Sort Lines

Sort lines alphabetically (Unicode order or locale-aware), numerically (8 vs 80 vs 800 the right way), by length (shortest to longest), or reverse any of the above. Case-insensitive optional. Useful for cleaning lists, ordering imports, organizing config files.

When sorting matters

Sorting brings order; ordered data dedups, diffs, and grep cleanly. Common cases:

• Order imports — alphabetical by package name
• Sort an export — for stable diff between exports across runs
• Build a sortedset — alphabetical with case-insensitive optional
• Stable test fixtures — sorted input gives predictable test snapshots

Numerical caveat

Most “natural” sort tools handle the 8.txt / 80.txt case via numeric prefix detection. Ours does too. For pure lexicographic sort (which would put 80.txt before 8.txt), pick the Lexicographic mode.

Common workflows

Sort a CSV before diffing. Sort both files, diff line-by-line; ordering noise vanishes.

Order an alphabetical glossary. Paste terms (one per line), sort, paste into your docs.

Reorder import statements. Many editors do this on save; for files outside the editor’s scope (legacy code, generated files), the tool stands in.

Group log lines. Sort first, then dedupe, surfaces clusters.

Last updated: 2025-01-15