(sort-columns): Don't use `sort' utility if the text has text properties.

1 files changed, 5 insertions, 1 deletions

diff --git a/lisp/sort.el b/lisp/sort.el
index d4131e7825b..61a35b635c6 100644
--- a/lisp/sort.el
+++ b/lisp/sort.el
@@ -455,8 +455,12 @@ Use \\[untabify] to convert tabs to spaces before sorting."
       (setq col-end (max col-beg1 col-end1))
       (if (search-backward "\t" beg1 t)
           (error "sort-columns does not work with tabs.  Use M-x untabify."))
-      (if (not (eq system-type 'vax-vms))
+      (if (not (or (eq system-type 'vax-vms)
+                   (text-properties-at beg1)
+                   (< (next-property-change beg1 nil end1) end1)))
           ;; Use the sort utility if we can; it is 4 times as fast.
+          ;; Do not use it if there are any properties in the region,
+          ;; since the sort utility would lose the properties.
           (call-process-region beg1 end1 "sort" t t nil
                                (if reverse "-rt\n" "-t\n")
                                (concat "+0." col-start)