Code:

unit Unit1;

interface

uses

  Windows, Messages, SysUtils, Classes, Graphics, Controls, Forms, Dialogs,

  StdCtrls;

type

  TMyObjectPtr = ^TMyObject;

  TMyObject = record

    First_Name: String[20];

    Last_Name: String[20];

    Next: TMyObjectPtr;

  end;

type

  TForm1 = class(TForm)

    bSortByLastName: TButton;

    bDisplay: TButton;

    bPopulate: TButton;

    ListBox1: TListBox;

    bClear: TButton;

    procedure bSortByLastNameClick(Sender: TObject);

    procedure bPopulateClick(Sender: TObject);

    procedure bDisplayClick(Sender: TObject);

    procedure bClearClick(Sender: TObject);

  private

    { Private declarations }

  public

    { Public declarations }

  end;

var

  Form1: TForm1;

  pStartOfList: TMyObjectPtr = nil;

{List manipulation routines}

procedure SortMyObjectListByLastName(var aStartOfList: TMyObjectPtr);

function CreateMyObject(aFirstName, aLastName: String): TMyObjectPtr;

procedure AppendMyObject(var aCurrentItem, aNewItem: TMyObjectPtr);

procedure ClearMyObjectList(var aMyObject: TMyObjectPtr);

procedure RemoveMyObject(var aStartOfList, aRemoveMe: TMyObjectPtr);

function AreInAlphaOrder(aString1, aString2: String): Boolean;

implementation

{$R *.DFM}

procedure TForm1.bClearClick(Sender: TObject);

begin

  ClearMyObjectList(pStartOfList);

end;

procedure TForm1.bPopulateClick(Sender: TObject);

var

  pNew: TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Initialize the list with some static data}

  pNew := CreateMyObject('Suzy','Martinez');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('John','Sanchez');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('Mike','Rodriguez');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('Mary','Sosa');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('Betty','Hayek');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('Luke','Smith');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

  pNew := CreateMyObject('John','Sosa');

  AppendMyObject(pStartOfList, pNew);

end;

procedure TForm1.bSortByLastNameClick(Sender: TObject);

begin

  SortMyObjectListByLastName(pStartOfList);

end;

procedure TForm1.bDisplayClick(Sender: TObject);

var

  pTemp: TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Display the list items}

  ListBox1.Items.Clear;

  pTemp := pStartOfList;

  while pTemp <> nil do

  begin

    ListBox1.Items.Add(pTemp^.Last_Name + ', ' + pTemp.First_Name);

    pTemp := pTemp^.Next;

  end;

end;

procedure ClearMyObjectList(var aMyObject: TMyObjectPtr);

var

  TempMyObject: TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Free the memory used by the list items}

  TempMyObject := aMyObject;

  while aMyObject <> nil do

  begin

    aMyObject := aMyObject^.Next;

    Dispose(TempMyObject);

    TempMyObject := aMyObject;

  end;

end;

function CreateMyObject(aFirstName, aLastName: String): TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Instantiate a new list item}

  new(result);

  result^.First_Name := aFirstName;

  result^.Last_Name := aLastName;

  result^.Next := nil;

end;

procedure SortMyObjectListByLastName(var aStartOfList: TMyObjectPtr);

var

  aSortedListStart, aSearch, aBest: TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Sort the list by the Last_Name "field"}

  aSortedListStart := nil;

  while (aStartOfList <> nil) do

  begin

    aSearch := aStartOfList;

    aBest := aSearch;

    while aSearch^.Next <> nil do

    begin

      if not AreInAlphaOrder(aBest^.Last_Name, aSearch^.Last_Name) then

        aBest := aSearch;

      aSearch := aSearch^.Next;

    end;

    RemoveMyObject(aStartOfList, aBest);

    AppendMyObject(aSortedListStart, aBest);

  end;

  aStartOfList := aSortedListStart;

end;

procedure AppendMyObject(var aCurrentItem, aNewItem: TMyObjectPtr);

begin

  {Recursive function that appends the new item to the end of the list}

  if aCurrentItem = nil then

    aCurrentItem := aNewItem

  else

    AppendMyObject(aCurrentItem^.Next, aNewItem);

end;

procedure RemoveMyObject(var aStartOfList, aRemoveMe: TMyObjectPtr);

var

  pTemp: TMyObjectPtr;

begin

  {Removes a specific item from the list and collapses the empty spot.}

  pTemp := aStartOfList;

  if pTemp = aRemoveMe then

    aStartOfList := aStartOfList^.Next

  else

  begin

    while (pTemp^.Next <> aRemoveMe) and (pTemp^.Next <> nil) do

      pTemp := pTemp^.Next;

    if pTemp = nil then Exit; //Shouldn't ever happen

   if pTemp^.Next = nil then Exit; //Shouldn't ever happen

   pTemp^.Next := aRemoveMe^.Next;

  end;

  aRemoveMe^.Next := nil;

end;

function AreInAlphaOrder(aString1, aString2: String): Boolean;

var

  i: Integer;

begin

  {Returns True if aString1 should come before aString2 in an alphabetic ascending sort}

  Result := True;

  while Length(aString2) < Length(aString1) do aString2 := aString2 + '!';

  while Length(aString1) < Length(aString2) do aString1 := aString1 + '!';

  for i := 1 to Length(aString1) do

  begin

    if aString1[i] > aString2[i] then Result := False;

    if aString1[i] <> aString2[i] then break;

  end;

end;

end.