#!/usr/bin/perl -w

use strict;

my @data = (
	{ name => 'jim', age => 16 },
	{ name => 'bob', age => 18 },
);

sub sort_me {
	my $field = shift;
	if ($field eq "name") {
		return sub { $a->{$field} cmp $b->{$field} };
	} else {
		return sub { $a->{$field} <=> $b->{$field} };
	}
}

my @sorted;

my $type = sort_me("name");
@sorted = sort $type @data;
$type = sort_me("age");
@sorted = sort $type @data;