You can't split it up completely, but you could write like so

sub compare
    { (split ":", $a)[0] <=> (split ":", $b)[0] }
my @sorted = sort compare @table;
print @sorted;

[download]

It would also benefit from applying a Schwartzian Transform (ST):

print
  map { $_->[1] }
  sort { $a->[0] <=> $b->[0] }
  map { [ (split /:/, $_)[0], $_ ] } @table;

[download]

A ST is read from the bottom up

  map { [ (split /:/, $_)[0], $_ ] } @table;

[download]

creates an anonymous array with the thing you want to sort on as the first element ((split /:/, $_)[0]), and the original line as the second($_)

  sort { $a->[0] <=> $b->[0] }

[download]

does the sort, using the first element of the arrays you just created

  map { $_->[1] }

[download]

returns the original line from the second element of your arrays.

There's loads of material on the interweb on the ST if you want to know more.

update: fixed a couple of typos

In reply to Re^3: sorting an array with mixed elements... by FunkyMonk
in thread sorting an array with mixed elements... by cgmd

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