How do you sort an array on multiple columns?

Question

I have a multidimensional array. The primary array is an array of

[publicationID][publication_name][ownderID][owner_name] 

What I am tryin

Answer 1

I was working with ng-grid and needed to to multiple column sorting on an array of records returned from an API, so I came up with this nifty, dynamic multi-sort function.

First of all, ng-grid fires an "event" for "ngGridSorted" and passes this structure back, describing the sort:

sortData = {
    columns:    DOM Element,
    directions: [], //Array of string values desc or asc. Each index relating to the same index of fields
    fields:     [], //Array of string values
};

So I built a function that will dynamically generate a sort function based on the sortData as shown above (Don't be scared by the scroll bar! It's only about 50 lines long! Also, I'm sorry about the slop. It prevented a horizontal scrollbar!):

function SortingFunction(sortData)
{
    this.sortData = sortData;

    this.sort = function(a, b)
    {
        var retval = 0;

        if(this.sortData.fields.length)
        {
            var i = 0;

            /*
                Determine if there is a column that both entities (a and b)
                have that are not exactly equal. The first one that we find
                will be the column we sort on. If a valid column is not
                located, then we will return 0 (equal).
            */
            while(  (   !a.hasOwnProperty(this.sortData.fields[i]) 
                    ||  !b.hasOwnProperty(this.sortData.fields[i]) 
                    ||  (a.hasOwnProperty(this.sortData.fields[i]) 
                        && b.hasOwnProperty(this.sortData.fields[i]) 
                        && a[this.sortData.fields[i]] === b[this.sortData.fields[i]])
                    ) && i < this.sortData.fields.length){
                i++;
            }

            if(i < this.sortData.fields.length)
            {
                /*
                    A valid column was located for both entities
                    in the SortData. Now perform the sort.
                */
                if(this.sortData.directions 
                && i < this.sortData.directions.length 
                && this.sortData.directions[i] === 'desc')
                {
                    if(a[this.sortData.fields[i]] > b[this.sortData.fields[i]])
                        retval = -1;
                    else if(a[this.sortData.fields[i]] < b[this.sortData.fields[i]])
                        retval = 1;
                }
                else
                {
                    if(a[this.sortData.fields[i]] < b[this.sortData.fields[i]])
                        retval = -1;
                    else if(a[this.sortData.fields[i]] > b[this.sortData.fields[i]])
                        retval = 1;
                }
            }
        }

        return retval;
    }.bind(this);
}

I then sort the results of my API (results) like so:

results.sort(new SortingFunction(sortData).sort);

I hope somebody else enjoys this solution as much as I do! Thanks!

Answer 2

A good way to sort on many fields that are strings is to use toLocaleCompare and the boolean operator ||.

Something like:

// Sorting record releases by name and then by title.
releases.sort((oldRelease, newRelease) => {
  const compareName = oldRelease.name.localeCompare(newRelease.name);
  const compareTitle = oldRelease.title.localeCompare(newRelease.title);

  return compareName || compareTitle;
})

If you wanted to sort on more fields, you could simply chain them off the return statement with more boolean operators.

Answer 3

Try this:

t.sort( (a,b)=> a[3].localeCompare(b[3]) || a[1].localeCompare(b[1]) );

let t = [
    //[publicationID, publication_name, ownderID, owner_name ]
    [1, 'ZBC', 3, 'John Smith'],
    [2, 'FBC', 5, 'Mike Tyson'],
    [3, 'ABC', 7, 'Donald Duck'],
    [4, 'DBC', 1, 'Michael Jackson'],
    [5, 'XYZ', 2, 'Michael Jackson'],
    [6, 'BBC', 4, 'Michael Jackson'],
  ]; 
  
  // owner_name subarrray index = 3
  // publication_name subarrray index = 1

t.sort( (a,b)=> a[3].localeCompare(b[3]) || a[1].localeCompare(b[1]) );

console.log(t.join('\n'));

I assume that your data in array let t = [ [publicationID, publication_name, ownderID, owner_name ], ... ] where index of owner_name = 3 and publication_name =1.

Answer 4

I had a similar problem while displaying memory pool blocks from the output of some virtual DOM h-functions composition. Basically I faced to the same problem as sorting multi-criteria data like scoring results from players around the world.

I have noticed that multi-criteria sorting is:

- sort by the first column
- if equal, sort by the second
- if equal, sort by the third
-  etc... nesting and nesting if-else

And if you don't care, you could fail quickly in a if-else nesting hell... like callback hell of promises...

