The purpose of Program Easysort is to sort a fixed length data file in an ascending alphanumeric sort starting with any character position in the data record. A fixed length data file is one in which all of the records have the same record length. Program Scientry creates fixed length data files.

 To execute Program Easysort, after the >>? prompt type

  >>? RUN EASYSORT

 Program Easysort responds
  THE SCI PROGRAM, EASYSORT
  ENTER:
   1. THE INPUT FILE NAME
   2. THE OUTPUT FILE NAME
   3. 
   4. 
  ?

 where the INPUT FILE NAME is the file which contains the data to be sorted.
 OUTPUT FILE NAME is the file where the sorted information is placed.
 START OF STRING is the number which specifies the starting character position
of the field containing the information to be sorted. Look in the format file
to find this information.
 LENGTH OF STRING is the number which specifies the number of characters to be
used when the information is sorted. It may be less than or more than the
field length.

 X may be given as an optional fifth word. X causes the input order to be
maintained during the sort. Otherwise, an ascending alphabetic input sort may
become a descending alphabetic sort in the output file.

Program Easysort requires fixed length records. A file created using Program
Sciedit may be sorted if the information to be sorted is placed beginning in
the same character location on each lines and if each line is made a fixed
length record. This is accomplished by placing a period in the same character
location or by running Program Repair.