Linux shell sort file according to the second column?

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If this is UNIX:

sort -k 2 file.txt

You can use multiple -k flags to sort on more than one column. For example, to sort by family name then first name as a tie breaker:

sort -k 2,2 -k 1,1 file.txt

Relevant options from “man sort”:

-k, –key=POS1[,POS2]

start a key at POS1, end it at POS2 (origin 1)

POS is F[.C][OPTS], where F is the field number and C the character position in the field. OPTS is one or more single-letter ordering options, which override global ordering options for that key. If no key is given, use the entire line as the key.

-t, –field-separator=SEP

use SEP instead of non-blank to blank transition

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