Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours

By Michael Moncur

• Table of Contents
  • Copyright
  • About the Author
  • Acknowledgments
  • We Want to Hear from You!
  • Reader Services
  • Introduction
  • Part I: Getting Started
  • Hour 1. Understanding JavaScript
  • Hour 2. Creating a Simple Script
  • Hour 3. How JavaScript Programs Work
  • Part II: Learning JavaScript Basics
  • Hour 4. Using Functions and Variables
  • Hour 5. Using Strings and Arrays
    • Using String Objects
    • Working with Substrings
    • Using Numeric Arrays
    • Using String Arrays
    • Sorting a Numeric Array
    • Workshop: Displaying a Scrolling Message
    • Summary
    • Q&A
    • Quiz
    • Exercises
  • Hour 6. Testing and Comparing Values
  • Hour 7. Repeating Yourself: Using Loops
  • Hour 8. Using Math and Date Functions
  • Part III: The Document Object Model (DOM)
  • Hour 9. Working with the Document Object Model
  • Hour 10. Responding to Events
  • Hour 11. Using Windows and Frames
  • Hour 12. Getting Data with Forms
  • Hour 13. Using Graphics and Animation
  • Part IV: Moving on to Advanced JavaScript Features
  • Hour 14. Creating Cross-Browser Scripts
  • Hour 15. Creating Custom Objects
  • Hour 16. Working with Sounds and Plug-Ins
  • Hour 17. Debugging JavaScript Applications
  • Part V: Working with Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
  • Hour 18. Working with Style Sheets
  • Hour 19. Using Dynamic HTML (DHTML)
  • Hour 20. Using Advanced DOM Features
  • Part VI: Putting It All Together
  • Hour 21. Improving a Web Page with JavaScript
  • Hour 22. Creating a JavaScript Game
  • Hour 23. Creating DHTML Applications
  • Hour 24. JavaScript Tips and Tricks
  • Part VII: Appendices
  • Appendix A. Other JavaScript Resources
  • Appendix B. Tools for JavaScript Developers
  • Appendix C. Glossary
  • Appendix D. JavaScript Quick Reference
  • Appendix E. DOM Quick Reference

Sorting a Numeric Array

Since the sort method sorts alphabetically, it won't work with a numeric array—at least not the way you'd expect. If an array contains the numbers 4, 10, 30, and 200, for example, it would sort them as 10, 200, 30, 4—not even close. Fortunately, there's a solution—you can specify a function in the sort method's parameters, and that function will be used to compare the numbers. The following code sorts a numeric array correctly:

function numcompare(a,b) {
   return a-b;
}
nums = new Array(30, 10, 200, 4);
sortednums = nums.sort(numcompare);

This example defines a simple function, numcompare, that subtracts the two numbers. Once you specify this function in the sort method, the array is sorted in the correct numeric order: 4, 10, 30, 200).

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