for my $rec ( sort { $a->[4] <=> $b->[4] } @array ) {
        ## Now say $rec->[4], $rec->[3], etc.
    }
[download]

If its really big go for the Schwartzian Transform. You would end up with something like this:

@sorted = map {$_->[1]}
  sort { $a[0] <=> $b->[0] }
  map { [$_[4],$_] } @unsorted;
[download]

The second line (the "<==> part") might need to be changed if you are sorting something other than numbers. This technique is excelent for very complicated structures, very big structures, and is just neat overall :)

minor correction, you need a '->' in the $a in the sort:

@sorted = map {$_->[1]}
    sort { $a->[0] <=> $b->[0] }
    map { [$_[4],$_] } @unsorted;
[download]

and correct me if I'm mistaken (please), but isn't the Schwartzian Transform used in cases where it is necessary to modify the sort key? ie. dictonary sorting mixed case words.
/\/\averick

Thanks for the correction :)

Naw, the transform doesn't have to modify the sort key... its more general purpose than that (though that is an excellent use). It is just a good algorithm for sorting (array based) data that is more complicated (and or a lot larger) than a plain array. Recently, for instance, I had an array of hashes, and used the transform to sort the array by the contents of one of the hash items.

For instance, if we had a phone book or something, consisting of an array of hashes, each hash being an entry ($phonebook[0]{firstname} would access the firstname, for example) we could do the transform to sort by say... or something.

@sorted_phonebook = map {$_->[1]}
  sort {$a->[0] cmp $b->[0]}
  map {[$_{lastname},$_]} @phonebook;
[download]

Now, we could indeed do a more complex grabbing of the field we are sorting by and/or a more complex sort algorithm, one in which we needed to modify the key even, but the transform is useful for this case as well.

--awwaiid

/\/\averick

not intended to start a terminology holy war

Awww, can't we -- please?

Ack -3 and dropping sir!

Sheesh, can't you all take a kindly joke?

Ahhh! -4, -5! She can't take much more of it captain!

for $i (0 .. $#origarray) {
        push @temparray, $origarray[$i][4];
        }
@sorted = @origarray[ sort { $temparray[$b] cmp $temparray[$a] } 0 .. 
+$#temparray ];
[download]