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Re: Sorting Strings: How and Why so f$&!ing hard?

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg60838] Re: [mg60802] Sorting Strings: How and Why so f$&!ing hard?
• From: leigh pascoe <leigh at cephb.fr>
• Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 03:57:07 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <200509290941.FAA01037@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

Michael A. Gilchrist wrote:

>Hi,
>
>I'm trying to sort the following list.  I eventually resorted to doing it 
>by hand but would like to know why Mathematica's sort won't do it.
>
>In[1]= Sort[{"AG17.TXT", "BM14.TXT", "CC03.TXT", "GP21.TXT", "IG06.TXT", 
>"SDR19.TXT, AG18.TXT", "CA09.TXT", "CC04.TXT", "GP22.TXT", "PK07.TXT", 
>"SDR20.TXT, BM13.TXT", "CA10.TXT", "CD15.TXT", "IG05.TXT", "PK08.TXT"}]
>
>Out[1]= {"AG17.TXT", "BM14.TXT", "CA09.TXT", "CA10.TXT", "CC03.TXT", 
>"CC04.TXT", "CD15.TXT", "GP21.TXT", "GP22.TXT", "IG05.TXT", "IG06.TXT", 
>"PK07.TXT", "PK08.TXT", "SDR19.TXT, AG18.TXT", "SDR20.TXT, BM13.TXT"}
>
>
>
>Should this really be so hard?
>
>
>Mike
>
>
>
>  
>
The output is in alphabetical order if each term in parenthesis is 
considered as a separate string. However you probably meant to have 
extra parentheses so that each *.TXT is considered as a string. If you 
put in the missing parentheses the output will be correctly sorted.

Leigh

• References:
  • Sorting Strings: How and Why so f$&!ing hard?
    • From: "Michael A. Gilchrist" <mikeg@utk.edu>