Comparing more than two values--is sorting.
In theory, this should work(Update:see 2 posts down for fixed code):
#! perl -slw
use warnings;
use strict;
use Data::Dumper;
use Date::Manip;
print scalar <DATA>;
while (<DATA>) {
chomp;
my @dates = split '~';
my $label = shift @dates;
my @order = map $_+1, sort{
Date_Cmp( $dates[ $a ], $dates[ $b ] );
} 0 .. $#dates;
print join "\t", $label, @order;
}
__DATA__
EVENT JIM BOB SAM JACK
PTRED~09/29/10 03:23:05 PM ~09/28/10 02:21:09 PM ~09/26/10 11:00:03 AM
+ ~09/27/10 09:33:41 PM
RED~08/29/10 01:55:00 AM ~08/30/09 12:10:10 PM ~08/27/10 08:16:21 PM ~
+09/01/10 12:12:12 AM
INT~07/04/10 03:21:15 AM ~07/08/10 04:17:33 PM ~06/30/10 04:22:11 AM ~
+06/28/10 10:11:01 PM
PTRED~06/19/10 09:19:55 PM ~04/25/10 07:39:22 PM ~09/16/10 10:34:24 AM
+ ~07/22/10 06:19:38 PM
RED~04/29/10 12:10:59 AM ~04/20/10 02:13:33 AM ~07/17/10 01:00:05 PM ~
+09/01/10 11:10:15 PM
INT~05/23/10 11:11:11 PM ~01/08/10 10:45:12 PM ~05/15/09 03:29:37 AM ~
+05/18/09 12:59:59 PM
It populates an array with the dates; sorts the indices of the array, by the (ascending) values of the dates indexed; then adds one to the ordered indices to produce your "ranking value".
It really should work, but it doesn't! It produces this output which is clearly wrong, but for reasons I do not (yet) understand:
c:\test>junk51
EVENT JIM BOB SAM JACK
PTRED 3 4 2 1
RED 2 3 1 4
INT 4 3 1 2
PTRED 2 1 4 3
RED 2 1 3 4
INT 3 4 2 1
At first I thought that maybe Date_Cmp(), needed the dates to be pre-parsed, but that didn't fix it.
Then I thought that maybe D::M was getting confused by the 2 digit years, so I fixed that up, but no change either.
So then I thought that the (elusively documented) "flag" returned by Date_Cmp() might be incompatible with the expectations of sort, but that doesn't seem to be the case either.
This modified version:
#! perl -slw
use warnings;
use strict;
use Data::Dumper;
use Date::Manip;
print scalar <DATA>;
while (<DATA>) {
chomp;
my @dates = split '~';
my $label = shift @dates;
my @parsed = map{ s[/(\d\d) ][/20$1 ]; ParseDate( $_ ) } @dates;
my @order = map $_+1, sort{
my $res = Date_Cmp( $dates[ $a ], $dates[ $b ] );
print "$dates[ $a ] <-> $dates[ $b ] := $res";
$res;
} 0 .. $#parsed;
print join "\t", $label, @order;
}
__DATA__
EVENT JIM BOB SAM JACK
PTRED~09/29/10 03:23:05 PM ~09/28/10 02:21:09 PM ~09/26/10 11:00:03 AM
+ ~09/27/10 09:33:41 PM
RED~08/29/10 01:55:00 AM ~08/30/09 12:10:10 PM ~08/27/10 08:16:21 PM ~
+09/01/10 12:12:12 AM
INT~07/04/10 03:21:15 AM ~07/08/10 04:17:33 PM ~06/30/10 04:22:11 AM ~
+06/28/10 10:11:01 PM
PTRED~06/19/10 09:19:55 PM ~04/25/10 07:39:22 PM ~09/16/10 10:34:24 AM
+ ~07/22/10 06:19:38 PM
RED~04/29/10 12:10:59 AM ~04/20/10 02:13:33 AM ~07/17/10 01:00:05 PM ~
+09/01/10 11:10:15 PM
INT~05/23/10 11:11:11 PM ~01/08/10 10:45:12 PM ~05/15/09 03:29:37 AM ~
+05/18/09 12:59:59 PM
Produces this:
c:\test>junk51
EVENT JIM BOB SAM JACK
09/29/2010 03:23:05 PM <-> 09/28/2010 02:21:09 PM := 1
09/26/2010 11:00:03 AM <-> 09/27/2010 09:33:41 PM := -1
09/28/2010 02:21:09 PM <-> 09/26/2010 11:00:03 AM := 1
09/28/2010 02:21:09 PM <-> 09/27/2010 09:33:41 PM := 1
PTRED 3 4 2 1
08/29/2010 01:55:00 AM <-> 08/30/2009 12:10:10 PM := 1
08/27/2010 08:16:21 PM <-> 09/01/2010 12:12:12 AM := -1
08/30/2009 12:10:10 PM <-> 08/27/2010 08:16:21 PM := -1
08/27/2010 08:16:21 PM <-> 08/29/2010 01:55:00 AM := -1
08/29/2010 01:55:00 AM <-> 09/01/2010 12:12:12 AM := -1
RED 2 3 1 4
07/04/2010 03:21:15 AM <-> 07/08/2010 04:17:33 PM := -1
06/30/2010 04:22:11 AM <-> 06/28/2010 10:11:01 PM := 1
07/04/2010 03:21:15 AM <-> 06/28/2010 10:11:01 PM := 1
07/04/2010 03:21:15 AM <-> 06/30/2010 04:22:11 AM := 1
INT 4 3 1 2
06/19/2010 09:19:55 PM <-> 04/25/2010 07:39:22 PM := 1
09/16/2010 10:34:24 AM <-> 07/22/2010 06:19:38 PM := 1
04/25/2010 07:39:22 PM <-> 07/22/2010 06:19:38 PM := -1
07/22/2010 06:19:38 PM <-> 06/19/2010 09:19:55 PM := 1
PTRED 2 1 4 3
04/29/2010 12:10:59 AM <-> 04/20/2010 02:13:33 AM := 1
07/17/2010 01:00:05 PM <-> 09/01/2010 11:10:15 PM := -1
04/20/2010 02:13:33 AM <-> 07/17/2010 01:00:05 PM := -1
07/17/2010 01:00:05 PM <-> 04/29/2010 12:10:59 AM := 1
RED 2 1 3 4
05/23/2010 11:11:11 PM <-> 01/08/2010 10:45:12 PM := 1
05/15/2009 03:29:37 AM <-> 05/18/2009 12:59:59 PM := -1
01/08/2010 10:45:12 PM <-> 05/15/2009 03:29:37 AM := 1
01/08/2010 10:45:12 PM <-> 05/18/2009 12:59:59 PM := 1
INT 3 4 2 1
Each individual comparison produces the expected result, but still the ordering is wrong. For all teh world it looks like sort is making mistakes :)
At this point I ran out of ideas, so I throw it over to the monks to point out my mis deliberate error?
Examine what is said, not who speaks -- Silence betokens consent -- Love the truth but pardon error.
"Science is about questioning the status quo. Questioning authority".
In the absence of evidence, opinion is indistinguishable from prejudice.