tldr/pages/common/sort.md

# sort

> Sort lines of text files.
> More information: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/sort-invocation.html>.

- Sort a file in ascending order:

`sort {{path/to/file}}`

- Sort a file in descending order:

`sort {{[-r|--reverse]}} {{path/to/file}}`

- Sort a file in case-insensitive way:

`sort {{-f|--ignore-case}} {{path/to/file}}`

- Sort a file using numeric rather than alphabetic order:

`sort {{[-n|--numeric-sort]}} {{path/to/file}}`

- Sort `/etc/passwd` by the 3rd field of each line numerically, using ":" as a field separator:

`sort {{[-t|--field-separator]}} {{:}} {{[-k|--key]}} {{3n}} {{/etc/passwd}}`

- As above, but when items in the 3rd field are equal, sort by the 4th field by numbers with exponents:

`sort {{[-t|--field-separator]}} {{:}} {{[-k|--key]}} {{3,3n}} {{[-k|--key]}} {{4,4g}} {{/etc/passwd}}`

- Sort a file preserving only unique lines:

`sort {{[-u|--unique]}} {{path/to/file}}`

- Sort a file, printing the output to the specified output file (can be used to sort a file in-place):

`sort {{[-o|--output]}} {{path/to/file}} {{path/to/file}}`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00			`# sort`

Formatted all pages according to guidelines. 2016-01-07 18:31:27 +01:00			`> Sort lines of text files.`
pages/*: update GNU coreutils links, sync translation pages (#15543) Signed-off-by: K.B.Dharun Krishna <kbdharunkrishna@gmail.com> 2025-01-18 18:45:33 +05:30			`> More information: <https://www.gnu.org/software/coreutils/manual/html_node/sort-invocation.html>.`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00
Formatted all pages according to guidelines. 2016-01-07 18:31:27 +01:00			`- Sort a file in ascending order:`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00
sort: add --general-numeric-sort example (#4325) 2020-09-09 18:33:24 +08:00			`sort {{path/to/file}}`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00
Formatted all pages according to guidelines. 2016-01-07 18:31:27 +01:00			`- Sort a file in descending order:`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00
*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-r\|--reverse]}} {{path/to/file}}`
A bunch of new pages: common/: dig, gzip, rm, sort, zfs, zpool linux/: apt-get, shutdown osx/: airport, caffeinate, diskutil, networksetup open, pgrep, qlmanage, say, shutdown, sysctl, system_profiler Edits to existing pages: curl: Added simple download example find: Added iname and size exmaples grep: Edited -c description ps: Added wide lines example ssh: edited -D description, added simple port forwarding example unzip: added list option 2014-02-10 12:36:05 -08:00
sort: add --ignore-case example (#2611) 2018-11-26 04:29:28 +08:00			`- Sort a file in case-insensitive way:`

*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{-f\|--ignore-case}} {{path/to/file}}`
sort: add --ignore-case example (#2611) 2018-11-26 04:29:28 +08:00
sort.md: improve example descriptions 2016-05-10 14:09:55 +01:00			`- Sort a file using numeric rather than alphabetic order:`
Update sort.md 2016-03-30 23:13:36 +08:00
*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-n\|--numeric-sort]}} {{path/to/file}}`
Update sort.md 2016-03-30 23:13:36 +08:00
sort: expand short flags, improve field separator example (#5233) 2021-02-09 15:56:54 +01:00			- Sort `/etc/passwd` by the 3rd field of each line numerically, using ":" as a field separator:
sort: swap examples to introduce options gradually 2016-05-10 14:12:37 +01:00
*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-t\|--field-separator]}} {{:}} {{[-k\|--key]}} {{3n}} {{/etc/passwd}}`
sort: swap examples to introduce options gradually 2016-05-10 14:12:37 +01:00
sort: add multiple columns example (#13094) 2024-06-25 04:30:39 +10:00			`- As above, but when items in the 3rd field are equal, sort by the 4th field by numbers with exponents:`

*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-t\|--field-separator]}} {{:}} {{[-k\|--key]}} {{3,3n}} {{[-k\|--key]}} {{4,4g}} {{/etc/passwd}}`
sort: add multiple columns example (#13094) 2024-06-25 04:30:39 +10:00
Update sort.md 2016-03-30 23:13:36 +08:00			`- Sort a file preserving only unique lines:`

*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-u\|--unique]}} {{path/to/file}}`
coreutils commands: move pages to common/ folder (#2442) 2018-10-17 01:29:50 +08:00
sort: add output file example (#5040) 2021-01-04 15:52:10 +01:00			`- Sort a file, printing the output to the specified output file (can be used to sort a file in-place):`
coreutils commands: move pages to common/ folder (#2442) 2018-10-17 01:29:50 +08:00
*: add option placeholders (#15921) 2025-03-12 21:05:58 +02:00			`sort {{[-o\|--output]}} {{path/to/file}} {{path/to/file}}`