How to sort by an associative array value(Complex array structure)?

Question

Consider the Following:

I am representing data in an array in an HTML table such as:

image of table

1) How would I sort the array by b1 or b3?

I have tried:

var o = {
    "orgs": {
        "655": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 30,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 25,
                "b2": 14,
                "b3": 10,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 30
            },
            "depth": 1,
            "agents": [207072],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00655",
            "name": "TEAM00655: Jabba - Mooi River (Muhammad Jaffar)"
        },
        "853": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 356,
                "b3ports": 1,
                "b9": 8,
                "b1": 283,
                "b2": 122,
                "b3": 77,
                "ports": 1,
                "rica": 356
            },
            "depth": 2,
            "agents": [208162],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00853",
            "name": "TEAM00853: Jabba - Mooiriver (Bongiwe Gwala)"
        },
        "921": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 22,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 20,
                "b2": 7,
                "b3": 5,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 22
            },
            "depth": 1,
            "agents": [210171, 212842],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00921",
            "name": "TEAM00921: Jabba  - Nolwazi Zungu"
        },
    },
    "agents": {
        "207072": {
            "name": "Bongiwe Gwala",
            "oid": 655,
            "depth": 1,
            "aid": "A0207072",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00655",
            "data": {
                "cons": 30,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 25,
                "b2": 14,
                "b3": 10,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 30
            },
            "aname": "A0207072: Bongiwe Gwala",
            "oname": "TEAM00655: Jabba - Mooi River (Muhammad Jaffar)"
        },
        "208162": {
            "name": "Nkosikhona MADLALA",
            "oid": 853,
            "depth": 2,
            "aid": "A0208162",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00853",
            "data": {
                "cons": 356,
                "b3ports": 1,
                "b9": 8,
                "b1": 283,
                "b2": 122,
                "b3": 77,
                "ports": 1,
                "rica": 356
            },
            "aname": "A0208162: Nkosikhona MADLALA",
            "oname": "TEAM00853: Jabba - Mooiriver (Bongiwe Gwala)"
        },
        "212842": {
            "name": "SANELE KHUMALO",
            "oid": 921,
            "depth": 1,
            "aid": "A0212842",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00921",
            "data": {
                "cons": 22,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 20,
                "b2": 7,
                "b3": 5,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 22
            },
            "aname": "A0212842: SANELE KHUMALO",
            "oname": "TEAM00921: Jabba  - Nolwazi Zungu"
        },
    },
"orglist": [853, 655, 921],
}

function sort_data(data, sortby, asc) {
  console.log(data);
  if (asc == "asc") {
    data.sort(function(a, b) {
      a.sortby - b.sortby;
    });
  } else {
    data.sort(function(a, b) {
      a.sortby + b.sortby;
    });
  }
  // update_data;
}

var a = sort_data(o, "b1", "asc");
console.log(a);

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

This how ever gives me an error( To view the error, open your console )

UPDATE:

I got the sorting to work thanks to @NicolasAlbert.

Now I need to order by the agents aswell. It needs to order by orgs first and then by agents I have tried:

        if (asc == "desc") {
             data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
                a_org = data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
                b_org = data.orgs[b].data[sortby];
                a_agent = data.agents[a].data[sortby];
                b_agent = data.agents[b].data[sortby];
                // return d - c;
                return b_org - a_org &&  a_agent - b_agent;

                // data.agents[a].data[sortby] - data.agents[b].data[sortby]
            });
        } else {
            data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
                a_org = data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
                b_org = data.orgs[b].data[sortby];
                a_agent = data.agents[a].data[sortby];
                b_agent = data.agents[b].data[sortby];
                return a_org - b_org && a_agent - b_agent;
            });
        }

This does not work how ever...

Another update

I have modified my code to do:

            data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
                a_org = data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
                b_org = data.orgs[b].data[sortby];
                agents = data.orgs[b].agents.sort(function(a, b){
                    a_agent = data.agents[a].data[sortby];
                    b_agent = data.agents[b].data[sortby];
                    return b_agent - a_agent
                });

                return b_org - a_org && agents;
            });

But this sorts both orgs and agents at the same time.

LAst update:

I got it to work, sorting both the orgs and the agents, I had to create two sorting functions:

    function sort_org(data, sortby, order) {
        /*
        Sort the orgs
        */
        var a_org, b_org;

        if (order == "desc") {
             data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
                a_org = data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
                b_org = data.orgs[b].data[sortby];                
                return b_org - a_org;
            });
        } else {
            data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
                a_org = data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
                b_org = data.orgs[b].data[sortby];
                return a_org - b_org;
            });
        }
    }

    function sort_agent(data, sortby, order) {
        /*
        Sort the agents
        */
        var a_agent, b_agent;

        if (order == "desc") {
            for (var orgid in data.orglist){
                data.orgs[data.orglist[orgid]].agents.sort(function(a, b){
                    a_agent = data.agents[a].data[sortby];
                    b_agent = data.agents[b].data[sortby];
                    return b_agent - a_agent
                })
            }
        } else {
            for (var orgid in data.orglist){
                data.orgs[data.orglist[orgid]].agents.sort(function(a, b){
                    a_agent = data.agents[a].data[sortby];
                    b_agent = data.agents[b].data[sortby];
                    return a_agent - b_agent
                })
            }
        }
    }

then I just call the functions consecutively... i.e.

sort_org(o, "b1", "asc");
sort_agent(o, "b1", "asc");

I hope this can help someone...

