$hash{'1'}->{"person"} = "Me";
$hash{'1'}->{"age"} = "27";
$hash{'2'}->{"person"} = "Wife";
$hash{'2'}->{"age"} = "26";
$hash{'3'}->{"person"} = "Dad";
$hash{'3'}->{"age"} = "54";
$hash{'4'}->{"person"} = "Brother";
$hash{'4'}->{"age"} = "24";


my @sortedKeys = sortHashByColumn(\%hash,"age","desc",[keys %hash]);
		
foreach my $sortedKey(@sortedKeys){
	print "$sortedKey: " . $hash{$sortedKey}->{'age'} . " " . $hash{$sortedKey}->{'person'} . "\n";
}





sub sortHashByColumn{
	my($hashRef,$sortColumn,$sortDirection,$keysAR) = @_;
	my @sortedKeys;
	my $sortType;
	# VERIFY THAT THIS IS A VALID COLUMN
	if(! defined $hashRef->{$$keysAR[0]}->{$sortColumn}){
		print "sortHashByColumn Error: $sortColumn is not a column in this hash.\n";
		exit(0);
	# VALID COLUMN, FIGURE OUT IF IT IS A NUMERIC COLUMN OR ALPHA
	} else {
		if($hashRef->{$$keysAR[0]}->{$sortColumn} =~ /^\d+/){
			$sortType = "numeric";
		} else {
			$sortType = "alpha";
		}
	}
	
	if($sortType eq "numeric"){
		if($sortDirection =~ /asc/i){
			@sortedKeys = sort { $hashRef->{$a}{$sortColumn} <=> $hashRef->{$b}{$sortColumn} } @$keysAR;
		} else {
			@sortedKeys = sort { $hashRef->{$b}{$sortColumn} <=> $hashRef->{$a}{$sortColumn} } @$keysAR;
		}
	} else {
		if($sortDirection =~ /asc/i){
			@sortedKeys = sort { $hashRef->{$a}{$sortColumn} cmp $hashRef->{$b}{$sortColumn} } @$keysAR;
		} else {
			@sortedKeys = sort { $hashRef->{$b}{$sortColumn} cmp $hashRef->{$a}{$sortColumn} } @$keysAR;
		}
	}


	return @sortedKeys;
}