I have a file consisting of several lines and column. The columns are delimited by \t. Now I would like to sort the file based on the second column, which can be done with, e.g. sort -f -t$'\t' -k2 file.txt. However, the second row consists of the following values: +, o, and -. How can I sort such that + is on top, o in the middle, and - on the bottom?

Furthermore, I have another column, say column 5, and would like to sort the file w.r.t. that column. However, I want to specify my personal order, so that n is on top, s is in the middle, and l is on the bottom.

If there is a program, which can achieve my goals efficiently, I would prefer that solution. Otherwise I'm looking for a self-written function.

I have a file consisting of several lines and columns. The columns are delimited by \t. Now I would like to sort the file based on the second column, which can be done with, e.g. sort -f -t$'\t' -k2 file.txt. However, the second column consists of the following values: +, o, and -. How can I sort such that + is on top, o in the middle, and - on the bottom?

Furthermore, I have another column, say column 5, and would like to sort the file w.r.t. that column. However, I want to specify my personal order, so that n is on top, s is in the middle, and l is on the bottom.

If there is a program, which can achieve my goals efficiently, I would prefer that solution. Otherwise I'm looking for a self-written function.