What about if we write a "predicate" function to decide if which part of alternative using ? The predicate is simply :

// useful for chaining test
const decide = (test, other) => test === 0 ? other : test

Now after having written your classifying tests (byCountrySize, byAge, byGameType, byScore, byLevel...) whatever who need, you can weight your tests (1 = asc, -1 = desc, 0 = disable), put them in an array, and apply a reducing 'decide' function like this:

const multisort = (s1, s2) => {
  const bcs = -1 * byCountrySize(s1, s2) // -1 = desc 
  const ba =  1 *byAge(s1, s2)
  const bgt = 0 * byGameType(s1, s2) // 0 = doesn't matter
  const bs = 1 * byScore(s1, s2)
  const bl = -1 * byLevel(s1, s2) // -1 = desc

  // ... other weights and criterias

  // array order matters !
  return [bcs, ba, bgt, bs, bl].reduce((acc, val) => decide(val, acc), 0)
}

// invoke [].sort with custom sort...
scores.sort(multisort)

And voila ! It's up to you to define your own criterias / weights / orders... but you get the idea. Hope this helps !

EDIT: * ensure that there is a total sorting order on each column * be aware of not having dependencies between columns orders, and no circular dependencies

if, not, sorting can be unstable !

Answer 5

My own library for working with ES6 iterables (blinq) allows (among other things) easy multi-level sorting

const blinq = window.blinq.blinq
// or import { blinq } from 'blinq'
// or const { blinq } = require('blinq')
const dates = [{
    day: 1, month: 10, year: 2000
  },
  {
    day: 1, month: 1, year: 2000
  },
  {
    day: 2, month: 1, year: 2000
  },
  {
    day: 1, month: 1, year: 1999
  },
  {
    day: 1, month: 1, year: 2000
  }
]
const sortedDates = blinq(dates)
  .orderBy(x => x.year)
  .thenBy(x => x.month)
  .thenBy(x => x.day);

console.log(sortedDates.toArray())
// or console.log([...sortedDates])

<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/blinq@2.0.2"></script>

Answer 6

Sourced from GitHub

function sortMethodAsc(a, b) {
    return a == b ? 0 : a > b ? 1 : -1;
}

function sortMethodWithDirection(direction) { 
    if (direction === undefined || direction == "asc") {
        return sortMethodAsc;
    } else {
        return function(a, b) {
            return -sortMethodAsc(a, b);
        } 
    }
}

function sortMethodWithDirectionByColumn(columnName, direction){   
    const sortMethod = sortMethodWithDirection(direction)
    return function(a, b){
        return sortMethod(a[columnName], b[columnName]);
    } 
}

function sortMethodWithDirectionMultiColumn(sortArray) {
    //sample of sortArray
    // sortArray = [
    //     { column: "column5", direction: "asc" },
    //     { column: "column3", direction: "desc" }
    // ]
    const sortMethodsForColumn = (sortArray || []).map( item => sortMethodWithDirectionByColumn(item.column, item.direction) );
    return function(a,b) {
        let sorted = 0;
        let index = 0;
        while (sorted === 0 && index < sortMethodsForColumn.length) {
            sorted = sortMethodsForColumn[index++](a,b);
        }
        return sorted;
    }
} 

//=============================================
//=============================================
//=============================================
//test

