function res = asciicompare(one,two)
% compare two character strings 
% based on their ASCII ordering
n1 = length(one);
n2 = length(two);
for k=1:min(n1,n2)
   if one(k) < two(k)
      res = 2; 
      return;
   elseif one(k) > two(k)
      res = 3;
      return;
   end
end
% break ties based on length
if n1 == n2
   res = 1;
elseif n1 < n2
   res = 2;
else
   res = 3;
end
