sub tag_sort_hash {
  my($opts, $list) = (@_); 
  $opts =~ s/^\s+//; 
  $opts =~ s/\s+$//; 
#::logDebug("tag_sort_hash: opts=$opts list=" . uneval($list));
my @codes;
my $key = 'code';

my ($start, $end, $num);
my $glob_opt = 'none';

  my @opts =  split /\s+/, $opts;
  my @option; my @bases; my @fields;

  for(@opts) {

  if(/^(\w+)(:([flnr]+))?$/) {
    $key = $1;
    $glob_opt = $3 || 'none';
    next;
  }
  if(/^([-=+])(\d+)-?(\d*)/) {
    my $op = $1;
    if    ($op eq '-') { $start = $2 }
    elsif ($op eq '+') { $num   = $2 }
    elsif ($op eq '=') {
      $start = $2;
      $end = ($3 || undef);
    }
    next;
  }
      my ($base, $fld, $opt) = split /:/, $_;
  
      push @bases, $base;
      push @fields, $fld;
      push @option, (defined $Vend::Interpolate::Sort_field{$opt} ? $opt : 'none');
  }

if(defined $end) {
  $num = 1 + $end - $start;
  $num = undef if $num < 1;
 }

if (! defined $list->[0]->{$key}) {
  logError("sort key '$key' not defined in list. Skipping sort.");
  return $list;
}

  my $i;
  my $routine = 'sub { ';
for( $i = 0; $i < @bases; $i++) {
    $routine .= '&{$Vend::Interpolate::Sort_field{"' .
          $option[$i] .
          '"}}(' . "\n";
    $routine .= "tag_data('$bases[$i]','$fields[$i]', \$_[0]->{$key}),\n";
    $routine .= "tag_data('$bases[$i]','$fields[$i]', \$_[1]->{$key}) ) or ";
}
$routine .= qq!0 or &{\$Vend::Interpolate::Sort_field{"$glob_opt"}}!;
$routine .= '($a->{$key},$_[1]->{$key}); }';

#::logDebug("tag_sort_hash routine: $routine\n");
  my $code = eval $routine;  
  die "Bad sort routine\n" if $@;

#Prime the sort? Prevent variable suicide??
#&{$Vend::Interpolate::Sort_field{'n'}}('31', '30');

use locale;
if($::Scratch->{mv_locale}) {
  POSIX::setlocale(POSIX::LC_COLLATE(),
    $::Scratch->{mv_locale});
}

@codes = sort {&$code($a,$b)} @$list;

if($start > 1) {
  splice(@codes, 0, $start - 1);
}

if(defined $num) {
  splice(@codes, $num);
}
#::logDebug("tag_sort_hash routine returns: " . uneval(\@codes));
return \@codes;
}