how to put a text file into alpha order?

[wizzardking]

Ok, heres the situation,

I'm creating a mailing list by letting people comeup to a computer at a show and enter thier email address into an input box, then the program writes the email address to a standard textfile using filewriteline etc etc..

So now I got this huge email database (about 500 names not that huge eh) and I want to put it into alpha order, but not just displyed if read into an array but actually rewrite the file in alpha order..

When I started this I thought this will be easy I did this in like 6th grade with trsbasic.. (Ok showing my age) but now I can't figure out the logic loop to save my life.. PLEASE HELP!!

Here's the sloppy code I have so far...

#include <GUIConstants.au3>

$a =0

GUICreate("My GUI") ; will create a dialog box that when displayed is centered

GUISetHelp("notepad") ; will run notepad if F1 is typed

Opt("GUICoordMode",2)

GUICtrlCreateLabel ("Email", 10, 30, 50) ; first cell 50 width

$line1 = GUICtrlCreateInput ("", 0, -1, 300, 20)

GUICtrlCreateLabel ("Done", -350, 0) ; next line

$line2 = GUICtrlCreateInput ("", -250, -1, 40, 20)

$line3 = GUICtrlCreateProgress (10,40,200,20,$PBS_SMOOTH)

GUISetState () ; will display an empty dialog box

$file = FileOpen("c:\emaillist.dat", 0)

; Check if file opened for reading OK

If $file = -1 Then

MsgBox(0, "Error", "Unable to open file.")

Exit

EndIf

$a=0

Do ;establish counter

$a = $a + 1

$b = FileReadLine($file)

If @error = -1 Then ExitLoop

until 2=1

FileClose($file)

$counter = $a

$a = 0

For $d = 1 to $counter

$file = FileOpen("c:\emaillist.dat", 0)

$file1 = FileOpen("c:\emaillist.txt", 2)

EndIf

For $a = 1 to $counter

$b = FileReadLine($file)

If @error = -1 Then ExitLoop

$line = FileReadLine($file)

GUICtrlSetData($line2, $a)

If $b > $line then

$c = $b

$b = $line

$line = $c

EndIf

FileWriteLine($file1,$

FileWriteLine($file1,$line)

Next

GUICtrlSetData($line1, $d)

FileClose($file)

FileClose($file1)

FileDelete("c:\emaillist.dat")

FileMove("c:\emaillist.txt","c:\emaillist.dat")

GUICtrlSetData ($line3,$d / $counter)

Next

As you can see my coding is very barbaric but usually works well.... when I'm not brain farting anyway..

[xcal]

_FileReadToArray()

_ArraySort()

_FileWriteFromArray()

[wizzardking]

_FileReadToArray()

_ArraySort()

_FileWriteFromArray()

OMG duh.. like i said brain farting.. thanx i'll work it this week!

[Maxtreeme]

well to sort it alphabetically if the addresses are entered at different intervals, not all at once, you have to rewrite the file containing them from time to time with what xcal wrote.

[wizzardking]

well to sort it alphabetically if the addresses are entered at different intervals, not all at once, you have to rewrite the file containing them from time to time with what xcal wrote.

actually the files will be on several computers then we merge them after the events and then need them in alpha order so we would have a complete dbase to work with.

and it worked like a charm too!! Thanx a bunch all...