User Guide

258 ActionScript classes
Example
Usage 1: The following example shows the use of
Array.sort() with and without a value
passed for
options:
var fruits_array:Array = new Array("oranges", "apples", "strawberries",
"pineapples", "cherries");
trace(fruits_array); // Displays
oranges,apples,strawberries,pineapples,cherries.
fruits_array.sort();
trace(fruits_array); // Displays
apples,cherries,oranges,pineapples,strawberries.
trace(fruits_array); // Writes
apples,cherries,oranges,pineapples,strawberries.
fruits_array.sort(Array.DESCENDING);
trace(fruits_array); // Displays
strawberries,pineapples,oranges,cherries,apples.
trace(fruits_array); // Writes
strawberries,pineapples,oranges,cherries,apples.
Usage 2: The following example uses Array.sort() with a compare function. The entries are
sorted in the form name:password. Sort using only the name part of the entry as a key:
var passwords_array:Array = new Array("mom:glam", "ana:ring", "jay:mag",
"anne:home", "regina:silly");
function order(a, b):Number {
var name1:String = a.split(":")[0];
var name2:String = b.split(":")[0];
if (name1<name2) {
return -1;
} else if (name1>name2) {
return 1;
} else {
return 0;
}
}
trace("Unsorted:");
//Displays Unsorted:
trace(passwords_array);
//Displays mom:glam,ana:ring,jay:mag,anne:home,regina:silly.
//Writes mom:glam,ana:ring,jay:mag,anne:home,regina:silly
passwords_array.sort(order);
trace("Sorted:");
//Displays Sorted:
trace(passwords_array);
//Displays ana:ring,anne:home,jay:mag,mom:glam,regina:silly.
//Writes ana:ring,anne:home,jay:mag,mom:glam,regina:silly.
See also
| bitwise OR operator, sortOn (Array.sortOn method)