| 11. 29. 1. Array.sort() |
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Syntax |
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array.sort()
array.sort(function)
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The sort() method rearranges the elements of the array based on a sorting order. |
If the method has no parameters, JavaScript attempts to convert all the elements of the array to strings and then sort them alphabetically. |
If the array should be sorted some other way, a function must be provided to handle the new sorting algorithm. |
The function specified must operate based on the following rules: |
The function must accept two arguments that are to be compared. |
The function must return a number indicating the order of the two arguments in relation to each other. |
If the first argument should appear before the second argument, a number less than zero should be returned from the function. |
If the first argument should appear after the second argument, a number greater than zero should be returned from the function. |
If both arguments are equivalent, zero should be returned from the function. |
The following example sorts Array Based on Argument Lengths |
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<html>
<script language="JavaScript">
<!--
function contentsOfArray(theArray)
{
document.write("the array contains:<br>");
for(i=0; i<theArray.length; i++)
{
document.write("Position ",i," = ",theArray[i],"<br>");
}
}
function sortOnArgLen(arg1,arg2)
{
if(arg1.length < arg2.length)
return -1;
if(arg1.length > arg2.length)
return 1;
if(arg1.length == arg2.length)
return 0;
}
shapes = new Array("A","B","C");
document.write("Before the sort method ");
contentsOfArray(shapes);
shapes.sort(sortOnArgLen);
document.write("<br>After the sort method ");
contentsOfArray(shapes);
--></script>
</html>
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