natsort() issue - arranges incorrectly

[mtd]

Hi!

If I have an array:

PHP Code:

$myArray = array('1','1A','10','10A','Apple','Apple Orange'); 


and I do a natsort($myArray) the results are "incorrect" (I say incorrect because, for what I need them for they are not correct; I am sure they are as intended in the PHP scheme of things).

For example, the natsort above would order the array:
1A
1
10A
10
Apple Orange
Apple

I need it arranged in standard alphabetical:
1
1A
10
10A
Apple
Apple Orange

I see why I get the results I do - php arranges slightly differently - but I don't know how to fix it.

Any help is appreciated.

[Taylor_1978]

This isnt an answer for you.. but

1
10
10A
1A
Apple
Book

IS in fact standard alphabetic... because.. it goes by numbers first.. hence any with 1 appears first.. then any with the 0 because 10 and 1A.. 0 is before A.

Did that make sense? lol

Why would it commence ordering by numbers and then jump to letters, and then back to numbers?

[mtd]

This is true... But the way a human would sort that list, at least the way I would (maybe that is saying something?) is the way of the second example.
My logic would be: 1A, a variant of 1, is before 10 or 10A, because 1 as a number comes before 10. But that is just a human way of doing it. Hence the following:

I updated my original post to use natsort() rather than sort() because that makes some headway (aranging in natural order seems to be a good start), but there is still a small issue that you touched upon. "A B" before "A" because spaces are before letters, in the same fashion that Taylor mentioned.

Fixing this is not as big of a deal now, but it is one of those minor annoyances that I'd like to fix if possible.

Anyone?

[Taylor_1978]

Sorry but no lol... most humans would not sort it the way you do lol.. I don't mean that rude *hehe*... but the universal ordering is numberic before alpha.

It first equates the first character of each entry... ordering all options according to the first charatcer from numeric 0-9 then alpha A-Z.

Then, when 2 entries have the same 1st character.. it seperates this order by ordering of the 2nd character from numeric 0-9 then alpha A-Z.

I'm making myself dizzy.. lol.. but thats the way it continues on.

Like I mentioned before.. why would order your first character by numbers.. placing 1 above A (for Apple) and then suddenly change to A ahead of 0?


NOTE: When reading it does not take into take into account the number "10" - it does not read "10" it reads 1 and 0.

[mtd]

No offense taken. But that is exactly it! If you were making a list, would you put 1A infront of 10A, because a human would see 10 as 'ten', not 'one' and 'zero'.

Think aisles of a grocery store, or something.

And for the part about the spaces. Looking at that, if I were to, say, make a list of children in my class (I'm not a teacher, but just pretend), I would put "Apple" before "Apple Orange". Weird last names, but you get the point.

I still insist that if you asked an average person to order the list, they would place 1A before 10A and Apple before Apple Orange. I know this isn't how php sees it, because it moves one character at a time, rather than keeping a running tally until the type changes from numeric to alphabetic.

In the end, my research has brought me to usort($myArray, 'strnatcmp');. That solves the problem. And if you read php.net's description of all the ...nat... function varieties, they explain that it sorts them naturally as a human does. So I'm not completely weird! lol

FYI, usort($myArray, 'strnatcmp'); yields:
1A
1
10A
10
Apple Orange
Apple

Good enough for me! haha I can get over the spaces issue. That's probably all in my head...