Hi All,

I wasn't sure if there is an easy way to do what I am trying to do and I was not able to find anything on google.

When I use excel I am able to sort by one column and then by another column and so on, but with perl instead, of course...

For example I have a two-dimensional array '@test' that looks like the following. 

1  3  5  6  2
3  4  5  6  7
1  2  3  4  5
5  6  7  8  8
1  2  3  4  5
2  2  2  2  2
1  1  2  4  5
2  3  4  5  6

I would like to make a sub that would allow me to pass in the array and the columns that I want to sort and the the sub output the sorted array by to @test.

Basically pass @test into the sub and sort by column 1 then 2 then 4.

&sortSub(@test, 1, 2, 4); after the sort 

1  1  2  4  5
1  2  3  4  5
1  2  3  4  5
1  3  5  6  2
2  2  2  2  2
2  3  4  5  6
3  4  5  6  7
5  6  7  8  8

Does anyone know of an easy way to do this? Does anyone happen to have a routine that already does this?


After all this is over, all that will really have mattered is how we treated each other.

In reply to How would I sort a two-dimensional array by multiple columns? by dbmathis

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