JavaScript how to make sorting

In this article we will demonstrate how to implement sorting using Javascript and examples of their use.

Sorting with Javascript

Sorting is a process that arranges items into an ordered list. Sorting can be accomplished in Javascript using the Array.sort() method. This method takes an optional compare function, which allows us to customize the sorting behavior.

The Array.sort() method sorts the elements of an array in place, meaning that the array is modified directly, rather than creating a new, sorted array.

//Example array
var array = [3, 1, 4, 2];

//Sort array
array.sort();

//Output
[1, 2, 3, 4]

The Array.sort() method uses the built-in sorting algorithm, which is not necessarily the most efficient sorting algorithm. We can customize the sorting behavior by passing a compare function as an argument to the Array.sort() method.

//Example array
var array = [3, 1, 4, 2];

//Custom compare function
function compare(a, b){
  if (a is less than b, by some ordering criterion) {
    return -1;
  }
  if (a is greater than b, by the ordering criterion) {
    return 1;
  }
  // a must be equal to b
  return 0;
}

//Sort array
array.sort(compare);

//Output
[1, 2, 3, 4]

The compare function takes two arguments, a and b, and returns a negative, zero, or positive value, depending on whether a is less than, equal to, or greater than b, respectively. The compare function can be used to sort the array in any order we desire.

In this way, we can use Javascript to sort an array of items in any order we choose.