Excel - Sorting hierarchical numbers issue

funny enough, just a few days ago I just wrote a Lambda function for this.  It is more generic and flexible.  It does NOT currently account for alternative hierachy indicators (only uses ".") but does account for multiple levels (e.g. 12.5.6) and lets you set the "pad" character (e.g. 12.005.006 or 12.__5.__6 or 12.  5.  6) and the output uses the pad character so the hierarchy info (where the "." is) is maintained:

/**convert typical outline numbering (1.1, 1.2, … 1.9, 1.10,…,1.99, 1.100) to proper sortable numbering (1.001, 1.002,… 1.009,1.01, … 1.099, 1.1)
*/
OutlineNumbers = LAMBDA(in, [padCharacter], LET(
    pad, if(ISOMITTED(padCharacter),"_",padCharacter),
    levels, MAX(LEN(in)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(in,".",""))),
    prePad0, LAMBDA(list, LET(l,MAX(LEN(list)), RIGHT(REPT(pad,l)&list,l))),
    REDUCE(IFERROR(TEXTBEFORE(in,".",1),in),SEQUENCE(levels),LAMBDA(p,q,
        p&"."&prePad0(IFERROR(TEXTAFTER(IFERROR(TEXTBEFORE(in,".",q+1),in),".",q),pad))))
    )
);

OK now I have question for all of you.  My original default was to use "-" but in a sample test case this is how Excel sorts these samples with "-" mixed in:

everything makes sense until the last 2 where the 1.--9 and 1.-ab is AFTER 1.100 while I would expect sorting to be as shown in the 2nd,3rd, and 4th columns where "_", "0", and " " were used.

EDIT ...  NVM I found my answer.  Excel apparently completely ignores "-" during a sort operation and therefor sorted it as if it isn't there.  Notice in the next image how the SORT for both with and without "-" come out the same: