Re: please need help: alpha numeric sorting

is there no way around splitting the field.
i have the same problem, i have ports that i would like to order by numeric.
my main problem been that some ports are called a1 - a24 and then b1 - b24
and other devices have ports 1a - 24a, 1b - 24b ect.

-----Original Message-----
From: Markus Wollny [mailto:Markus(dot)Wollny(at)computec(dot)de]
Sent: Friday, August 02, 2002 10:56 AM
To: Raouf; pgsql-novice(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Re: [NOVICE] please need help: alpha numeric sorting

Hello!

The resulting sorting order is quite correct in terms of alphanumeric
sorting. If you want numeric sorting, you would probably need to separate
the leading number from the tailing string, so you had two fields e.g.
"chapter_nr" of type float4 and "chapter_title" of type text (if that's what
it is). Then you could just order by chapter_nr and would get a numerically
correct sort instead of the alphanumerically correct sort. Alphanumeric
always goes character per character from left to right and therefore n.11 is
coming before n.2 - the tailing 1 after the first 1 doesn't matter, because
n.11 is not regarded as n, point and eleven but n, point and two ones in
sequence.

Regards,

Markus

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Raouf [mailto:aimeur(at)prodigy(dot)net]
Gesendet: Freitag, 2. August 2002 10:49
An: pgsql-novice(at)postgresql(dot)org
Betreff: [NOVICE] please need help: alpha numeric sorting

Hi Gurus,

I need your help for this one:

let's say I have 1 field of type VARCHAR that contains numbers (as ascii)
and characters like this:


title
-----------
12.1 cisco ccnp routing
12.2 cisco ccnp remote access
12.11cisco ccnp switching
12.3 cisco ccnp support


I'd like to sort that column in alphanumeric order, like this:

title
-----------
12.1 cisco ccnp routing
12.2 cisco ccnp remote access
12.3 cisco ccnp support
12.11cisco ccnp switching


but if I sort using group by title and order by title asc I have:


title
-----------
12.1 cisco ccnp routing
12.11cisco ccnp switching
12.2 cisco ccnp remote access
12.3 cisco ccnp support
12.11cisco ccnp switching

where "12.11cisco ccnp switching" is before "12.2 cisco ccnp remote access"
because it is smaller.

Is it possible ?

thanks for your help