export PATH="$(/usr/sbin/sysctl -n user.cs_path)"

export IFS=$'\n'
#export IFS=$' \t\n'

ar1=('g h c' abc def 123)
ar2=('1 2 3' ABC ghc DEF)
ar3=('-x' '! & ?' $'a test\nsentence' $'another test\nsentence\n.' a64bitapp a32bitapp)

printf "%s\n" "${#ar1[@]}" "${#ar2[@]}" "${#ar3[@]}"  


# ar3
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3[@]}"; i++)); do echo "${ar3[$i]}"; done | sort | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3[@]}"; i++)); do echo ${ar3[$i]}; done | sort | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3[@]}"; i++)); do echo "${ar3[$i]}" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3[@]}"; i++)); do printf -- "${ar3[$i]}\n" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl


# sort a single array
ar3sorted=( $(for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3[@]}"; i++)); do echo ${ar3[$i]}; done | sort) )
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3sorted[@]}"; i++)); do echo "${ar3sorted[$i]}" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3sorted[@]}"; i++)); do printf "%s\n" "${ar3sorted[$i]}" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl


# adding \000\n as array item delimiter
printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}"  | sed -n -e 'l'
printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}"  | ruby -n -e 'p $_.to_s'
printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}"  | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'
printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}" | sed -e :a -e '$!N; s/\n/NEWLINE/g; ta' | ruby -n -e 'p $_.to_s'
printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}" | sed -e :a -e '$!N; s/\n/NEWLINE/g; ta' | tr '\000' '\n' | sed -e 's/^NEWLINE//' | ruby -n -e 'p $_.to_s'


ar3sorted=( $(printf "%s\000\n" "${ar3[@]}" | sed -e :a -e '$!N; s/\n/NEWLINE/g; ta' | tr '\000' '\n' | sed -e 's/^NEWLINE//' | sort) )
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar3sorted[@]}"; i++)); do printf -- "${ar3sorted[$i]//NEWLINE/\n}" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl


# sort multiple arrays; convert embedded newline characters into single spaces
ar4=( $(printf "%s\n\000" "${ar1[@]}" "${ar2[@]}" "${ar3[@]}" | tr '\n' ' ' | tr '\000' '\n' | sort) )

# sort multiple arrays; preserve embedded newline characters as NEWLINE
ar4=( $(printf "%s\000\n" "${ar1[@]}" "${ar2[@]}" "${ar3[@]}" | sed -e :a -e '$!N; s/\n/NEWLINE/g; ta' | tr '\000' '\n' | sed -e 's/^NEWLINE//' | sort) )


printf "%s\n" "${#ar4[@]}"  
printf "%s\n" "${ar4[@]}" | nl  

for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do echo ${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\\n}; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do echo -e ${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\\n}; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do printf -- ${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\\n}"\n"; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do printf -- "${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\n}\n"; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do printf "%s\n" ${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\\n}; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do printf -- "${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\n}\n" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl
for ((i=0; i < "${#ar4[@]}"; i++)); do printf "%s\n" "${ar4[$i]//NEWLINE/\n}" | ruby -0777 -n -e 'p $_.to_s'; done | nl