From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG  Mon Nov  7 19:32:18 2005
Return-Path: <owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG>
X-Original-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125])
	by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6A0C816A41F
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon,  7 Nov 2005 19:32:18 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from david.fleck@mchsi.com)
Received: from sccmmhc92.asp.att.net (sccmmhc92.asp.att.net [204.127.203.212])
	by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id ED0BC43D48
	for <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>;
	Mon,  7 Nov 2005 19:32:17 +0000 (GMT)
	(envelope-from david.fleck@mchsi.com)
Received: from grond (12-216-7-29.client.mchsi.com[12.216.7.29])
	by sccmmhc92.asp.att.net (sccmmhc92) with SMTP
	id <20051107193216m920066jute>; Mon, 7 Nov 2005 19:32:17 +0000
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 13:32:16 -0600 (CST)
From: David Fleck <david.fleck@mchsi.com>
Sender: dcf@grond.sourballs.org
To: Jeffrey Ellis <jellis@dhnet.us>
In-Reply-To: <BF94D1D5.31584%jellis@dhnet.us>
Message-ID: <20051107132817.L3084@grond.sourballs.org>
References: <BF94D1D5.31584%jellis@dhnet.us>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
Cc: FreeBSD questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
Subject: Re: How to sort find results
X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org
X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5
Precedence: list
List-Id: User questions <freebsd-questions.freebsd.org>
List-Unsubscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=unsubscribe>
List-Archive: <http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-questions>
List-Post: <mailto:freebsd-questions@freebsd.org>
List-Help: <mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=help>
List-Subscribe: <http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/listinfo/freebsd-questions>, 
	<mailto:freebsd-questions-request@freebsd.org?subject=subscribe>
X-List-Received-Date: Mon, 07 Nov 2005 19:32:18 -0000

On Mon, 7 Nov 2005, Jeffrey Ellis wrote:
> Well, at least I know it can do it now. The problem -- as usual for a newbie
> -- is that I haven't got the vaguest understanding of what I just read. The
> field part I think I get, but how would I use the first character? I guess
> I'm basically too stupid to get these kind of instructions -- maybe just one
> example for the use of each option included in man pages would help?

Here's a completely different approach.  I ran into this exact problem 
often enough that I wrote a small Perl script to handle it:

#!/usr/bin/perl

use strict;
use File::Find ();

# for the convenience of &wanted calls, including -eval statements:
use vars qw/*name/;
*name   = *File::Find::name;

(@ARGV) or usage();

my (%files, $tString, $reverse);

$reverse = 1 if ($ARGV[1] =~ /r.*/);

# Traverse desired filesystems
File::Find::find(\&wanted, $ARGV[0]);

# sort %files by mod. time, print.
if ($ARGV[1] =~ /r.*/) {
     foreach my $f (sort { $files{$b} <=> $files{$a} } keys %files) {
         # chop off day of week
         ($tString = scalar localtime($files{$f})) =~ s/\w* //;
         print $tString, "\t",$f,"\n";
     }
} else {
     foreach my $f (sort { $files{$a} <=> $files{$b} } keys %files) {
         # chop off day of week
         ($tString = scalar localtime($files{$f})) =~ s/\w* //;
         print $tString, "\t",$f,"\n";
     }
}
exit;


sub wanted {
     my (@fstat);
     # put the filename and mod. time into %files
     ((@fstat) = lstat($_)) && -f _ && ($files{$name} = $fstat[9]);
}

sub usage {
     print "\n",
     "Usage: $0 (directory) [reverse]\n",
     "  examines all files in (directory) and all its subdirectories,\n",
     "  sorts by date, and returns the sorted list, earliest first.\n",
     "  If 'reverse' is specified, files are sorted earliest last.\n\n";
     exit;
}


--
David Fleck
david.fleck@mchsi.com