
<[log in to unmask]> writing at 16:32:19 in his/her local time 
opines:-
>I would like to know the background for how the Unix sort works with keys.
>
>The cmd is   ---  sort -t \& -o outfile -k 1.1,1.12 filea fileb  ---
>
>where filea and fileb are the input files and they are both 80 bytes in 
>length or in the unix world as byte stream.
>
>Since there is no "&" character in the file, it will treat the whole 
>record as one field.
>
>When looking at the data, it seems that the key was actually extended 
>for the length of the record or data while it should only be looking at 
>the 12 bytes in the key.
>
>This behavour is counter to the chronical order of the information 
>placed in the file.
>
>Does anyone have a solution as to how to sort/merge the files and 
>retain the chronical order otherwise ?
>
>~~~~~
>Just to make it interesting I also get the following message:
>
>   sort: Warning: A newline character was added to the end of the input.
>
>for each record sorted/merged.
>
>Why and how do you get rid of this message other than redirecting it to 
>$null.
>
>Olav.

Could it be that you aren't getting a stable sort, so the output 
ordering of records with the same key but different following data is 
undefined?
(Even if the sort takes the opportunity of 'undefined' to use a complete 
record sort?)

If so, try adding the -s option to force a stable sort.

Or maybe you need k=1.1,1.12 according to the man page I'm reading, and 
you don't quote an = sign above? In which case it may be that the 
default for 'no -k' is also being taken for '-k apparently on its own', 
and that default is to sort the whole record.

Or maybe you even need both things I mention?

Roy

-- 
Roy Brown        'Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be
Kelmscott Ltd     useful, or believe to be beautiful'  William Morris

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