Sort array of objects in specific order

Question

I have an array of objects returning from an API call which I need to sort into a specific format.

I'm trying to organise the destination_country_id alphabetically except for the first three and last items. For example, like so:

"Ireland"
"United Kingdom"
"United States"
...other countries, alphabetically...
"Everywhere Else"

I have considered using array.sort(), which I understand I can easily use to sort them alphabetically, but I've so far been unsuccessful in figuring out how I can achieve the desired output.

API Response

[
    {
        "destination_country_id":null,
        "primary_cost":"9.50",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"Everywhere Else",
    },
    {
        "destination_country_id":105,
        "primary_cost":"8.00",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"United Kingdom",
    },
    {
        "destination_country_id":209,
        "primary_cost":"9.50",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"United States",
    },
    {
        "destination_country_id":123,
        "primary_cost":"5.00",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"Ireland",
    },
    {
        "destination_country_id":185,
        "primary_cost":"5.00",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"France",
    },
    {
        "destination_country_id":145,
        "primary_cost":"5.00",
        "region_id":null,
        "destination_country_name":"Spain",
    }
]

Can you show us what you tried wrt `sort` so we can advise you how to correct it? — Xotic750, May 11 '14 at 22:36
Remove the elements from the array that should be fixed, sort the rest of the array according to [Sorting an array of JavaScript objects](http://stackoverflow.com/q/979256/218196), and add the fixed elements back. Or white your comparison function in such a way that it treats the fixed elements differently. — Felix Kling, May 11 '14 at 22:37
Did you mean you want to organise alphabetically by `destination_country_name` rather than by `destination_country_id`? — Xotic750, May 11 '14 at 23:40
Will Everywhere Else, the UK, Ireland, and the US always be the first four options? If so, you can splice the array, sort the second piece, and then rejoin them. — royhowie, May 12 '14 at 00:16
@Xotic750 Yes, sorting alphabetically by `destination_country_name` rather than `country_destination_id`. An error on my part. I'm relatively new to JavaScript, I've been teaching myself the syntax and working with small examples, but it's the new way of thinking that I'm having the most trouble with. As such, I didn't write any code yet, mostly thinking about how I could do this. As Felix mentions, I was thinking of removing the desired items, sorting the remaining, and adding them back, but it's the entire process that I have issue with as I can't wrap my head around how I would do that. — Coogie, May 12 '14 at 09:45
@Luxelin unfortunately, the API doesn't always respond in this order. It returns based on how a user has input the options into their CMS — Coogie, May 12 '14 at 10:09

Xotic750 · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-12T11:11:51.527

Possibly not the most efficient method but it is ES3, doesn't require any libraries, and is fairly easy to understand. Also assuming you wanted to sort alphabetically on destination_country_name

Javascript

// where x is your array of objects
x.sort(function (a, b) {
    // sorts everything alphabetically
    return a.destination_country_name.localeCompare(b.destination_country_name);
}).sort(function (a, b) {
    // moves only this to country to top
    return +(!b.destination_country_name.localeCompare('United States'));
}).sort(function (a, b) {
    // moves only this to country to top
    return +(!b.destination_country_name.localeCompare('United Kingdom'));
}).sort(function (a, b) {
    // moves only this to country to top
    return +(!b.destination_country_name.localeCompare('Ireland'));
}).sort(function (a, b) {
    // moves only this to country to bottom
    return +(!a.destination_country_name.localeCompare('Everywhere Else'));
});

console.log(JSON.stringify(x, ['destination_country_name']));

Output

[{"destination_country_name":"Ireland"},
 {"destination_country_name":"United Kingdom"},
 {"destination_country_name":"United States"},
 {"destination_country_name":"France"},
 {"destination_country_name":"Spain"},
 {"destination_country_name":"Everywhere Else"}]

On jsFiddle

We could even go a step further and use the above example to make a reusable function, like.

Javascript

function sorter(array, funcs, orders) {
    funcs = funcs || {};
    orders = orders || {};
    array.sort(funcs.general);
    if (Array.isArray(orders.top)) {
        orders.top.slice().reverse().forEach(function(value) {
            array.sort(funcs.top.bind(value));
        });
    }

    if (Array.isArray(orders.bottom)) {
        orders.bottom.forEach(function(value) {
            array.sort(funcs.bottom.bind(value));
        });
    }

    return array;
}

sorter(x, {
    general: function (a, b) {
        return a.destination_country_name.localeCompare(b.destination_country_name);
    },
    top: function (a, b) {
        return +(!b.destination_country_name.localeCompare(this));
    },
    bottom: function (a, b) {
        return +(!a.destination_country_name.localeCompare(this));
    }
}, {
    top: ['Ireland', 'United Kingdom', 'United States'],
    bottom: ['Everywhere Else']
});

On jsFiddle

And now you can easily sort on different attributes by parsing in different compare functions, and define values that should be at the top or bottom.

