How to add these object with name to the array by this order?

Question

I have some object with name , just like button 1 , button 2 , button 11 ,button 111 , I want to add this object to a array by this order: button 1 ,butto

Answer 1

I have used the NSNumericSearch|NSCaseInsensitiveSearch combination to get the best result. I hope somebody will save their lifetime in googeling. Check the results.

    NSArray * array =
    [NSArray
     arrayWithObjects:
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"C3" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"C1" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"C100" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"Z0" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"Z1000" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"M" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"m" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"M" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"m" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"1A4" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"A2" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"A12" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"B4" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"B6" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"B100" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"B1" forKey: @"sort"],
        [NSDictionary dictionaryWithObject: @"1a4" forKey: @"sort"],
         nil];

    NSSortDescriptor * descriptor =
    [NSSortDescriptor
     sortDescriptorWithKey: @"sort"
     ascending: YES
     comparator:
     ^NSComparisonResult(id obj1, id obj2)
     {
         return [obj1 compare: obj2 options: NSNumericSearch|NSCaseInsensitiveSearch];
     }];

    NSArray * sortedArray =
    [array
     sortedArrayUsingDescriptors:
     [NSArray arrayWithObject: descriptor]];

NSLog(@"Original array:");


for(NSDictionary * value in array)
    NSLog(@"%@", [value objectForKey: @"sort"]);

NSLog(@"Sorted array:");

for(NSDictionary * value in sortedArray)
    NSLog(@"%@", [value objectForKey: @"sort"]);

Result

Original array:

    C3
    C1
    C100
    Z0
    Z1000
    M
    m
    M
    m
    1A4
    A2
    A12
    B4
    B6
    B100
    B1
    1a4

Sorted array:

    1A4
    1a4
    A2
    A12
    B1
    B4
    B6
    B100
    C1
    C3
    C100
    M
    m
    M
    m
    Z0
    Z1000

Answer 2

Use the NSNumericSearch option in your sort comparison.

Answer 3

You can use this code to sort array. Use NSNumericSearch to search the numeric value in string.

NSArray * ary = [[NSArray alloc] initWithObjects:@"button 1" , @"button 2" , @"button 11" ,@"button 111", nil];

ary = [ary sortedArrayUsingComparator:^NSComparisonResult(id obj1, id obj2) {
        return [(NSString *)obj1 compare:(NSString *)obj2 options:NSNumericSearch];
    }];

NSLog(@"ary : %@", ary);

And the log display :

ary : (
"button 1",
"button 2",
"button 11",
"button 111"
)

Answer 4

The same way that if you had files of this name in Finder they would order the same way.

To get proper ordering you need to name them button 001, button 002, button 011, etc.

Alternatively, you'll have to write your own sort descriptors.

See here for NSMutableArray sortUsingSelector: and here for NSSortDescriptor