This ought to do it. WARNING: barely tested. 
#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use Data::Dumper;

my @advocates = (
    {
        fld_title => 'Rec1',
        fld_type => 'National',
    },
    {
        fld_title => 'Rec2',
        fld_type => 'State',
    },
    {
        fld_title => 'Rec3',
        fld_type => 'Local',
    },

);

my %map = (
  local => 1,
  state => 2,
  national => 3
           );

my @sorted_advocates =
  map {$_->[1]}
   sort {$a->[0] <=> $b->[0]}
    map {[$map{lc($_->{fld_type})},$_]} @advocates;

warn Dumper("unsorted_advocates", \@advocates);
warn Dumper("sorted_advocates", \@sorted_advocates);

[download]


-pete
"Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere."

In reply to Re: Efficiently sorting array by non-alpha strings by dreadpiratepeter
in thread Efficiently sorting array by non-alpha strings by knowmad

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