GNU bug report logs - #8394
unexpected behaviour of "sort -n"

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

From: Toralf Förster <toralf.foerster <at> gmx.de>
To: bug-coreutils <at> gnu.org
Subject: unexpected behaviour of "sort -n"
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:17:07 +0200

I'm wondering about the output b/c Im missing 2 strings :

$> echo "X y z 1 2 3" | xargs -n 1 | sort -n -u
X
1
2
3

-- 
MfG/Sincerely
Toralf Förster
pgp finger print: 7B1A 07F4 EC82 0F90 D4C2 8936 872A E508 7DB6 9DA3

Message #10 received at 8394-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Jim Meyering <jim <at> meyering.net>
To: Toralf Förster <toralf.foerster <at> gmx.de>
Cc: 8394-done <at> debbugs.gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#8394: unexpected behaviour of "sort -n"
Date: Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:17:57 +0200

tags 8394 + notabug
thanks

Toralf Förster wrote:
> I'm wondering about the output b/c Im missing 2 strings :
>
> $> echo "X y z 1 2 3" | xargs -n 1 | sort -n -u
> X
> 1
> 2
> 3

That's because you've specified -n (--numeric-sort)
yet gave it non-numeric data.  Each non-numeric
value is mapped to the same "invalid" quantity, and
since three values are "invalid" and you also used -u,
you see only one of them in the output.

For the record, you can reproduce it more simply like this:

    $ printf '%s\n' X y z 1 2 3|sort -n -u
    X
    1
    2
    3

Remove either the -n or the -u and you'll see all values.

I've marked the issue your message created as "closed".

For next time, we prefer that questions be addressed
to coreutils <at> gnu.org, since there they don't automatically
cause creation of a "bug report" that we then have to
classify/close.

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