sorting an array

[Michael Hill]

If I have an array defined like this:

var list = [
["1","359","No a Test xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx","
0","08/18/2003","Approved"],
["2","268","test character fields for 500
","129","07/14/2003","Approved"],
["3","288","textarea filled XXXXXXXx","
0","07/15/2003","Approved"]
];

How would I sort it by the 3th column?

Mike

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

Michael Hill <hi****@ram.lmtas.lmco.com> writes:

If I have an array defined like this:

var list = [
["1","359","No a Test xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx","
0","08/18/2003","Approved"],

Please avoid line breaks when posting code. The code, as posted, is
invalid.

Try this:
---
function compare(a,b) {
if (a<b) {return -1;}
if (a>b) {return 1;}
return 0;
}

var sortedList = list.sort(function(a,b){return compare(a[2],b[2]);});
---

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleDOM.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Douglas Crockford]

> If I have an array defined like this:

var list = [
["1","359","No a Test xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx","
0","08/18/2003","Approved"],
["2","268","test character fields for 500
","129","07/14/2003","Approved"],
["3","288","textarea filled XXXXXXXx","
0","07/15/2003","Approved"]
];

How would I sort it by the 3th column?

You can pass a function to the array.sort(fn) method.

list.sort(function (a, b) {
if (a[2] == b[2]) {
return 0;
}
if (a[2] < b[2]) {
return -1;
}
return 1;
});

// 15.4.4.11

http://www.crockford.com/javascript/survey.html

[Evertjan.]

Douglas Crockford wrote on 01 dec 2003 in comp.lang.javascript:

list.sort(function (a, b) {
if (a[2] == b[2]) {
return 0;
}
if (a[2] < b[2]) {
return -1;
}
return 1;
});

In short:

list.sort(
function(a,b) {
return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0
}
);
--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Douglas Crockford]

> > list.sort(function (a, b) {

if (a[2] == b[2]) {
return 0;
}
if (a[2] < b[2]) {
return -1;
}
return 1;
});

In short:

list.sort(
function(a,b) {
return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0
}
);

Or shorter,

list.sort(function(a,b){return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0});

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

"Douglas Crockford" <no****@covad.net> writes:

Or shorter,

list.sort(function(a,b){return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0});

Or even shorter, and much uglier,
list.sort(function(a,b){return a[2]<b[2]?-1:+(a[2]>b[2]);});

And the original was still by far the most readable.
/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleDOM.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Evertjan.]

Douglas Crockford wrote on 01 dec 2003 in comp.lang.javascript:

> list.sort(function (a, b) {
> if (a[2] == b[2]) {
> return 0;
> }
> if (a[2] < b[2]) {
> return -1;
> }
> return 1;
> });
>

In short:

list.sort(
function(a,b) {
return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0
}
);

Or shorter,

list.sort(function(a,b){return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0});

Even shorter:

list.sort(function(a,b){return (c=a[2]-b[2])?(c>0)?1:-1:0});

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Douglas Crockford]

> >> > list.sort(function (a, b) {

> if (a[2] == b[2]) {
> return 0;
> }
> if (a[2] < b[2]) {
> return -1;
> }
> return 1;
> });
>

In short:

list.sort(
function(a,b) {
return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0
}
);

Or shorter,

list.sort(function(a,b){return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0});

Even shorter:

list.sort(function(a,b){return (c=a[2]-b[2])?(c>0)?1:-1:0});

That assumes that the values are numbers. If they are, then

list.sort(function(a,b){return a[2] - b[2]});

[Evertjan.]

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote on 02 dec 2003 in comp.lang.javascript:

Or shorter,

list.sort(function(a,b){return (a[2]>b[2])?1:(a[2]<b[2])?-1:0});

Or even shorter, and much uglier,
list.sort(function(a,b){return a[2]<b[2]?-1:+(a[2]>b[2]);});

Haha:

list.sort(function(a,b){return +((c=a[2]-b[2])>0)-(c<0)});

Ugliness is a joy forever in the hand of the beholder.

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

"Evertjan." <ex**************@interxnl.net> writes:

list.sort(function(a,b){return +((c=a[2]-b[2])>0)-(c<0)});

That requires a[2] and b[2] to be numbers. Comparison works for
strings too, and the original poster's example had strings at offset
2.

(And as it was pointed out, if they are numbers,
list.sort(function(a,b){return a[2]-b[2];});
is sufficient).

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleDOM.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Evertjan.]

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen wrote on 02 dec 2003 in comp.lang.javascript:

And as it was pointed out, if they are numbers,
list.sort(function(a,b){return a[2]-b[2];});
is sufficient

True.

Not according to the specs, but I do not find that very important.

==============

So for strings, and without an if or ?: clause, we are stuck with:

return +(a[2]<b[2])-(a[2]>b[2])

==============

Internally machine coded in a comparison, the three possiblilities must be
available as a "triary" and reduced to a binary output. Silly higher
languages.

--
Evertjan.
The Netherlands.
(Please change the x'es to dots in my emailaddress)

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

"Evertjan." <ex**************@interxnl.net> writes:

So for strings, and without an if or ?: clause, we are stuck with:

return +(a[2]<b[2])-(a[2]>b[2])
That's cute!
Internally machine coded in a comparison, the three possiblilities must be
available as a "triary" and reduced to a binary output. Silly higher
languages.

I miss Perl's <=> operator :)

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleDOM.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Lasse Reichstein Nielsen]

Lasse Reichstein Nielsen <lr*@hotpop.com> writes:

"Evertjan." <ex**************@interxnl.net> writes:

return +(a[2]<b[2])-(a[2]>b[2])

That's cute!

It should actually be the other way around (to sort increasingly):
return (a[2]>b[2])-(a[2]<b[2]);
(and you can omit the +, since "-" converts both arguments to numbers)

/L
--
Lasse Reichstein Nielsen - lr*@hotpop.com
DHTML Death Colors: <URL:http://www.infimum.dk/HTML/rasterTriangleDOM.html>
'Faith without judgement merely degrades the spirit divine.'

[Dr John Stockton]

JRS: In article <Xn********************@194.109.133.29>, seen in
news:comp.lang.javascript, Evertjan. <ex**************@interxnl.net>
posted at Tue, 2 Dec 2003 08:48:22 :-

So for strings, and without an if or ?: clause, we are stuck with:

return +(a[2]<b[2])-(a[2]>b[2])

For those using W3's TIDY to check the Web page, and I recommend doing
so, that needs to be at least
return +(a[2]< b[2])-(a[2]>b[2])

in order not to risk confusing TIDY (if using the same version as I do).
The combination LessThan Letter seems to be taken as requiring a closing
GreaterThan, unless the traditional <!-- and --> are used.

Nicer:
return +( a[2] < b[2] ) - ( a[2] > b[2] )

However, I do not see how the + is needed.

--
© John Stockton, Surrey, UK. ?@merlyn.demon.co.uk Turnpike v4.00 IE 4 ©
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