How Can JavaScript's `localeCompare` Achieve Natural Sorting of Alphanumeric Strings?

Natural Sorting of Alphanumerical Strings in JavaScript with LocaleCompare

In JavaScript, sorting an array that contains a mix of numbers, text, and their combinations can be a challenge. Traditional sorting algorithms may not handle these strings as expected, leading to incorrect results.

For such cases, browsers now provide the localeCompare function, which offers natural sorting capabilities. By enabling the numeric option, localeCompare can intelligently recognize numbers within the strings and sort them accordingly.

const result = '123asd'.localeCompare('19asd', undefined, { numeric: true, sensitivity: 'base' });
console.log(result); // 1

In the above example, '123asd' is considered greater than '19asd' because the numbers are sorted in ascending order. The sensitivity option is set to 'base' to perform a case-insensitive comparison.

For large datasets, using the Intl.Collator object instead of localeCompare is recommended for performance.

const collator = new Intl.Collator(undefined, { numeric: true, sensitivity: 'base' });
const myArray = ['1_Document', '11_Document', '2_Document'];
myArray.sort(collator.compare);

This optimized sorting ensures accurate natural sorting, handling both numbers and text effectively.

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