I used ECMA5 methods but you could just as easily make it with ECMA3.

This is very nice, thank you very much. What are the implications of using ES5 methods over ES3? I assume browser support? — Coogie, May 12 '14 at 18:14
Yes, but you can load [`es5 shim`](https://github.com/es-shims/es5-shim) on your page and all the methods that I have used are well supported and to specification (except `bind`, but it is very close and the differences are not used in my example). — Xotic750, May 12 '14 at 18:47

kennebec · Answer 2 · 2014-05-12T02:25:42.540

You can give every object a 'sort-order' property. Specify the known first 3 and the last, and give all the others the same value, greater than the first three and less than the last. Then sort the array- first by sort-order, and then alphabetically;

var arr= [{ "destination_country_id": null, "primary_cost": "9.50", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "Everywhere Else", },{ "destination_country_id": 105, "primary_cost": "8.00", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "United Kingdom", },{ "destination_country_id": 209, "primary_cost": "9.50", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "United States", },{ "destination_country_id": 123, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "Ireland", },{ "destination_country_id": 185, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "France", },{ "destination_country_id": 145, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, "destination_country_name": "Spain", }]

var s= "destination_country_name",
order= ["Ireland", "United Kingdom", 
"United States", "Everywhere Else"];

arr.forEach(function(itm){
    var i= order.indexOf(itm[s]);
    if(i!= -1) itm.sort_order= i== 3? 1e50: i;
    else itm.sort_order= 10;
});

arr.sort(function(a, b){
    var d= a.sort_order- b.sort_order;
    if(d===0){
        if(a[s]=== b[s]) return 0;
        return a[s]>b[s]? 1: -1;
    }
    return d;
});
JSON.stringify(arr)
/*  returned value: (String)[{
        "destination_country_id": 123, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "Ireland", "sort_order": 0
    },{
        "destination_country_id": 105, "primary_cost": "8.00", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "United Kingdom", "sort_order": 1
    },{
        "destination_country_id": 209, "primary_cost": "9.50", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "United States", "sort_order": 2
    },{
        "destination_country_id": 185, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "France", "sort_order": 10
    },{
        "destination_country_id": 145, "primary_cost": "5.00", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "Spain", "sort_order": 10
    },{
        "destination_country_id": null, "primary_cost": "9.50", "region_id": null, 
        "destination_country_name": "Everywhere Else", "sort_order": 1e+50
    }
]
*/

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Jun 20 '20 at 09:12

I think the most efficient way to sort your array is to first find where "Everywhere Else", the "UK", "Ireland", and the "US" are in your array, remove them, and then sort the rest of the array. This is simpler than it sounds

fiddle

var data = [
    {"destination_country_name": "Everywhere Else"},
    {"destination_country_name": "United Kingdom"},
    {"destination_country_name": "United States"},
    {"destination_country_name": "Ireland"},
    {"destination_country_name": "France"},
    {"destination_country_name": "Spain"}     ];
//removed the other elements just to make the example cleaner
var keep = ["Everywhere Else", "Ireland", "United Kingdom", "United States"];
//keep is the elements you want in the front; order them exactly at you want them ordered
var top = [];
//this is our holder array to hold the objects for the strings in keep

for (var i = 0; i < keep.length; i++) {
    var index = function () {
        for (var j = 0; j < data.length; j++){    //loop through data
            if (data[j].destination_country_name == keep[i])
                return data[j];    //return the object if it's name matches the one in keep
        }
    }
    if (index > -1){        //if the object is in the array (index != -1)
        top.push(data[index]);    //push the object to our holder array
        data.splice(index, 1);    //splice the object out of the original array
    }
}
//after this loop, those other objects will have been removed
//sort the rest of that array of objects
data.sort(function (a, b) {    //use a callback function to specify which parts of
                               //the object need to be sorted
    //basic sorting/compare algorithm (-1, 0, or 1)
    if (a.destination_country_name > b.destination_country_name)
        return 1;        //if greater
    if (a.destination_country_name < b.destination_country_name)
        return -1;        //if lesser
    return 0;    //otherwise
})

var sorted = top.concat(data), //combine data to the holder array and assign to sorted
    extra = sorted.shift();    //grab the first element ("Everywhere Else") and remove it
    sorted.push(extra);        //add that element to the end of the array
console.log(sorted);

