use strict;

my @list = qw(b d e c a f g w i l z x p o q s);

print sort @list;
print "\n\n";
jptxs:/home/jptxs $ perl -w alpha
abcdefgilopqswxz

jptxs:/home/jptxs $
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Basically, see sort - a function which will sort on any given criteria that defaults to sorting alphabetically for strings, or numerically for numbers (duh).

Originally posted as a Categorized Answer.