Arrange an array that consists of both numbers and strings

I need help sorting an array that contains various data types such as numbers, strings, and strings representing numbers (e.g. '1', '2'). The goal is to have all the numbers appear first in the sorted array, followed by strings containing numbers, and then standard strings.

var arr = [9, 5, '2', 'ab', '3', -1] // Array to be sorted 
arr.sort()
// Expected result: [-1, 5, 9, "2", "3", "ab"]
// Actual result: [-1, "2", 5, 9, "ab"]

I attempted a different method:

var number = [];
var char = [];
arr.forEach(a => {
 if(typeof a == 'number') number.push(a);
 else char.push(a);
})
arr = (number.sort((a,b) => a > b)).concat(char.sort((a,b) => a > b))
// Expected result: [-1, 5, 9, "2", "3", "ab"]
// Actual result: [-1, 5, 9, "2", "ab", "3"]

Answer №1

One of the quickest solutions may be:

 const sortedArray = array.sort((value1, value2) => ((typeof value2 === "number") - (typeof value1 === "number")) || (value1 > value2 ? 1 : -1));

Answer №2

To organize the numbers and non-numbers separately, you can utilize the .filter() method.

Take a look at the practical example provided below (refer to code comments for guidance):

const arr = [9, 5, '2', 'ab', '3', -1];

const nums = arr.filter(n => typeof n === "number").sort((a, b) => a - b); // Filter out only numbers and then sort them in ascending order
const non_nums = arr.filter(x => typeof x !== "number").sort(); // Filter out anything that is not a number and then sort alphabetically

const res = [...nums, ...non_nums]; // Merge the two separated arrays
console.log(res); // [-1, 5, 9, "2", "3", "ab"]

Answer №3

It looks like most of the hard work was completed on your second try. In this solution, I utilized the Array.concat method to merge the sorted outcomes of number and char.

var arr = [5, 3, '8', 'cd', '1', -5] // array needing sorting
var number = [];
var char = [];
arr.forEach(item => {
  if (typeof item === 'number') number.push(item);
  else char.push(item);
})

var sortedArr = number.sort().concat(char.sort());
console.log(sortedArr)

Answer №4

Give this a shot

const array = [9, 5, '2', 'ab', '3', 'AB', -1];
const sortedArray = array.sort((x, y) => {
    if (typeof x === 'number' && typeof y === 'number') {
        return x - y;
    } else if (typeof x === 'number') {
        return -1;
    } else if (typeof y === 'number') {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return x > y ? 1 : -1;
    }
});

console.log(sortedArray);

This code snippet utilizes the Array.prototype.sort method to arrange elements within an array. The function must output a number. If the number is > 0, b is positioned before a. If the number is < 0, a precedes b. If it's 0, their order remains unchanged.

Answer №5

Voilà!

const nums = [5, '7', 3, 'hello', -2]

const numbers = nums.filter(item => typeof item === 'number');
const numerics = nums.filter(item => typeof item === 'string' && !isNaN(item));
const strings = nums.filter(item => typeof item === 'string' && isNaN(item));

numbers.sort();
numerics.sort();
strings.sort();

const finalArr = [].concat(numbers, numerics, strings);

console.log(finalArr);

My approach involved segregating the different types of elements present in the array and then merging them together.

Answer №6

In order to optimize performance and reduce complexity, I decided to take a different approach instead of looping through the array multiple times.

One solution is to create a custom sort function where string values are calculated based on the character charCode value and all numbers are handled as they are.

In the following code snippet, I elevated string values to the power of 5 to ensure they are larger than numeric values. However, this can be adjusted depending on the specific data being handled.

