Re: [StrongED] searching for last word in a field

[Gavin Wraith <gavin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In message <d0c1346257.gavin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
          Gavin Wraith <gavin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>In message <a36f336257.jim@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>          Jim Nagel <stred@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
>>Yes, but the puzzle is how to sort not by the first word but by the 
>>surname -- which might be the second, third, fourth or fifth word in the 
>>first column.
>
>
>In the script I posted I am assuming that a surname is the first word
>followed by a tab in a line preceded by a blank line. "Word" means
>any nonempty sequence of characters not containing a tab or a blank
>space. The script simply prepends the surname, followed by a tab,
>to the line containing it.
>
>Is that what is required?

Of course, Jim, you may end up with lots of people called "Esq".
I do not know how exotic your address list is, for many cultures
do not have surnames, or if they do, do not necessarily write them
last. With "Gaius Julius Caesar", for example, we have praenomen
"Gaius", gentilicium "Julius" and cognomen "Caesar". Which is the
surname? None of them, for such a thing did not exist in his day.
Then some surnames have spaces in them: "Le Mesurier". To do it all
properly we may need a much more involved algorithm. I believe there was
a chap who called himself "@cock" but Somerset House demurred.

--
Gavin Wraith (gavin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx)
Home page: http://www.wra1th.plus.com/

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