Here is how you adapt a Schwartzian transform to sort multiple fields - this sorts on field 1 first then field 2 then 3. Sorting on multiple fields is explained in the perlman:perlfunc under sort.

@list = <DATA>;
@sorted = 
    map { $_->[0] } 
    sort { 
          $a->[1] cmp $b->[1] 
                  || 
          $a->[2] cmp $b->[2] 
                  || 
          $a->[3] cmp $b->[3] 
         } 
    map { [ $_, split/\|/ ] } 
    @list;

print @sorted;

__DATA__
C|A|A
C|B|A
C|C|A
B|A|A
B|B|A
B|C|A
A|A|A
A|B|A
A|C|A
C|A|B
C|B|B
C|C|B
B|A|B
B|B|B
B|C|B
A|A|B
A|B|B
A|C|B
C|A|C
C|B|C
C|C|C
B|A|C
B|B|C
B|C|C
A|A|C
A|B|C
A|C|C
[download]

cheers

tachyon

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