creating a udf

I have built a query to parse the first 4 chunks of data in a string for
natural alphanumeric sorting, and would be extremely and eternally grateful
if someone could show me how to turn this into a function that I could use
like above.
I would like to be able to feed in the name of the column to be sorted(it is
'fieldid' below) and the name of the database(it is 'tblsamples' below). I
am having trouble in figuring out how to implement/create a function which
would act like this
select * from tblsamples
order by naturalsort('fieldid', 'tblsamples')
Thanks a lot. Here is my query:
select TOP 100 fieldid as 'sortcolumn',
LEFT(fieldid, PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) - 1) as 'a',
CASE
WHEN right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ) not
like '%[a-z,-]%'
then CAST(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )
AS INT)
else
cast (
left (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
case
when patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) -
PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) = 0
then patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) -
PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ))
else patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) -
PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -1
end
)
as int)
end
as 'b',
LEFT (
right
(
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
,
CASE
WHEN PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right
(
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) = 0
THEN
LEN( right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
)
ELSE PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right
(
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) -1
END
)
as 'c',
CASE
WHEN right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 ) not like '%[a-z,-]%'
then CAST(right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 ) AS INT)
else
cast (
left (
right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 ),
case
when patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 )) = 0
then patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 ))
else patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
, len(
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
right (
right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 ),
len(right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%', fieldid) + 1 )) -
patindex('%[a-z, -]%', right (fieldid, len(fieldid) - PATINDEX('%[0-9]%',
fieldid) + 1 )) + 1
)
) + 1 )) -1
end
)
as int)
end
as 'd'
from tblsamples
order by a,b,c,dHow about some DDL and sample data?
MLsql