Sorting an array of JavaScript objects

Here's a more flexible version, which allows you to create reusable sort functions, and sort by any field.

var sort_by = function(field, reverse, primer){

   var key = primer ? 
       function(x) {return primer(x[field])} : 
       function(x) {return x[field]};

   reverse = !reverse ? 1 : -1;

   return function (a, b) {
       return a = key(a), b = key(b), reverse * ((a > b) - (b > a));
     } 
}

Now you can sort by any field at will...

var homes = [{

   "h_id": "3",
   "city": "Dallas",
   "state": "TX",
   "zip": "75201",
   "price": "162500"

}, {

   "h_id": "4",
   "city": "Bevery Hills",
   "state": "CA",
   "zip": "90210",
   "price": "319250"

}, {

   "h_id": "5",
   "city": "New York",
   "state": "NY",
   "zip": "00010",
   "price": "962500"

}];

// Sort by price high to low
homes.sort(sort_by('price', true, parseInt));

// Sort by city, case-insensitive, A-Z
homes.sort(sort_by('city', false, function(a){return a.toUpperCase()}));

To sort it you need to create a comparator function taking two arguments and then call the sort function with that comparator function as follows:

// a and b are object elements of your array
function mycomparator(a,b) {
  return parseInt(a.price) - parseInt(b.price);

}

If you want to sort ascending change parseInt(a.price) - parseInt(b.price) to parseInt(b.price) - parseInt(a.price). Note the change from a to b.

To do the sort

homes.sort(mycomparator);

You want to sort it in Javascript, right? What you want is the sort() function. In this case you need to write a comparator function and pass it to sort(), so something like this:

function comparator(a, b) {
    return parseInt(a["price"]) - parseInt(b["price"]);
}

var json = { "homes": [ /* your previous data */ ] };
console.log(json["homes"].sort(comparator));

Your comparator takes one of each of the nested hashes inside the array and decides which one is higher by checking the "price" field.

for string sorting in case some one needs it,

var dataArr = {  

    "hello": [{
    "id": 114,
    "keyword": "zzzzzz",
    "region": "Sri Lanka",
    "supportGroup": "administrators",
    "category": "Category2"
}, {
    "id": 115,
    "keyword": "aaaaa",
    "region": "Japan",
    "supportGroup": "developers",
    "category": "Category2"
}]

};
var sortArray = dataArr['hello'];
sortArray.sort(function(a,b) {
    if ( a.region < b.region )
        return -1;
    if ( a.region > b.region )
        return 1;
    return 0;
} );

This is a nice JQuery plug in:

http://plugins.jquery.com/project/sort (Wayback Machine Link)

Here is a culmination of all answers above.

Fiddle validation: http://jsfiddle.net/bobberino/4qqk3/

var sortOn = function (arr, prop, reverse, numeric) {

    // Ensure there's a property
    if (!prop || !arr) {
        return arr
    }

    // Set up sort function
    var sort_by = function (field, rev, primer) {

        // Return the required a,b function
        return function (a, b) {

            // Reset a, b to the field
            a = primer(a[field]), b = primer(b[field]);

            // Do actual sorting, reverse as needed
            return ((a < b) ? -1 : ((a > b) ? 1 : 0)) * (rev ? -1 : 1);
        }

    }

    // Distinguish between numeric and string to prevent 100's from coming before smaller
    // e.g.
    // 1
    // 20
    // 3
    // 4000
    // 50

    if (numeric) {

        // Do sort "in place" with sort_by function
        arr.sort(sort_by(prop, reverse, function (a) {

            // - Force value to a string.
            // - Replace any non numeric characters.
            // - Parse as float to allow 0.02 values.
            return parseFloat(String(a).replace(/[^0-9.-]+/g, ''));

        }));
    } else {

        // Do sort "in place" with sort_by function
        arr.sort(sort_by(prop, reverse, function (a) {

            // - Force value to string.
            return String(a).toUpperCase();

        }));
    }


}

I also worked with some kind of rating and multiple fields sort:

arr = [
    {type:'C', note:834},
    {type:'D', note:732},
    {type:'D', note:008},
    {type:'F', note:474},
    {type:'P', note:283},
    {type:'P', note:165},
    {type:'X', note:173},
    {type:'Z', note:239},
];

arr.sort(function(a,b){        
    var _a = ((a.type==='C')?'0':(a.type==='P')?'1':'2');
    _a += (a.type.localeCompare(b.type)===-1)?'0':'1';
    _a += (a.note>b.note)?'1':'0';
    var _b = ((b.type==='C')?'0':(b.type==='P')?'1':'2');
    _b += (b.type.localeCompare(a.type)===-1)?'0':'1';
    _b += (b.note>a.note)?'1':'0';
    return parseInt(_a) - parseInt(_b);
});

Result

[
    {"type":"C","note":834},
    {"type":"P","note":165},
    {"type":"P","note":283},
    {"type":"D","note":8},
    {"type":"D","note":732},
    {"type":"F","note":474},
    {"type":"X","note":173},
    {"type":"Z","note":239}
]

You can use the JavaScript sort method with a callback function:

function compareASC(homeA, homeB)
{
    return parseFloat(homeA.price) - parseFloat(homeB.price);
}

function compareDESC(homeA, homeB)
{
    return parseFloat(homeB.price) - parseFloat(homeA.price);
}

// Sort ASC
homes.sort(compareASC);

// Sort DESC
homes.sort(compareDESC);

For sorting a array you must define a comparator function. This function always be different on your desired sorting pattern or order(i.e. ascending or descending).

