How the sort method works in js

JavaScript's sort() method performs ascending string sorting of array elements through type conversion, comparison, exchange, and recursive steps. It mutates the original array, but can create a copy via the slice() method for sorting.

How the Sort method in JavaScript works

sort() in JavaScript Method used to sort array elements. It is a native method that can mutate the original array.

How it works:

sort() method sorts array elements using the following steps:

1. Type conversion: Convert all array elements to strings.
2. Comparison: For each element in the array, compare it with the adjacent element. The comparison is based on the Unicode code point value of the string.
3. Exchange: If the code point value of the current element is smaller than the adjacent element, the two elements are swapped.
4. Recursion: Repeat steps 1-3 until all elements are sorted in ascending order.

Note:

• sort() method sorts strings, not numbers. If the array contains numbers, consider using the compareFunction parameter of Array.prototype.sort() for custom sorting.
• sort() method will change the original array. If you want to keep the original array, you can create a copy and sort it using the Array.prototype.slice() method.

Example:

<code class="javascript">const numbers = [3, 1, 2];

// 排序并修改原始数组
numbers.sort(); // [1, 2, 3]

// 使用比较函数按降序排列
const sortedDesc = numbers.sort((a, b) => b - a); // [3, 2, 1]</code>

The above is the detailed content of How the sort method works in js. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!