how to sort a database - database

Question

I have a database that i now combined using this function
def ReadAndMerge():
library1=input("Enter 1st filename to read and merge:")
with open(library1, 'r') as library1names:
library1contents = library1names.read()
library2=input("Enter 2nd filename to read and merge:")
with open(library2, 'r') as library2names:
library2contents = library2names.read()
print(library1contents)
print(library2contents)
combined_contents = library1contents + library2contents # concatenate text
print(combined_contents)
return(combined_contents)
The two databases originally looked like this
Bud Abbott 51 92.3
Mary Boyd 52 91.4
Hillary Clinton 50 82.1
and this
Don Adams 51 90.4
Jill Carney 53 76.3
Randy Newman 50 41.2
After being combined they now look like this
Bud Abbott 51 92.3
Mary Boyd 52 91.4
Hillary Clinton 50 82.1
Don Adams 51 90.4
Jill Carney 53 76.3
Randy Newman 50 41.2
if i wanted to sort this database by last names how would i go about doing that?
is there a sort function built in to python like lists? is this considered a list?
or would i have to use another function that locates the last name then orders them alphabetically

Answer 1

You sort with the sorted() method. But you can't sort just a big string, you need to have the data in a list or something similar. Something like this (untested):
def get_library_names(): # Better name of function
library1 = input("Enter 1st filename to read and merge:")
with open(library1, 'r') as library1names:
library1contents = library1names.readlines()
library2=input("Enter 2nd filename to read and merge:")
with open(library2, 'r') as library2names:
library2contents = library2names.readlines()
print(library1contents)
print(library2contents)
combined_contents = sorted(library1contents + library2contents)
print(combined_contents)
return(combined_contents)