var data = [
    {"CountryName":"Aruba","CountryCode":"ABW","GNI":280},{
        "CountryName":"Afghanistan","CountryCode":"ABW","GNI":280},{"CountryName":"Angola","CountryCode":"AGO","GNI":280},{"CountryName":"Albania","CountryCode":"ALB","GNI":4320},
        {"CountryName":"Arab World","CountryCode":"ARB","GNI":280},{"CountryName":"United Arab Emirates","CountryCode":"ARE","GNI":39130},
        {"CountryName":"Argentina","CountryCode":"ARG","GNI":13030},{"CountryName":"Armenia","CountryCode":"ARM","GNI":3990},{"CountryName":"American Samoa","CountryCode":"ASM","GNI":280},
        {"CountryName":"Antigua and Barbuda","CountryCode":"ATG","GNI":13810},{"CountryName":"Australia","CountryCode":"AUS","GNI":51360},
        {"CountryName":"Austria","CountryCode":"AUT","GNI":45440},{"CountryName":"Azerbaijan","CountryCode":"AZE","GNI":4080},{"CountryName":"Burundi","CountryCode":"BDI","GNI":280},
        {"CountryName":"Belgium","CountryCode":"BEL","GNI":41790},{"CountryName":"Benin","CountryCode":"BEN","GNI":800},{"CountryName":"Burkina Faso","CountryCode":"BFA","GNI":590},
        {"CountryName":"Bangladesh","CountryCode":"BGD","GNI":1470},{"CountryName":"Bulgaria","CountryCode":"BGR","GNI":7860},{"CountryName":"Bahrain","CountryCode":"BHR","GNI":21150},
        {"CountryName":"Bosnia and Herzegovina","CountryCode":"BIH","GNI":4910},{"CountryName":"Belarus","CountryCode":"BLR","GNI":5280},
        {"CountryName":"Belize","CountryCode":"BLZ","GNI":4390},{"CountryName":"Bolivia","CountryCode":"BOL","GNI":3130},{"CountryName":"Brazil","CountryCode":"BRA","GNI":8600},
        {"CountryName":"Barbados","CountryCode":"BRB","GNI":15270},{"CountryName":"Brunei Darussalam","CountryCode":"BRN","GNI":29600},
        {"CountryName":"Bhutan","CountryCode":"BTN","GNI":2660},{"CountryName":"Botswana","CountryCode":"BWA","GNI":6730},
        {"CountryName":"Central African Republic","CountryCode":"CAF","GNI":390},{"CountryName":"Canada","CountryCode":"CAN","GNI":42870},
        {"CountryName":"Central Europe and the Baltics","CountryCode":"CEB","GNI":13009},{"CountryName":"Switzerland","CountryCode":"CHE","GNI":80560},
        {"CountryName":"Chile","CountryCode":"CHL","GNI":13610},{"CountryName":"China","CountryCode":"CHN","GNI":8690},{"CountryName":"Cote d'Ivoire","CountryCode":"CIV","GNI":1580},
        {"CountryName":"Cameroon","CountryCode":"CMR","GNI":1370},{"CountryName":"Colombia","CountryCode":"COL","GNI":5890},{"CountryName":"Comoros","CountryCode":"COM","GNI":1280},
        {"CountryName":"Cabo Verde","CountryCode":"CPV","GNI":3030},{"CountryName":"Costa Rica","CountryCode":"CRI","GNI":11120},
        {"CountryName":"Caribbean small states","CountryCode":"CSS","GNI":8909},{"CountryName":"Cyprus","CountryCode":"CYP","GNI":23720},
        {"CountryName":"Czech Republic","CountryCode":"CZE","GNI":18160},{"CountryName":"Germany","CountryCode":"DEU","GNI":43490},
        {"CountryName":"Djibouti","CountryCode":"DJI","GNI":1880},{"CountryName":"Dominica","CountryCode":"DMA","GNI":6590},{"CountryName":"Denmark","CountryCode":"DNK","GNI":55220},
        {"CountryName":"Dominican Republic","CountryCode":"DOM","GNI":6630},{"CountryName":"Algeria","CountryCode":"DZA","GNI":3940},
        {"CountryName":"East Asia & Pacific (excluding high income)","CountryCode":"EAP","GNI":6987},{"CountryName":"Early-demographic dividend","CountryCode":"EAR","GNI":3352},
        {"CountryName":"East Asia & Pacific","CountryCode":"EAS","GNI":10171},{"CountryName":"Europe & Central Asia (excluding high income)","CountryCode":"ECA","GNI":7375},
        {"CountryName":"Europe & Central Asia","CountryCode":"ECS","GNI":22656},{"CountryName":"Ecuador","CountryCode":"ECU","GNI":5920},
