qsort(3C)							     qsort(3C)

NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     qsort - quicker sort

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     #include <stdlib.h>

     void qsort	(void* base, size_t nel, size_t	width, int (*compar)
	 (const	void *,	const void *));

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     qsort is an implementation	of the quicker-sort algorithm.	It sorts a
     table of data in place.  The contents of the table	are sorted in
     ascending order according to the user-supplied comparison function.

     base points to the	element	at the base of the table.  nel is the number
     of	elements in the	table.	width specifies	the size of each element in
     bytes.  compar is the name	of the comparison function, which is called
     with two arguments	that point to the elements being compared.  The
     function must return an integer less than,	equal to, or greater than zero
     to	indicate if the	first argument is to be	considered less	than, equal
     to, or greater than the second.

     The contents of the table are sorted in ascending order according to the
     user supplied comparison function.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     sort(1), bsearch(3C), lsearch(3C),	string(3C)

NOTES    [Toc]    [Back]

     The comparison function need not compare every byte, so arbitrary data
     may be contained in the elements in addition to the values	being
     compared.

     The use of	void * pointer types circumvents the need for casts in older
     versions of qsort.

     The relative order	in the output of two items that	compare	as equal is
     unpredictable.


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