GNU bug report logs - #5991
[bug#5958 PATCH] docs: document translation of obsolete sort syntax

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From: Eric Blake <eblake <at> redhat.com>
To: 5991 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: bug#5991: [bug#5958 PATCH] docs: document translation of obsolete sort syntax
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:33:16 -0600

* doc/coreutils.texi (sort invocation): Mention the conversion.
---

How about this followup, copying the comment from Pádraig's patch into
our documentation?

 doc/coreutils.texi |    5 +++++
 1 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 0 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/coreutils.texi b/doc/coreutils.texi
index 7561f2a..ed620f3 100644
--- a/doc/coreutils.texi
+++ b/doc/coreutils.texi
@@ -4126,6 +4126,11 @@ sort invocation
 @vindex POSIXLY_CORRECT
 On older systems, @command{sort} supports an obsolete origin-zero
 syntax @samp{+@var{pos1} [-@var{pos2}]} for specifying sort keys.
+The sequence @samp{sort +@var{a}.@var{x} -@var{b}.@var{y}}
+translates to @samp{sort -k <at> var{a+1}.@var{x+1},@var{b}} if @var{y}
+is @samp{0} or absent, otherwise it translates to @samp{sort
+-k <at> var{a+1}.@var{x+1},@var{b+1}.@var{y}}.
+
 This obsolete behavior can be enabled or disabled with the
 @env{_POSIX2_VERSION} environment variable (@pxref{Standards
 conformance}); it can also be enabled when @env{POSIXLY_CORRECT} is
-- 
1.6.6.1

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