function sortedItems(dict)
local items = {}
for key, value in pairs(dict) do
table.insert(items, {key, value})
end
table.sort(items, function(a, b) return a[1] < b[1] end)
return items
end
----------------
dict = {Hampshire = "Southampton", Wiltshire = "Trowbridge",
Cornwall = "Truro", Oxfordshire = "Oxford",
Somerset = "Taunton", Devon = "Exeter"}
items = sortedItems(dict)
for index, item in ipairs(items) do
print(item[1], item[2])
end