Overview
The `sort` command rearranges each line of a text file according to specified criteria and outputs it to standard output. By default, it sorts alphabetically, but various options allow sorting by numbers, months, or specific fields. The `-n` option is essential for correctly sorting numbers by treating them as numerical values rather than strings.
Key Features
- Sorts lines of text files
- Supports various sorting criteria like alphabetical, numerical, and monthly
- Provides functionality for removing duplicates and sorting by specific fields
- Can process both standard input and file input
Key Options
The `sort` command supports a wide range of options to provide powerful sorting capabilities. Here are some of the most commonly used options.
Sorting Criteria
Output and Others
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Description:
`sort` Executes the command.
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Usage Examples
Here are practical examples of using the `sort` command with its key options.
Basic Numerical Sort
cat numbers.txt
# Example Output:
# 10
# 2
# 1
# 20
sort -n numbers.txt
# Expected Output:
# 1
# 2
# 10
# 20Sorts the contents of numbers.txt numerically in ascending order.
Reverse Numerical Sort
sort -nr numbers.txt
# Expected Output:
# 20
# 10
# 2
# 1Sorts the contents of numbers.txt numerically in descending order.
Sort by Specific Field (Numerical)
cat data.csv
# Example Output:
# apple,100,red
# banana,20,yellow
# cherry,50,red
sort -t, -nk2 data.csv
# Expected Output:
# banana,20,yellow
# cherry,50,red
# apple,100,redSorts data.csv numerically based on the second field, using a comma (,) as the delimiter.
Numerical Sort with Duplicate Removal
cat numbers_dup.txt
# Example Output:
# 10
# 2
# 1
# 20
# 2
sort -nu numbers_dup.txt
# Expected Output:
# 1
# 2
# 10
# 20Sorts numbers_dup.txt numerically and removes duplicate lines.
Save Sort Results to File
sort -n input.txt -o sorted_numbers.txt
cat sorted_numbers.txtSorts input.txt numerically and saves the results to sorted_numbers.txt.
Tips & Precautions
The `sort` command is very powerful, but incorrect usage can lead to unexpected results. Refer to the following tips and precautions for efficient utilization.
Useful Tips
- `sort` performs a stable sort by default, meaning the relative order of records with equal keys is preserved.
- When using the `-k` option, field numbers start from 1.
- For sorting large files, specifying a temporary directory with the `-T` option can improve performance.
- It is often used with pipes (`|`) to sort the output of other commands (e.g., `ls -l | sort -nk5`).
Precautions
- Without the `-n` option, sorting numbers alphabetically can lead to results like '10' appearing before '2'. Always use `-n` for numerical sorting.
- The sorting order can vary depending on locale settings. To ensure consistent results, you can explicitly set the locale, for example, using `LC_ALL=C sort`.