        {"CountryName":"Euro area","CountryCode":"EMU","GNI":35645},{"CountryName":"Spain","CountryCode":"ESP","GNI":27180},{"CountryName":"Estonia","CountryCode":"EST","GNI":18190},
        {"CountryName":"Ethiopia","CountryCode":"ETH","GNI":740},{"CountryName":"European Union","CountryCode":"EUU","GNI":32784},
        {"CountryName":"Fragile and conflict affected situations","CountryCode":"FCS","GNI":1510},{"CountryName":"Finland","CountryCode":"FIN","GNI":44580},
        {"CountryName":"Fiji","CountryCode":"FJI","GNI":4970},{"CountryName":"France","CountryCode":"FRA","GNI":37970},{"CountryName":"Gabon","CountryCode":"GAB","GNI":6650},
        {"CountryName":"United Kingdom","CountryCode":"GBR","GNI":40530},{"CountryName":"Georgia","CountryCode":"GEO","GNI":3780},{"CountryName":"Ghana","CountryCode":"GHA","GNI":1880},
        {"CountryName":"Guinea","CountryCode":"GIN","GNI":790},{"CountryName":"Guinea-Bissau","CountryCode":"GNB","GNI":660},
        {"CountryName":"Equatorial Guinea","CountryCode":"GNQ","GNI":7050},{"CountryName":"Greece","CountryCode":"GRC","GNI":18090},
        {"CountryName":"Grenada","CountryCode":"GRD","GNI":9180},{"CountryName":"Guatemala","CountryCode":"GTM","GNI":4060},{"CountryName":"Guyana","CountryCode":"GUY","GNI":4500},
        {"CountryName":"High income","CountryCode":"HIC","GNI":40142},{"CountryName":"Honduras","CountryCode":"HND","GNI":2250},{"CountryName":"Heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC)","CountryCode":"HPC","GNI":904},{"CountryName":"Croatia","CountryCode":"HRV","GNI":12570},{"CountryName":"Haiti","CountryCode":"HTI","GNI":760},{"CountryName":"Hungary","CountryCode":"HUN","GNI":12870},{"CountryName":"IBRD only","CountryCode":"IBD","GNI":5745},{"CountryName":"IDA & IBRD total","CountryCode":"IBT","GNI":4620},{"CountryName":"IDA total","CountryCode":"IDA","GNI":1313},{"CountryName":"IDA blend","CountryCode":"IDB","GNI":1791},
        {"CountryName":"Indonesia","CountryCode":"IDN","GNI":3540},{"CountryName":"IDA only","CountryCode":"IDX","GNI":1074},{"CountryName":"India","CountryCode":"IND","GNI":1800},{"CountryName":"Ireland","CountryCode":"IRL","GNI":55290},{"CountryName":"Iraq","CountryCode":"IRQ","GNI":4630},{"CountryName":"Iceland","CountryCode":"ISL","GNI":60830},{"CountryName":"Israel","CountryCode":"ISR","GNI":37270},{"CountryName":"Italy","CountryCode":"ITA","GNI":31020},{"CountryName":"Jamaica","CountryCode":"JAM","GNI":4760},{"CountryName":"Jordan","CountryCode":"JOR","GNI":3980},{"CountryName":"Japan","CountryCode":"JPN","GNI":38550},{"CountryName":"Kazakhstan","CountryCode":"KAZ","GNI":7970},{"CountryName":"Kenya","CountryCode":"KEN","GNI":1460},{"CountryName":"Kyrgyz Republic","CountryCode":"KGZ","GNI":1130},
        {"CountryName":"Cambodia","CountryCode":"KHM","GNI":1230},{"CountryName":"Kiribati","CountryCode":"KIR","GNI":3010},{"CountryName":"St. Kitts and Nevis","CountryCode":"KNA","GNI":16240},{"CountryName":"Kuwait","CountryCode":"KWT","GNI":31430},{"CountryName":"Latin America & Caribbean (excluding high income)","CountryCode":"LAC","GNI":7470},{"CountryName":"Lao PDR","CountryCode":"LAO","GNI":2270},{"CountryName":"Lebanon","CountryCode":"LBN","GNI":8400},{"CountryName":"Liberia","CountryCode":"LBR","GNI":620},{"CountryName":"Libya","CountryCode":"LBY","GNI":5500},{"CountryName":"St. Lucia","CountryCode":"LCA","GNI":8830},{"CountryName":"Latin America & Caribbean","CountryCode":"LCN","GNI":8251},{"CountryName":"Least developed countries: UN classification","CountryCode":"LDC","GNI":1011},{"CountryName":"Low income","CountryCode":"LIC","GNI":774},{"CountryName":"Sri