Let create some functions that sort an array ascending or descending and that contains object or string or numeric values.

function sorterAscending(a,b) {
    return a-b;
}

function sorterDescending(a,b) {
    return b-a;
}

function sorterPriceAsc(a,b) {
    return parseInt(a['price']) - parseInt(b['price']);
}

function sorterPriceDes(a,b) {
    return parseInt(b['price']) - parseInt(b['price']);
}

Sort numbers (alphabetically and ascending):

var fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango"];
fruits.sort();

Sort numbers (alphabetically and descending):

var fruits = ["Banana", "Orange", "Apple", "Mango"];
fruits.sort();
fruits.reverse();

Sort numbers (numerically and ascending):

var points = [40,100,1,5,25,10];
points.sort(sorterAscending());

Sort numbers (numerically and descending):

var points = [40,100,1,5,25,10];
points.sort(sorterDescending());

As above use sorterPriceAsc and sorterPriceDes method with your array with desired key.

homes.sort(sorterPriceAsc()) or homes.sort(sorterPriceDes())

I recently wrote a universal function to manage this for you if you want to use it.

/**
 * Sorts an object into an order
 *
 * @require jQuery
 *
 * @param object Our JSON object to sort
 * @param type Only alphabetical at the moment
 * @param identifier The array or object key to sort by
 * @param order Ascending or Descending
 *
 * @returns Array
 */
function sortItems(object, type, identifier, order){

    var returnedArray = [];
    var emptiesArray = []; // An array for all of our empty cans

    // Convert the given object to an array
    $.each(object, function(key, object){

        // Store all of our empty cans in their own array
        // Store all other objects in our returned array
        object[identifier] == null ? emptiesArray.push(object) : returnedArray.push(object);

    });

    // Sort the array based on the type given
    switch(type){

        case 'alphabetical':

            returnedArray.sort(function(a, b){

                return(a[identifier] == b[identifier]) ? 0 : (

                    // Sort ascending or descending based on order given
                    order == 'asc' ? a[identifier] > b[identifier] : a[identifier] < b[identifier]

                ) ? 1 : -1;

            });

            break;

        default:

    }

    // Return our sorted array along with the empties at the bottom depending on sort order
    return order == 'asc' ? returnedArray.concat(emptiesArray) : emptiesArray.concat(returnedArray);

}

homes.sort(function(a, b){
  var nameA=a.prices.toLowerCase(), nameB=b.prices.toLowerCase()
  if (nameA < nameB) //sort string ascending
    return -1 
  if (nameA > nameB)
    return 1
  return 0 //default return value (no sorting)
})

Maybe this approach can be useful:
We are going to create a method to sort the array that be able to arrange objects by a property.

Creating the sorting function

(function() {
    var _toString = Object.prototype.toString,
        //the default parser function
        _parser = function (x) { return x; },
        //gets the item to be sorted
        _getItem = function (x) {
            return this.parser((_toString.call(x) == "[object Object]" && x[this.prop]) || x);
        };

    // Creates a sort method in the Array prototype
    Object.defineProperty(Array.prototype, "sortBy", {
        configurable: false,
        enumerable: false,
        // @o.prop: property name (if it is an Array of objects)
        // @o.desc: determines whether the sort is descending
        // @o.parser: function to parse the items to expected type
        value: function (o) {
            if (_toString.call(o) != "[object Object]")
                o = {};
            if (_toString.call(o.parser) != "[object Function]")
                o.parser = _parser;
            //if @o.desc is false: set 1, else -1
            o.desc = [1, -1][+!!o.desc];
            return this.sort(function (a, b) {
                a = _getItem.call(o, a);
                b = _getItem.call(o, b);
                return ((a > b) - (b > a)) * o.desc;
                //return o.desc * (a < b ? -1 : +(a > b));
            });
        }
    });
})();

Setting unsorted data

var data = [
  {date: "2011-11-14T17:25:45Z", quantity: 2, total: 200, tip: 0,   type: "cash"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:28:54Z", quantity: 1, total: 300, tip: 200, type: "visa"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:30:43Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T17:22:59Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:53:41Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:48:46Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-31T17:29:52Z", quantity: 1, total: 200, tip: 100, type: "visa"},
  {date: "2011-11-01T16:17:54Z", quantity: 2, total: 190, tip: 100, type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:58:03Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:20:19Z", quantity: 2, total: 190, tip: 100, type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T17:07:21Z", quantity: 2, total: 90,  tip: 0,   type: "tab"},
  {date: "2011-11-14T16:54:06Z", quantity: 1, total: 100, tip: 0,   type: "cash"}
];

Using it

Finally, we arrange the array, by "date" property as string

//sort the object by a property (ascending)
//sorting takes into account uppercase and lowercase
data.sortBy({ prop: "date" });

If you want to ignore letter case, set the "parser" callback:

//sort the object by a property (descending)
//sorting ignores uppercase and lowercase
data.sortBy({
    prop: "date",
    desc: true,
    parser: function (item) {
        return item.toUpperCase();
    }
});

If you want to treat the "date" field as Date type:

//sort the object by a property (ascending)
//sorting parses each item to Date type
data.sortBy({
    prop: "date",
    parser: function (item) {
        return new Date(item);
    }
});

Here you can play with the above example:
http://jsbin.com/pavina/5/edit?js,output