#!/usr/bin/env bash

# @(#) s1	Demonstrate text block ordering, numeric key, msort.
# See: http://freshmeat.net/projects/msort

# Infrastructure details, environment, commands for forum posts. 
# Uncomment export command to run script as external user.
# export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
set +o nounset
pe() { for i;do printf "%s" "$i";done; printf "\n"; }
pl() { pe;pe "-----" ;pe "$*"; }
LC_ALL=C ; LANG=C ; export LC_ALL LANG
pe ; pe "Environment: LC_ALL = $LC_ALL, LANG = $LANG"
pe "(Versions displayed with local utility \"version\")"
c=$( ps | grep $$ | awk '{print $NF}' )
version >/dev/null 2>&1 && s=$(_eat $0 $1) || s=""
[ "$c" = "$s" ] && p="$s" || p="$c"
version >/dev/null 2>&1 && version "=o" $p printf
msort --version|head -1
set -o nounset
pe

FILE=${1-data1}

# Display sample of data file, with head & tail as a last resort.
pe " || start [ first:middle:last ]"
specimen 15 $FILE \
|| { pe "(head/tail)"; head -n 5 $FILE; pe " ||"; tail -n 5 $FILE; }
pe " || end"

pl " Results:"
msort --block --field-separators=" " --position=1,1 \
--comparison-type=n --quiet $FILE

exit 0

% ./s1

Environment: LC_ALL = C, LANG = C
(Versions displayed with local utility "version")
OS, ker|rel, machine: Linux, 2.6.26-2-amd64, x86_64
Distribution        : Debian GNU/Linux 5.0 
GNU bash 3.2.39
printf - is a shell builtin [bash]
msort 8.44

 || start [ first:middle:last ]
Whole: 15:0:15 of 22 lines in file "data1"
5996544 bytes each:
/path1/to/file1.jpg
/path2/to/file1.jpg
/pathx/to/file1.jpg
... random number of lines
/path999/to/file1.jpg

7 bytes each:
/stuff
/more stuff
/even more stff
/final stuff

591910 bytes each:
/manypath/to/file1.jpg
...
/manymany/to/file1.jpg

1 bytes each:
2-blah 3-blah
...
more blah
 || end

-----
 Results:
1 bytes each:
2-blah 3-blah
...
more blah

7 bytes each:
/stuff
/more stuff
/even more stff
/final stuff

591910 bytes each:
/manypath/to/file1.jpg
...
/manymany/to/file1.jpg

5996544 bytes each:
/path1/to/file1.jpg
/path2/to/file1.jpg
/pathx/to/file1.jpg
... random number of lines
/path999/to/file1.jpg