sortbib(1) General Commands Manual sortbib(1)
Name
sortbib - sort bibliographic database
Syntax
sortbib [-sKEYS] database...
Description
The command sorts files of records containing refer key-letters by user-specified keys. Records may be separated by blank lines, or by .[
and .] delimiters, but the two styles may not be mixed together. This program reads through each database and pulls out key fields, which
are sorted separately. The sorted key fields contain the file pointer, byte offset, and length of corresponding records. These records
are delivered using disk seeks and reads, so may not be used in a pipeline to read standard input.
By default, alphabetizes by the first %A and the %D fields, which contain the senior author and date. The -s option is used to specify new
KEYS. For instance, -sATD will sort by author, title, and date, while -sA+D will sort by all authors, and date. Sort keys past the fourth
are not meaningful. No more than 16 databases may be sorted together at one time. Records longer than 4096 characters will be truncated.
The command sorts on the last word on the %A line, which is assumed to be the author's last name. A word in the final position, such as
``jr.'' or ``ed.'', will be ignored if the name beforehand ends with a comma. Authors with two-word last names or unusual constructions
can be sorted correctly by using the convention `` '' in place of a blank. A %Q field is considered to be the same as %A, except sorting
begins with the first, not the last, word. The command sorts on the last word of the %D line, usually the year. It also ignores leading
articles (like ``A'' or ``The'') when sorting by titles in the %T or %J fields; it will ignore articles of any modern European language.
If a sort-significant field is absent from a record, places that record before other records containing that field.
Options
-sKEYS
Specifies new sort KEYS. For example, ATD sorts by author, title, and date.
See Also
addbib(1), indxbib(1), lookbib(1), refer(1), roffbib(1)
sortbib(1)