How to input TAB character

[Ambatim]

I have a TAB delimited file. I want to sort the file on the second field...
I am trying to use the sort command for this...
In the sort command how can I specify/input the TAB character as the delimiter, for the flag -t.
The command I want to use is sort -t<TAB> -k2,2 <filename>
For the flag -t...how to specify/input the TAB character..?
Any ideas...?

Thanks in advance
Mallik

 

[feherke]

Hi

[gray]# bash[/gray]
sort -t[red]$'\t'[/red] -k2,2 <filename>

[gray]# ksh[/gray]
sort -t[red]$(echo "\t")[/red] -k2,2 <filename>

Feherke.

http://rootshell.be/~feherke/

 

[feherke]

Hi

Sorry, the [tt]ksh[/tt] way needs quotes :

sort -t"$(echo '\t')" -k2,2 <filename>

Feherke.

http://rootshell.be/~feherke/

 

[p5wizard]

You shouldn't need any t flag??? or do you have lines with an empty first field that mess up your field numbers?

Sort Keys

A sort key is a portion of an input line that is specified by a field
number and a column number. Fields are parts of input lines that are
separated by field separators. The default field separator is a
sequence of one or more consecutive blank characters. A different field
separator can be specified using the -t flag. The tab and the space
characters are the blank characters in the C and English Language
locales.



HTH,

p5wizard

 

[Ambatim]

I tried both of them it gives error as

$ sort -t$'\t' -k2,2 t
Usage: sort [-Abcdfimnru] [-T Directory] [-t Character] [-o File]
[-y[Kilobytes]] [-z Recordsize] [-k Keydefinition]...
[[+Position1][-Position2]]... [File]...

$ sort -t$(echo "\t") -k2,2 t
Usage: sort [-Abcdfimnru] [-T Directory] [-t Character] [-o File]
[-y[Kilobytes]] [-z Recordsize] [-k Keydefinition]...
[[+Position1][-Position2]]... [File]...


Thanks in advance
Mallik

 

[Ambatim]

Thanks p5wizard....I understood and got the result...
Thanks feherke anyway..

Thanks in advance
Mallik