It's important to note that the downside of this method is its impact on performance, especially with longer strings, so caution should be exercised accordingly.

var arr = [90000, 5, '2', 'ab', 'aa', '3', -1] // to be sorted
arr.sort((a,b) => {
  if(typeof a === 'string') {
    let temp = 0
    for (let s of a) temp += s.charCodeAt(0)
    a = Math.pow(temp, 5)
  }
  if(typeof b === 'string') {
    let temp = 0
    for(let s of b) temp += s.charCodeAt(0)
    b = Math.pow(temp, 5)
  }
  return a - b
})

console.log(arr) // [-1, 5, 90000, "2", "3", "aa", "ab"]

Answer №7

Give this a shot:

let arr = [7, 'apple', 10, 'orange', 8, -2];
let numbers = [];
let strNums = [];
let strings = [];
arr.forEach(item => {
  if (typeof item === "number") {
    numbers.push(item);
  } else if (typeof item === "string" && /\d/.test(item)) {
    strNums.push(item);
  } else {
    strings.push(item);
  }
});
arr = numbers.concat(strNums.concat(strings));
console.log(arr);

This code snippet categorizes elements into three arrays: one for numbers, one for strings containing numbers, and one for other strings. It then merges them together in the correct order.

Answer №8

let data=[9,5,'2','ab','3',-1];
    let stringData=[];
    let numberData=[];
    let mixedData=[];
    for(let i=0;i<data.length;i++)
    {

        if(typeof(data[i])=='number')
        {
            numberData.push(data[i]);

        }
        else if((Number(data[i]).toString())=="NaN")
        {
            mixedData.push(data[i]);

        }
        else
        {
            stringData.push(data[i]);
        }

    }
    stringData.sort();
    numberData.sort();
    mixedData.sort();
    let sortedArray=numberData.concat(stringData,mixedData);
    console.log(sortedArray);

Answer №9

If you want to sort an Array, you can utilize the .sort() method.

All you need to do is define a function that specifies how the sorting should be done for each comparison.

For example:

// Begin by categorizing all types of data you will be working with
function typeClassify(value) {
    return typeof value == "number"
        ? "N"
        : isNaN(value) ? "s" : "n";
};

// Next, create the sorting function
function sortCriteria(x, y) {
    var mode = typeClassify(x) + typeClassify(y);
    switch (mode) {
        case "NN":
            return x - y;
        case "nn":
            return Number(x) - Number(y);
        case "ss":
            return x == y ? 0 : x > y ? -1 : 1;
        case "Nn":
        case "Ns":
        case "ns":
            return -1;
        case "nN":
        case "sN":
        case "sn":
            return 1;
        default:
            throw "This should never happen";
    };
};

// Finally, use the sortCriteria function as a callback for the .sort() method
var arrayToBeSorted = [9, 5, '2', 'ab', '3', -1];
console.log(arrayToBeSorted.sort(sortCriteria));

// Expected result: [-1, 5, 9, "2", "3", "ab"]
// Result obtained: [-1, 5, 9, '2', '3', 'ab']

You could combine the functionality of typeClassify() into sortCriteria() to avoid calling an extra function for each comparison. However, keeping them separate increases clarity.

Answer №10

To organize the array in a certain order, we can make use of the localeCompare function within the sort function.

var elements = [3, 'rob', 'peter', 43, 0, -222];
console.log(elements.sort((alpha, beta) => {
  return alpha.toString().localeCompare(beta.toString());
}));

Answer №11

const numbersAndStrings = [9, 5, '2', 'ab', '3', -1];
numbersAndStrings.sort((a, b) => {
    let aIsNumber = /^\d+$/.test(a);
    let bIsNumber = /^\d+$/.test(b);
    
    if (aIsNumber && bIsNumber) {
        return parseInt(a) - parseInt(b);
    } else if (aIsNumber) {
        return -1;
    } else if (bIsNumber) {
        return 1;
    } else {
        return a > b ? 1 : -1;
    }
});

console.log(numbersAndStrings);

Answer №12

Although a bit rough around the edges, this code snippet is designed to effectively handle the given task

var mixedArray = ["a", "5", "1", "-1", 17, "abc", 23, -5, 0, "17"];

const mixedSort = (arra) => {
  arra.sort();
  return arra.sort((a, b) => {
    if (typeof a === "string" && typeof b === "string") {
      if (Number(a) < Number(b)) return -1;
      return 1;
    }
    if (typeof a === "string") {
      return 1;
    }
    if (typeof b === "string") {
      return -1;
    }
  });
};
console.log(mixedSort(mixedArray));

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