How do you sort a tree stored using the nested set model?

Question

When I refer to nested set model I mean what is described here.

I need to build a new system for storing \"categories\" (I can\'t think of better word for it) in a user

Answer 1

I have used Nested Sets a lot and I have faced the same problem often. What I do, and what I would recommend, is to just not sort the items in the database. Instead, sort them in the user interface. After you pulled all the nodes from the DB, you likely have to convert them into some hierarchical data structure, anyway. In that structure, sort all the arrays containing the node's children.

For example, if your frontend is a Flex app, and the children of a node are stored in an ICollectionView, you can use the sort property to have them display the way you want.

Another example, if your frontend is some output from a PHP script, you could have the children of each node in an array and use PHP's array sorting functions to perform your sorting.

Of course, this only works if you don't need the actual db entries to be sorted, but do you?