Nicolas Albert · Accepted Answer · 2014-09-25 08:59:32Z

1

You can only use .sort method on Array instance, not Object. Your data is store in key/value objects and the order cannot be modified.

If you want order your data, you must introduce Array ([]) in it.

May you want order the orglist array like that:

var o = {
    "orgs": {
        "655": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 30,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 25,
                "b2": 14,
                "b3": 10,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 30
            },
            "depth": 1,
            "agents": [207072],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00655",
            "name": "TEAM00655: Jabba - Mooi River (Muhammad Jaffar)"
        },
        "853": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 356,
                "b3ports": 1,
                "b9": 8,
                "b1": 283,
                "b2": 122,
                "b3": 77,
                "ports": 1,
                "rica": 356
            },
            "depth": 2,
            "agents": [208162],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00853",
            "name": "TEAM00853: Jabba - Mooiriver (Bongiwe Gwala)"
        },
        "921": {
            "data": {
                "cons": 22,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 20,
                "b2": 7,
                "b3": 5,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 22
            },
            "depth": 1,
            "agents": [210171, 212842],
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00921",
            "name": "TEAM00921: Jabba  - Nolwazi Zungu"
        },
    },
    "agents": {
        "207072": {
            "name": "Bongiwe Gwala",
            "oid": 655,
            "depth": 1,
            "aid": "A0207072",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00655",
            "data": {
                "cons": 30,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 25,
                "b2": 14,
                "b3": 10,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 30
            },
            "aname": "A0207072: Bongiwe Gwala",
            "oname": "TEAM00655: Jabba - Mooi River (Muhammad Jaffar)"
        },
        "208162": {
            "name": "Nkosikhona MADLALA",
            "oid": 853,
            "depth": 2,
            "aid": "A0208162",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00853",
            "data": {
                "cons": 356,
                "b3ports": 1,
                "b9": 8,
                "b1": 283,
                "b2": 122,
                "b3": 77,
                "ports": 1,
                "rica": 356
            },
            "aname": "A0208162: Nkosikhona MADLALA",
            "oname": "TEAM00853: Jabba - Mooiriver (Bongiwe Gwala)"
        },
        "212842": {
            "name": "SANELE KHUMALO",
            "oid": 921,
            "depth": 1,
            "aid": "A0212842",
            "orgunit_id": "TEAM00921",
            "data": {
                "cons": 22,
                "b3ports": 0,
                "b9": 2,
                "b1": 20,
                "b2": 7,
                "b3": 5,
                "ports": 0,
                "rica": 22
            },
            "aname": "A0212842: SANELE KHUMALO",
            "oname": "TEAM00921: Jabba  - Nolwazi Zungu"
        },
    },
"orglist": [853, 655, 921]
}

function sort_data(data, sortby, asc) {
  console.log(data);
  
  if (asc == "asc") {
    data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
      data.orgs[a].data[sortby] - data.orgs[b].data[sortby];
    });
  } else {
    data.orglist.sort(function(a, b) {
      data.orgs[b].data[sortby] - data.orgs[a].data[sortby];
    });
  }
  // update_data;
}

sort_data(o, "b1", "asc");
console.log(o.orglist);

<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>

edited Sep 25, 2014 at 8:59

answered Sep 25, 2014 at 8:14

Nicolas Albert

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7 Comments

Renier Over a year ago

Thanks for your answer... I just reallised that I made a typo when I modified the array: orgslist, agents and orgs are keys in the array. I have updated my code...

Agamemnus Over a year ago

Well, actually, the order can be modified, but only by the browser engine itself, as far as I know. In other words, the order of properties is not defined in the spec, though I have found that object properties generally stay in the same order they were defined at -- though that isn't guaranteed.

Renier Over a year ago

@NicolasAlbert thanks, this works great.. You have to return data.orgs[b].data[sortby] - data.orgs[a].data[sortby]; tho.... as a on the side question, if I may, how would I sort using the agents and the orgs? Ill update my question..

Nicolas Albert Over a year ago

(I write from mobile) "a - b" return a numeric value and you use "&&" that work for boolean value. I don't know how you want to mix the sort between "orgs" and "agents".

Renier Over a year ago

I want to sort by orgs first and then agents... Thanks for your help btw.

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