On 9/19/07, Ryan J Nauman < RJNauman%40uss.com">RJNauman
uss.com> wrote:
> I have a hash. I want to sort it by its keys and maintain its newly
> sorted version. I know you can use sort keys but isn't there a simple one
> liner to take a hash, sort it by its keys, and retain the sort from
>; there-on?
No. Hashes maintain an internal order that can change over time as
more keys are added (or deleted). If you want to keep the keys of a
hash in a particular order, store them in an array:
my keys_in_order = sort keys %hash;
Then you can use keys_in_order to walk through your hash in a
particular order. There are also modules you can use to intervene,
which would make what appears to be a regular hash actually one that
always keeps its keeps sorted. The Tie::Hash::Sorted module does just
that:
use Tie::Hash::Sorted;
tie my %sorted_hash, 'Tie::Hash::Sorted';
Then just use %sorted_hash like it's a regular hash, and you'll find
that every time you access its keys, you'll get them in sorted order.
--
So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long
way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with
compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. ~ Luke
15:20
[Mary said,] "Do whatever he tells you." ~ John 2:5
.
