sortbib(1)sortbib(1)Namesortbib - sort bibliographic database
Syntaxsortbib [-sKEYS] database...
Description
The command sorts files of records containing refer key-letters by
user-specified keys. Records may be separated by blank lines, or by .[
and .] delimiters, but the two styles may not be mixed together. This
program reads through each database and pulls out key fields, which are
sorted separately. The sorted key fields contain the file pointer,
byte offset, and length of corresponding records. These records are
delivered using disk seeks and reads, so may not be used in a pipeline
to read standard input.
By default, alphabetizes by the first %A and the %D fields, which con‐
tain the senior author and date. The -s option is used to specify new
KEYS. For instance, -sATD will sort by author, title, and date, while
-sA+D will sort by all authors, and date. Sort keys past the fourth
are not meaningful. No more than 16 databases may be sorted together
at one time. Records longer than 4096 characters will be truncated.
The command sorts on the last word on the %A line, which is assumed to
be the author's last name. A word in the final position, such as
``jr.'' or ``ed.'', will be ignored if the name beforehand ends with a
comma. Authors with two-word last names or unusual constructions can
be sorted correctly by using the convention ``\0'' in place of a blank.
A %Q field is considered to be the same as %A, except sorting begins
with the first, not the last, word. The command sorts on the last word
of the %D line, usually the year. It also ignores leading articles
(like ``A'' or ``The'') when sorting by titles in the %T or %J fields;
it will ignore articles of any modern European language. If a sort-
significant field is absent from a record, places that record before
other records containing that field.
Options-sKEYS
Specifies new sort KEYS. For example, ATD sorts by author, title,
and date.
See Alsoaddbib(1), indxbib(1), lookbib(1), refer(1), roffbib(1)sortbib(1)
