ddlSort Examples:
Suppose you isolate CUSTOMERS records and want to SORT the names in alphabetical order and PRINT the names and ages.

                CLEAR A
                FILL A CUSTOMERS
                SORT A BY NAME
                PRINT A NAME AGE

You can sort by more than one field at a time:

                SORT A BY AGE CITY
                PRINT A NAME AGE CITY

produces a list of customers sorted first by their age. Within each age group, the cities are sorted in ascending alphabetical order.

The order in which you list the field names to be sorted decides the precedence of the sort.

If you change the above SORT command so that CITY comes first:

                SORT A BY CITY AGE
                PRINT A NAME AGE CITY

you get a list of customers where the primary sort is by CITY in alphabetical order. Within cities, the ages are sorted in ascending order.

In the last command, if you want the ages to sort in descending order (ascending is the default) you place a "D" before the AGE

                SORT A BY CITY D AGE


Caution! If you SORT globally, you should PRINT (or Read) globally.

If you SORT specifically, you should PRINT (or Read) specifically.

For example:

                FIND A WHERE STATUS=OK
                SORT A CUSTOMERS BY AGE
                PRINT A CUSTOMERS NAME AGE

is a correct command sequence.

Suppose the SORT and PRINT are expressed this way:

                SORT A CUSTOMERS BY AGE
                PRINT A NAME AGE

the results display as unsorted. That's because it was A CUSTOMERS that was sorted, and the PRINT was directed at just A.

Conversely, if you do the following:

                SORT A BY AGE
                PRINT A CUSTOMERS NAME AGE

the results display as unsorted. The SORT was directed at A and the PRINT was directed at A CUSTOMERS.