Lanka","CountryCode":"LKA","GNI":3850},{"CountryName":"Lower middle income","CountryCode":"LMC","GNI":2118},{"CountryName":"Low & middle income","CountryCode":"LMY","GNI":4455},{"CountryName":"Lesotho","CountryCode":"LSO","GNI":1210},{"CountryName":"Late-demographic dividend","CountryCode":"LTE","GNI":8518},{"CountryName":"Lithuania","CountryCode":"LTU","GNI":15200},{"CountryName":"Luxembourg","CountryCode":"LUX","GNI":70260},{"CountryName":"Latvia","CountryCode":"LVA","GNI":14740},{"CountryName":"Morocco","CountryCode":"MAR","GNI":2860},{"CountryName":"Moldova","CountryCode":"MDA","GNI":2200},{"CountryName":"Madagascar","CountryCode":"MDG","GNI":400},{"CountryName":"Maldives","CountryCode":"MDV","GNI":9760},
        {"CountryName":"Middle East & North Africa","CountryCode":"MEA","GNI":7236},{"CountryName":"Mexico","CountryCode":"MEX","GNI":8610},{"CountryName":"Marshall Islands","CountryCode":"MHL","GNI":4840},{"CountryName":"Middle income","CountryCode":"MIC","GNI":4942},{"CountryName":"Mali","CountryCode":"MLI","GNI":770},
        {"CountryName":"Malta","CountryCode":"MLT","GNI":24080},{"CountryName":"Myanmar","CountryCode":"MMR","GNI":1210},{"CountryName":"Middle East & North Africa (excluding high income)","CountryCode":"MNA","GNI":3832},{"CountryName":"Montenegro","CountryCode":"MNE","GNI":7400},{"CountryName":"Mongolia","CountryCode":"MNG","GNI":3270},{"CountryName":"Mozambique","CountryCode":"MOZ","GNI":420},{"CountryName":"Mauritania","CountryCode":"MRT","GNI":1100},{"CountryName":"Mauritius","CountryCode":"MUS","GNI":10130},{"CountryName":"Malawi","CountryCode":"MWI","GNI":320},{"CountryName":"Malaysia","CountryCode":"MYS","GNI":9650},{"CountryName":"North America","CountryCode":"NAC","GNI":56721},{"CountryName":"Namibia","CountryCode":"NAM","GNI":4570},{"CountryName":"Niger","CountryCode":"NER","GNI":360},{"CountryName":"Nigeria","CountryCode":"NGA","GNI":2100},
        {"CountryName":"Nicaragua","CountryCode":"NIC","GNI":2130},{"CountryName":"Netherlands","CountryCode":"NLD","GNI":46180},{"CountryName":"Norway","CountryCode":"NOR","GNI":75990},{"CountryName":"Nepal","CountryCode":"NPL","GNI":800},{"CountryName":"Nauru","CountryCode":"NRU","GNI":10220},{"CountryName":"New Zealand","CountryCode":"NZL","GNI":38970},{"CountryName":"OECD members","CountryCode":"OED","GNI":37273},{"CountryName":"Oman","CountryCode":"OMN","GNI":14440},{"CountryName":"Other small states","CountryCode":"OSS","GNI":12199},{"CountryName":"Pakistan","CountryCode":"PAK","GNI":1580},{"CountryName":"Panama","CountryCode":"PAN","GNI":13280},{"CountryName":"Peru","CountryCode":"PER","GNI":5960},{"CountryName":"Philippines","CountryCode":"PHL","GNI":3660},{"CountryName":"Palau","CountryCode":"PLW","GNI":12700},{"CountryName":"Papua New Guinea","CountryCode":"PNG","GNI":2340},{"CountryName":"Poland","CountryCode":"POL","GNI":12730},{"CountryName":"Pre-demographic dividend","CountryCode":"PRE","GNI":1379},{"CountryName":"Portugal","CountryCode":"PRT","GNI":19820},{"CountryName":"Paraguay","CountryCode":"PRY","GNI":5470},{"CountryName":"West Bank and Gaza","CountryCode":"PSE","GNI":3180},{"CountryName":"Pacific island small states","CountryCode":"PSS","GNI":3793},{"CountryName":"Post-demographic dividend","CountryCode":"PST","GNI":41609},{"CountryName":"Qatar","CountryCode":"QAT","GNI":60510},{"CountryName":"Romania","CountryCode":"ROU","GNI":10000},{"CountryName":"Russian Federation","CountryCode":"RUS","GNI":9230},{"CountryName":"Rwanda","CountryCode":"RWA","GNI":720},{"CountryName":"South Asia","CountryCode":"SAS","GNI":1729},{"CountryName":"Saudi