How to Properly Sort Your Array of Activities by Date in JavaScript

Learn how to resolve sorting issues with arrays of objects in JavaScript, specifically prioritizing entries with dates over those without.
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Sorting Your Array of Activities by Date in JavaScript

When working with arrays of objects in JavaScript, you may come across a scenario where you need to sort them based on a specific property, like a date. This can sometimes lead to unexpected results, especially when some objects do not have the specified property. In this guide, we'll explore a common issue that arises when sorting arrays of activities by date, as well as how to resolve it effectively.

The Problem

Consider the following array of activities, each represented as an object.

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this array, we have one object without a date and two with specified date values. The goal is to sort this array by date such that:

Activities with dates should come before those without

Activities should be listed in descending order by date

The initial attempt at sorting the array may look like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

However, you might find that the results are not as expected. The activities without a date tend to appear at the top, which is contrary to our desired outcome.

The Solution

To resolve this sorting issue, we need to adjust our comparison function used within the sort() method. Here's how to do it:

Step-by-Step Code Explanation

Here’s the modified sorting function:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Breakdown of the Code:

Check for missing dates:

If both elements being compared lack a date, return 0, meaning their order remains unchanged.

Prioritize entries with dates:

If only the first element a has no date, return 1, which places it after b.

Alternatively, if only b has no date, return -1, placing b after a.

Sort by date when both have valid dates:

Finally, standard date comparison is done to sort them in descending order.

Final Implementation

With these adjustments in logic, the complete sorting solution looks like this:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By implementing these changes to your sorting function, you will effectively sort your array of activities such that those with dates are prioritized over those without. This solution provides a cleaner and more accurate way to handle sorting in JavaScript when dealing with optional properties.

Feel free to adapt this approach to suit your own data structures and sorting needs!