Is this at all possible with the way the keys are currently created?

Yes, of course. See the last example of How do I sort an array by (anything)? as a guide.

Would it simply be easier to use a multidimensional hash and then nested loops to try and handle accessing the elements?

Conceivably. However, I think the simplest approach is to extract a single sortable number from each key which you could do like this:

my $index = sprintf("%i.%6.6i", split (/\t/, $key));

[download]

Whether you use this number as the actual key or just use it to sort and then reassemble is up to you.

In reply to Re: Sorting a mixed-format hash key by hippo
in thread Sorting a hash that has mixed-format keys by K_Edw

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