Arabia","CountryCode":"SAU","GNI":20090},{"CountryName":"Sudan","CountryCode":"SDN","GNI":2380},{"CountryName":"Senegal","CountryCode":"SEN","GNI":1240},{"CountryName":"Singapore","CountryCode":"SGP","GNI":54530},{"CountryName":"Solomon Islands","CountryCode":"SLB","GNI":1920},{"CountryName":"Sierra Leone","CountryCode":"SLE","GNI":510},{"CountryName":"El Salvador","CountryCode":"SLV","GNI":3560},{"CountryName":"Serbia","CountryCode":"SRB","GNI":5180},{"CountryName":"Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding high income)","CountryCode":"SSA","GNI":1485},{"CountryName":"Sub-Saharan Africa","CountryCode":"SSF","GNI":1486},{"CountryName":"Small states","CountryCode":"SST","GNI":11099},{"CountryName":"Sao Tome and Principe","CountryCode":"STP","GNI":1770},{"CountryName":"Suriname","CountryCode":"SUR","GNI":5150},{"CountryName":"Slovak Republic","CountryCode":"SVK","GNI":16610},{"CountryName":"Slovenia","CountryCode":"SVN","GNI":22000},{"CountryName":"Sweden","CountryCode":"SWE","GNI":52590},{"CountryName":"Eswatini","CountryCode":"SWZ","GNI":2950},{"CountryName":"Seychelles","CountryCode":"SYC","GNI":14170},{"CountryName":"Chad","CountryCode":"TCD","GNI":640},{"CountryName":"East Asia & Pacific (IDA & IBRD countries)","CountryCode":"TEA","GNI":7061},
        {"CountryName":"Europe & Central Asia (IDA & IBRD countries)","CountryCode":"TEC","GNI":7866},{"CountryName":"Togo","CountryCode":"TGO","GNI":610},{"CountryName":"Thailand","CountryCode":"THA","GNI":5950},{"CountryName":"Tajikistan","CountryCode":"TJK","GNI":990},{"CountryName":"Turkmenistan","CountryCode":"TKM","GNI":6380},{"CountryName":"Latin America & the Caribbean (IDA & IBRD countries)","CountryCode":"TLA","GNI":8179},{"CountryName":"Timor-Leste","CountryCode":"TLS","GNI":1790},{"CountryName":"Middle East & North Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)","CountryCode":"TMN","GNI":3839},{"CountryName":"Tonga","CountryCode":"TON","GNI":4010},{"CountryName":"South Asia (IDA & IBRD)","CountryCode":"TSA","GNI":1729},
        {"CountryName":"Sub-Saharan Africa (IDA & IBRD countries)","CountryCode":"TSS","GNI":1486},{"CountryName":"Trinidad and Tobago","CountryCode":"TTO","GNI":15340},{"CountryName":"Tunisia","CountryCode":"TUN","GNI":3490},{"CountryName":"Turkey","CountryCode":"TUR","GNI":10940},{"CountryName":"Tuvalu","CountryCode":"TUV","GNI":4970},{"CountryName":"Tanzania","CountryCode":"TZA","GNI":910},{"CountryName":"Uganda","CountryCode":"UGA","GNI":600},{"CountryName":"Ukraine","CountryCode":"UKR","GNI":2390},{"CountryName":"Upper middle income","CountryCode":"UMC","GNI":8197},{"CountryName":"Uruguay","CountryCode":"URY","GNI":15250},{"CountryName":"United States","CountryCode":"USA","GNI":58270},{"CountryName":"Uzbekistan","CountryCode":"UZB","GNI":2000},{"CountryName":"St. Vincent and the Grenadines","CountryCode":"VCT","GNI":7390},{"CountryName":"Vietnam","CountryCode":"VNM","GNI":2160},{"CountryName":"Vanuatu","CountryCode":"VUT","GNI":2920},{"CountryName":"World","CountryCode":"WLD","GNI":10371},{"CountryName":"Samoa","CountryCode":"WSM","GNI":4090},{"CountryName":"Kosovo","CountryCode":"XKX","GNI":3900},
        {"CountryName":"South Africa","CountryCode":"ZAF","GNI":5430},{"CountryName":"Zambia","CountryCode":"ZMB","GNI":1290},{"CountryName":"Zimbabwe","CountryCode":"ZWE","GNI":1170},
        {"CountryName":"Zimbabwe","CountryCode":"ZWE","GNI":1171}];

    const sortMethod = sortMethodWithDirectionMultiColumn(
        [
            { column: "GNI", direction: "asc" },
            { column: "CountryCode", direction: "desc" }
        ]
    );
    let sortedData = data.sort(sortMethod);  
    
    
    console.log("sorted by: 1)column:GNI-asc, 2)column:CountryCode-desc") 
    console.table(sortedData);
    console.log(sortedData);