Method, system and computer program product for sorting text strings

• US 6,389,386 B1
• Filed: 12/15/1998
• Issued: 05/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kumhyr, David Bruce, Hetherington, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): EDOUARD, PATRICK NESTOR
• Application Number:
  US09/211,808
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 704/1, 704/8, 704/9, 704/10, 707/7.101, 707/530, 707/531, 707/535, 707/536, 345/467
• US Class Current: 704/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/53 Processing of non-Latin text kana-to-kanji conversion G06F40/129; vowelisation G06F40/232
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

A multi-field text string contains display characters in a first field and sort characters in a second field. For ideographic languages such as Japanese, the display characters may be Kanji symbols for the text string while the sort characters are phonetic syllabary representations of the Kanji symbols. A plurality of such multi-field text strings may then be sorted by the contents of the second field rather than the contents of the first. Despite both the multiple pronunciations or meanings associated with the same Kanji symbols in Japanese and the unsorted ordering of Kanji symbols within the Unicode character set for Japanese, a culturally correct sort order is achieved for the multi-field text strings. Additionally, the contents of the second field may be altered to artificially promote a specific item within the sort order, while displaying the sorted text strings utilizing the contents of the first field. The mechanism for promoting particular text strings within the sort order does not interfere with user viewing of the displayed text strings.

Claims

1. A method of sorting text strings, comprising:

for each of a plurality of text strings, storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet, wherein each multi-field data packet for a text string includes a plurality of fields each containing a different representation of the text string;

sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string; and

displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

storing an ideograph within the first field; and

storing a syllabary spelling of the ideograph within the second field.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

automatically capturing the syllabary spelling of the ideograph for entry in the second field during phonetic entry by a user of the ideograph for entry in the first field.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

storing a character string within the first field; and

storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the step of storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field further comprises:

storing the character string prefixed with at least one low sort-order character within the second field.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing only characters within the second field as a sort key.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the first field as a first-order sort key; and

for text strings containing the same characters within the first field, sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field as a second-order sort key.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string further comprises:

displaying ideographs within the first field of each of the plurality of text strings in an order sorted by syllabary spellings of the corresponding ideographs.

9. A system for sorting text strings, comprising:

means, for each of a plurality of text strings, for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet, wherein each multi-field data packet for a text string includes a plurality of fields each containing a different representation of the text string;

means for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string; and

means for displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

means for storing an ideograph within the first field; and

means for storing a syllabary spelling of the ideograph within the second field.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

means for automatically capturing the syllabary spelling of the ideograph for entry in the second field during phonetic entry by a user of the ideograph for entry in the first field.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

means for storing a character string within the first field; and

means for storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field further comprises:

means for storing the character string prefixed with at least one low sort-order character within the second field.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

means for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing only characters within the second field as a sort key.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

means for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the first field as a first-order sort key; and

means, for text strings containing the same characters within the first field, for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field as a second-order sort key.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the means for displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string further comprises:

means for displaying ideographs within the first field of each of the plurality of text strings in an order sorted by syllabary spellings of the corresponding ideographs.

17. A computer program product within a computer usable medium for sorting text strings, comprising:

instructions, for each of a plurality of text strings, for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet, wherein each multi-field data packet for a text string includes a plurality of fields each containing a different representation of the text string;

instructions for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string; and

instructions for displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

instructions for storing an ideograph within the first field; and

instructions for storing a syllabary spelling of the ideograph within the second field.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions for automatically capturing the syllabary spelling of the ideograph for entry in the second field during phonetic entry by a user of the ideograph for entry in the first field.

20. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for storing a first set of characters representing a corresponding text string in a first field within a multi-field data packet and a second set of characters representing the corresponding text string in a second field within the multi-field data packet further comprises:

instructions for storing a character string within the first field; and

instructions for storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the instructions for storing a user-defined sort value for the character string within the second field further comprises:

instructions for storing the character string prefixed with at least one low sort-order character within the second field.

22. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

instructions for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing only characters within the second field as a sort key.

23. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field for each text string further comprises:

instructions for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the first field as a first-order sort key; and

instructions, for text strings containing the same characters within the first field, for sorting the plurality of text strings utilizing characters within the second field as a second-order sort key.

24. The computer program product of claim 17, wherein the instructions for displaying the plurality of text strings in a sorted order utilizing the characters within the first field for each text string further comprises:

instructions for displaying ideographs within the first field of each of the plurality of text strings in an order sorted by syllabary spellings of the corresponding ideographs.