msort provides twelve types of key comparison: lexicographic,  numeric,
       numeric  string, hybrid, by string length, by angle, by date, by domain
       name, by time, by ISO8601 date/time stamp, by month name, and random.
-- man msort

#!/usr/bin/env bash

# @(#) s1	Demonstrate ordering of hybrid strings, msort.
# Requires: libc6 (>= 2.7-1), libgmp3c2, libicu38 (>= 3.8-5), libtre4, libuninum5
# If not in repository, see:
# homepage: http://www.billposer.org/Software/msort.html

# Utility functions: print-as-echo, print-line-with-visual-space, debug.
# export PATH="/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin"
LC_ALL=C ; LANG=C ; export LC_ALL LANG
pe() { for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done; printf "\n"; }
pl() { pe;pe "-----" ;pe "$*"; }
db() { ( printf " db, ";for _i;do printf "%s" "$_i";done;printf "\n" ) >&2 ; }
db() { : ; }
C=$HOME/bin/context && [ -f $C ] && $C

FILE=${1-data1}

pl " Input data file $FILE:"
cat $FILE

pl " Expected results:"
cat expected-results.txt

pl " Results:"
msort -q -l -n2,2 -chybrid -n1,1 -clexicographic $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 5.0.8 (lenny, workstation) 
bash GNU bash 3.2.39

-----
 Input data file data1:
G456 KT1 34
K234 KT10 45
L2 KT2 26
H5 LAF2 28
F3 LAF2 36

-----
 Expected results:
G456 KT1 34
L2 KT2 26
K234 KT10 45
F3 LAF2 36
H5 LAF2 28

-----
 Results:
G456 KT1 34
L2 KT2 26
K234 KT10 45
F3 LAF2 36
H5 LAF2 28