You can use a variation the "Decorate, Sort, Undecorate (DSU)" idiom (as documented in `info sort`).
$ awk -F, '{print length($1), $0}' sample.dat | sort -n | cut -f2- -d' ' Sent with ProtonMail Secure Email. ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Original Message ‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ On Monday, March 30, 2020 4:30 PM, Rich Shepard <rshep...@appl-ecosys.com> wrote: > sample.dat: > > '648',17,'2011-07-11','Insecta','Plecoptera','Chloroperlidae''Suwallia' > '652',17,'2011-07-11','Insecta','Plecoptera','Pteronarcidae''Pteronarcella' > '895',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Ephemeroptera','Baetidae''Baetis' > '899',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Diptera','Psychodidae''Pericoma' > '901',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Coleoptera','Hydrophilidae''Cymbiodyta' > '907',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Trichoptera','Glossosomatidae''Glossosoma' > '909',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Diptera','Chironomidae''Cladotanytarsus' > '914',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Plecoptera','Nemouridae''Zapada' > '918',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Trichoptera','Hydropsychidae''Hydropsyche' > '919',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Coleoptera','Dytiscidae''Hydroporus' > '920',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Trichoptera','Lepidostomatidae''Lepidostoma' > '922',17,'2010-09-13','Insecta','Coleoptera','Elmidae''Narpus' > '1120',17,'2006-06-27','Insecta','Diptera','Chironomidae''Polypedilum' > '134',41,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Plecoptera','Nemouridae''Amphinemura' > '135',3,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Ephemeroptera','Baetidae''Baetus' > '137',41,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Ephemeroptera','Baetidae''Baetis' > '138',3,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Coleoptera','Hydrophilidae''Berosus' > '139',3,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Plecoptera','Chloroperlidae''Sweltsa' > '141',41,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Plecoptera','Chloroperlidae''Suwallia' > '145',3,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Diptera','Simulidae''Prosimulium' > '148',3,'2004-06-07','Annelida','Oligochaeta','Lumbricidae''Ilyodrilus/Tubifex' > '151',3,'2006-06-15','Insecta','Diptera','Chironomidae''Eukiefferiella' > '154',41,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Coleoptera','Dytiscidae''Hydrovatus' > '155',3,'2004-06-07','Insecta','Coleoptera','Dytiscidae''Hydrovatus' > '216',SC,'2005-07-13','Insecta','Diptera','Ephydridae''' > '1126',17,'2006-06-27','Insecta','Ephemeroptera','Baetidae''Baetis' > '1128',17,'2006-06-27','Insecta','Trichoptera','Brachycentridae''Brachycentrus' > '1129',17,'2006-06-27','Insecta','Diptera','Chironomidae''Tvetenia' > '2060',11,'2012-07-11','Insecta','Coleoptera','Elmidae''Narpus' > '2061',11,'2012-07-11','Insecta','Diptera','Chironomidae''Natarsia' > '2062',11,'2012-07-11','Insecta','Trichoptera','Hydroptilidae''Ochrotrichia' > '8',11,'2000-07-18','Insecta','Ephemeroptera','Leptophlebiidae''Paraleptophlebia' > '11',11,'2000-07-18','Insecta','Trichoptera','Glossosomatidae''Agapetus' > '12',11,'2000-07-18','Insecta','Diptera','Tipulidae''Tipula' > '592',17,'2011-07-11','Annelida','Oligochaeta','Tubificidae''' > > I've tried the various sort options (-g, -h, -n, -k) and they all sort > character-by-character which puts the line beginning with '8' between '652' > and '895'. I know how to do this for cidr addresses but I've no local > reference that works for only the first field. > > Clue wanted, > > Rich > > PLUG mailing list > PLUG@pdxlinux.org > http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list PLUG@pdxlinux.org http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug