How to sort an array of custom objects by property value in Swift

Sorting an Array of Custom Objects by Property Value in Swift

Sorting an array of custom objects by property value can be a tricky task in Swift. However, with the right approach, it can be accomplished efficiently. In this blog post, we will explore common issues faced when sorting an array of custom objects and provide easy solutions in Swift.

The Scenario

Let's consider the scenario where we have a custom class called imageFile. This class has two properties: fileName of type String, and fileID of type Int. We have an array named images, which contains multiple instances of the imageFile class.

class imageFile {
    var fileName = String()
    var fileID = Int()
}

var images: [imageFile] = []

var aImage = imageFile()
aImage.fileName = "image1.png"
aImage.fileID = 101
images.append(aImage)

aImage = imageFile()
aImage.fileName = "image2.png"
aImage.fileID = 202
images.append(aImage)

The objective is to sort the images array based on the fileID property in either ascending or descending order.

Solution

To sort the images array by the fileID property, we can utilize the sort() or sorted() method available in Swift.

Sorting in Ascending Order

To sort the array in ascending order, we need to define a closure that compares the fileID property of two objects and return the result. By using the sort() method, we can modify the images array directly.

images.sort { $0.fileID < $1.fileID }

Now, the images array will be sorted in ascending order based on the fileID property.

Sorting in Descending Order

To sort the array in descending order, we need to modify the comparison closure by swapping the < operator with the > operator.

images.sort { $0.fileID > $1.fileID }

After executing this line, the images array will be sorted in descending order based on the fileID property.

Summary

Sorting an array of custom objects by a specific property value is crucial in many Swift projects. By using the sort() or sorted() method in Swift and defining a closure based on the desired property, we can easily accomplish this task.

In this blog post, we addressed the common issue of sorting an array of custom objects by property value. We provided easy solutions for sorting the images array in both ascending and descending order based on the fileID property.

Try implementing these solutions in your own projects and experience the power of Swift's array sorting capabilities!

We hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions or further insights, please leave a comment below. Happy coding! 😄🚀