Alternatively, if you know those four places (EE, UK, US, and Ireland) will always be the first 4 elements in your array, you can do the following:

var data = [
    {"destination_country_name": "Everywhere Else"},
    {"destination_country_name": "United Kingdom"},
    {"destination_country_name": "United States"},
    {"destination_country_name": "Ireland"},
    {"destination_country_name": "France"},
    {"destination_country_name": "Spain"}     ];

var top = data.slice(0,4);
data.sort(function (a, b) {
    if (a.destination_country_name > b.destination_country_name)
        return 1;
    if (a.destination_country_name < b.destination_country_name)
        return -1;
    return 0;
})

var sorted = top.concat(data),
        extra = sorted.shift();
        sorted = sorted.push(extra);    //put "Everywhere Else" at the end of the array

Note how this is much more efficient (and much simpler!) because you don't need to locate those four elements.

Your jsFiddle gave me `[{"destination_country_name":"Everywhere Else"},{"destination_country_name":"France"},{"destination_country_name":"Ireland"},{"destination_country_name":"Spain"},{"destination_country_name":"United Kingdom"},{"destination_country_name":"United States"}]` — Xotic750, May 12 '14 at 01:25
@Xotic750 I said it would. You can add all the other object details and it'll have the same effect. — royhowie, May 12 '14 at 01:46
@Xotic750 Oh, I see. He wanted Everywhere Else last. That's an easy fix. One second — royhowie, May 12 '14 at 01:47

score -1 · Answer 4 · answered May 11 '14 at 23:16

-1

If your provided array is called list, you can sort it as you want using the following call:

list.sort(function (item1, item2) {
    if (item1.destination_country_name < item2.destination_country_name) {
        return -1;
    }
    return 1;
});

answered May 11 '14 at 23:16

sgmonda

2,615
1
19
29

And how does that compare to the OPs specification? – Xotic750 May 11 '14 at 23:19

Aminadav Glickshtein · Answer 5 · 2014-05-11T23:08:38.967

-3

you can use underscore sortBy method:

a=[{obj:'first3'},{obj:'first2'},{obj:'first1'},{obj:'z'},{obj:'m'},{obj:'c'},{obj:'end3'},{obj:'end2'},{obj:'end1'}]
a=_.sortBy(a,function (t,i){if (i<=2) return String.fromCharCode(0);if(i>=a.length-3) return String.fromCharCode(255);return t.obj })

console.log(JSON.stringify(a))

[{"obj":"first3"},{"obj":"first2"},{"obj":"first1"},{"obj":"c"},{"obj":"m"},{"obj":"z"},{"obj":"end3"},{"obj":"end2"},{"obj":"end1"}]

http://jsfiddle.net/43Q8h/

edited May 11 '14 at 23:08

answered May 11 '14 at 22:30

Aminadav Glickshtein

23,232
12
77
117

1

What in the world is going on here. – Austin Brunkhorst May 11 '14 at 22:34
1

*"You cannot sort objects in JS, only arraies."* Good thing that the OP has an array then. – Felix Kling May 11 '14 at 22:36
The answer is exactly what @Coogan request, (sory an array except for the first three and last items) – Aminadav Glickshtein May 11 '14 at 22:38
How come the first three and the last three elements changed their order then? – Felix Kling May 11 '14 at 22:41
Please look at the edited answer. This is what @Coogan request. Sorting an array of objects. – Aminadav Glickshtein May 11 '14 at 22:58
Your `after` does not look like that requested by the OP. – Xotic750 May 11 '14 at 23:11
This is because the example he shows, it's not what he requested. Read it: 'I'm trying to organise the destination_country_id alphabetically except for the first three and last items.' This is what my jsfiddle does. – Aminadav Glickshtein May 11 '14 at 23:29
One would assume that was a mistake in the OPs question. Regardless of that, your `after` does not look like the list that the OP has specified. – Xotic750 May 11 '14 at 23:36
To be clear your order is `[{"destination_country_name":"Everywhere Else"},{"destination_country_name":"United Kingdom"},{"destination_country_name":"United States"},{"destination_country_name":"Ireland"},{"destination_country_name":"France"},{"destination_country_name":"Spain"}]` – Xotic750 May 12 '14 at 00:14

Sort array of objects in specific order

5 Answers5

fiddle

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