Sort Lines

Line sorting arranges text lines in a specified order - most commonly alphabetical (lexicographic) or numerical. The algorithm splits the input text into an array of lines, then applies a sorting function using comparison-based sorting (typically quicksort, mergesort, or timsort with O(n log n) complexity). For alphabetical sorting, the algorithm compares lines character-by-character using Unicode values - "a" comes before "b", "apple" before "banana". Case handling is configurable: case-sensitive sorting treats uppercase letters separately (A-Z before a-z); case-insensitive converts all text to lowercase before comparison. For numerical sorting, the algorithm parses numbers from the beginning of each line and sorts by numeric value - "2" comes before "10" (whereas alphabetical sorting would place "10" before "2"). Advanced sorting options include: reverse order (descending instead of ascending), natural sorting (handles numbers within text intelligently: "file2" before "file10"), multi-level sorting (sort by first column, then second column for ties), and random shuffling. The algorithm must handle edge cases like empty lines (typically sorted to beginning or end), lines with mixed content (numbers + text), and special characters. Some implementations offer locale-aware sorting that respects language-specific alphabetical orders (ñ in Spanish, ß in German).

1. List Organization & Management
Alphabetically sort contact lists, task lists, inventory items, and bibliographies. Students organize reference lists for academic papers; project managers sort task backlogs; librarians organize book catalogs. Sorted lists are easier to scan, search, and maintain than unsorted collections.

2. Data Preparation & CSV Sorting
Sort CSV data exports before analysis or import. Data analysts sort records by key fields (customer ID, date, transaction amount) to prepare for processing, deduplication, or validation. Sorted data reveals patterns, outliers, and sequential relationships that are hidden in unsorted datasets.

3. Code & Configuration File Management
Sort import statements, configuration keys, or dependency lists in code files. Developers organize imports alphabetically for consistency and easier navigation. Configuration files benefit from sorted keys - making it easier to find settings and detect duplicates. Package managers sort dependencies to maintain deterministic build files.

4. Log File Analysis & Debugging
Sort log entries by timestamp, severity level, or component name to analyze system behavior. DevOps engineers sort logs chronologically to trace event sequences, or by error type to group similar issues. Sorted logs make pattern recognition and root cause analysis significantly faster.

5. SEO & Keyword Research
Sort keyword lists alphabetically or by search volume for campaign planning. SEO specialists organize hundreds or thousands of keywords into sorted lists for easier review, grouping, and assignment to content. Sorted keywords help identify clusters and gaps in content strategy.

6. Education & Learning
Sort vocabulary words, study terms, or quiz questions alphabetically. Teachers create ordered study materials; students organize flashcard decks. Sorted learning materials facilitate systematic study and easy reference lookup.

• Use case-insensitive sorting for general text to avoid uppercase/lowercase separation

• Choose numerical sorting when lines begin with numbers (e.g., "1. Item", "2. Item")

• Natural sort is best for mixed alphanumeric content like filenames (file1, file2, file10)

• Remove duplicate lines before or after sorting to clean up lists

• For multi-column data, ensure consistent delimiters before column-based sorting

• Reverse sort to get descending order (Z-A, 10-1) for rankings or countdown lists

• Sort then deduplicate for efficient unique list creation

• Keep a backup before sorting important data - sorting changes line order permanently