GNU bug report logs - #22155
Wrong char count with UTF8 in sort -k

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Message #5 received at submit <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Holger Klene <h.klene <at> gmx.de>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: Wrong char count with UTF8 in sort -k
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2015 23:53:40 +0100

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Hello!

Given a text-file "sort.but.txt" with find-output like this:
07. Feb 2015 15:57 ./mess.jpg
05. Mär 2015 13:30 ./mess.jpg

Basically two columns: a date and a filename
I want sort to discard the duplicate lines for the same file using -u to keep only the first and -k 
to skip over the date column

> sort sort.bug.txt -u -s -k 1.20 --debug
sort: es werden die Sortierregeln für »de_DE.UTF-8“ verwendet
sort: führende Leerzeichen sind signifikant in Schlüssel 1: Sie sollten daher
wahrscheinlich auch „b“ angeben
05. Mär 2015 13:30 ./mess.jpg
                  ___________
07. Feb 2015 15:57 ./mess.jpg
                   __________

As the underlines in debug mode show, the keys start position depends on whether the month 
name contains pure ASCII or the German Umlaut ä.

There's a hint coming up, to apply option -b as this one character offset could possibly be 
overcome thanks to the separating whitespace between the columns.

> sort sort.bug.txt -u -s -k 1.20 -b --debug
sort: es werden die Sortierregeln für »de_DE.UTF-8“ verwendet
05. Mär 2015 13:30 ./mess.jpg
                   __________
07. Feb 2015 15:57 ./mess.jpg
                   __________

In fact, it does correct the underlines, but still -u gives both lines, though I want it to discard the 
second line. You can add more lines for the same file, but sort insists on keeping exactly two: one 
with Umlaut and the other without.

This is: sort (GNU coreutils) 8.23

Thanks for the great utilities.
Holger

-- 
|_|/    MfG
| |\    Holger Klene

PGP Key ID: 0x22FFE57E

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