What is the best way to organize an array that contains empty strings, NaN, numeric values, and infinity?

Question

What is the best way to organize an array that contains empty strings, NaN, numeric values, and infinity?

Looking for help with sorting an array containing various types like empty strings, numbers, "infinity", "-infinity", and "NaN". The values are all in string form which is causing issues with the default sort function when it comes to empty strings and special cases like 'inf' and 'nan'. Is there a way to customize the sorting function to work properly in both ascending and descending order?

javascript arrays sorting

Answer 1

Answer №1

To adjust the order of a given array, you can utilize an object to define the desired sort order and then rearrange the elements accordingly.

var array = ["", 2, 3, 0, "inf", "-inf", "Nan", -1, -100000];

array.sort(function (a, b) {
    var order = { "": -4, "-inf": -3, "Nan": -2, "inf": -1 };
    return (order[a] || 0) - (order[b] || 0) || a - b;
});

console.log(array);

.as-console-wrapper { max-height: 100% !important; top: 0; }

Answer 2

To adjust the order of a given array, you can utilize an object to define the desired sort order and then rearrange the elements accordingly.

var array = ["", 2, 3, 0, "inf", "-inf", "Nan", -1, -100000];

array.sort(function (a, b) {
    var order = { "": -4, "-inf": -3, "Nan": -2, "inf": -1 };
    return (order[a] || 0) - (order[b] || 0) || a - b;
});

console.log(array);

.as-console-wrapper { max-height: 100% !important; top: 0; }

Answer 3

Answer №2

Update: based on the feedback provided, the ordering sequence is as follows:

"" < "-inf" < "Nan" < "inf" <  ... < -1 < 0 < 1 < ...

. To customize this, you can adjust the elements in the order array.

Keep in mind that if the array includes items not listed in the order array, the code may not function correctly. To address this, consider implementing safeguards or including additional special elements (such as 0) in the order array.

It's important to note that in JavaScript, NaN and Infinity (not as string literals) are also considered numbers. This code ensures they are sorted alongside numerical values.

var basicCompare = function (a, b) {
    if (a > b) return 1;
    if (a < b) return -1;
    return 0;
}

var compare = function (a, b) {
    // 0 denotes numbers.
    var order = ["", "-inf", "Nan", "inf", 0],
        orderOfNumber = order.indexOf(0),   
        orderOfA = typeof(a) === "number" ? orderOfNumber : order.indexOf(a),
        orderOfB = typeof(b) === "number" ? orderOfNumber : order.indexOf(b);

    if (orderOfA === orderOfNumber && orderOfB === orderOfNumber) {
        // Both are numbers, utilize standard comparison.
        return basicCompare(a, b);
    }

    // If not both numbers, apply the predefined order.
    return basicCompare(orderOfA, orderOfB)
}

array.sort(compare);

Answer 4

Update: based on the feedback provided, the ordering sequence is as follows:

"" < "-inf" < "Nan" < "inf" <  ... < -1 < 0 < 1 < ...

. To customize this, you can adjust the elements in the order array.

Keep in mind that if the array includes items not listed in the order array, the code may not function correctly. To address this, consider implementing safeguards or including additional special elements (such as 0) in the order array.

It's important to note that in JavaScript, NaN and Infinity (not as string literals) are also considered numbers. This code ensures they are sorted alongside numerical values.

var basicCompare = function (a, b) {
    if (a > b) return 1;
    if (a < b) return -1;
    return 0;
}

var compare = function (a, b) {
    // 0 denotes numbers.
    var order = ["", "-inf", "Nan", "inf", 0],
        orderOfNumber = order.indexOf(0),   
        orderOfA = typeof(a) === "number" ? orderOfNumber : order.indexOf(a),
        orderOfB = typeof(b) === "number" ? orderOfNumber : order.indexOf(b);

    if (orderOfA === orderOfNumber && orderOfB === orderOfNumber) {
        // Both are numbers, utilize standard comparison.
        return basicCompare(a, b);
    }

    // If not both numbers, apply the predefined order.
    return basicCompare(orderOfA, orderOfB)
}

array.sort(compare);

What is the best way to organize an array that contains empty strings, NaN, numeric values, and infinity?

Answer №1

Answer №2

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