Dictionary

sortkey en · NOUN

Etymology

From sort + key.

Meanings

1. A key (field or value) by which data items are sorted.
   • In data-processing terminology, descriptors by which a file is ordered are called sortkeys. (Likewise, descriptors used in searching are called search keys.) A library catalog may be arranged by sortkey 1: author, and sortkey 2: title. 1985, Dagobert Soergel, Organizing Information: Principles of Data Base and Retrieval Systems (Library and Information Science Series), Academic Press, →ISBN, page 200:
   • Output conversion routines may be applied to sortkey items before they are sorted. 1973, Generalized Data Base Management Systems, page 257:
   • Sortkeys are made by picking out delimiting characters and special signs. 1975, Network, Library and Information Science Division of the World Information Systems Exchange, page 15:

Forms

Translations (5)

pl klucz sortowania (key (field or value) by which data items are sorted) · de Sortierschlüssel (key (field or value) by which data items are sorted) · fr clé de tri (key (field or value) by which data items are sorted) · fi lajitteluavain (key (field or value) by which data items are sorted) · hu rendezési kulcs (key (field or value) by which data items are sorted)