Sorting one array as a parameter

Question

I've been trying and trying different ways to think outside the box on this one and for some reason I can't get it.

         function sortByLength(array) {
           for(var i = 0; i < array.length; i++) {
             for(var n = 0; n < array.length; n++) {
               array.sort(function(i, n) {
                 return i.length - n.length;
               });
             }
           }
           return array;
        }
          
        console.log(sortByLength(["Hello", "Cheese", "Bye"]));
         
        //expecting ["Bye", "Hello", "Cheese"]

I guess I'm trying to figure out:
1. Why is this an infinite loop?
2. Why can't I simply pass in the looped values of i and n, then compare them to sort them by length?

Any clues or help I can get will be much appreciated. Thanks!

I ran it in the Chrome Javascript console and it works perfectly fine. It's not an infinite loop. — hexicle
– hexicle, Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:12
I ran it in codepen and it wouldn't work because it was considered an "infinite loop". Also it won't work as my challenge answer. — Noel Arroyo
– Noel Arroyo, Commented Oct 7, 2017 at 4:17

JMP · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-07 04:23:31Z

1

You don't actually need the for-loop's. The i and n loop variables aren't the same as the i and n parameters used by the sorting function, so you are effectively sorting the array array.length squared times.

Just write:

function sortByLength(array){
    array.sort(function(i, n){
        return i.length - n.length;
        });
    return array;
}

console.log(sortByLength(["Hello", "Cheese", "Bye"]));

answered Oct 7, 2017 at 4:23

JMP

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1 Comment

Noel Arroyo Over a year ago

Thank you. I dunno why it didn't work for me the several hundred times I tried it! could have been a possible misspelling or missing semi-colon or something.

Sergey Kazakov · Accepted Answer · 2017-10-07 04:22:29Z

0

Why do you try to sort the array n^2 times? It's enough to call sort just once:

sortByLength = function (array){
 array.sort(function(i, n){return i.length - n.length;});
 return array;
}
sortByLength(["Hello", "Cheese", "Bye"]);

(3) ["Bye", "Hello", "Cheese"]

answered Oct 7, 2017 at 4:22

Sergey Kazakov

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2 Comments

Sergey Kazakov Over a year ago

and more direct answers to your questions: 1) it's not an infinite loop. Maybe it takes too long 2) i and n in internal array.sort function are not the same variables, which are in the loop. In sort they are array elements. In for loops they are simple numbers

Noel Arroyo Over a year ago

Thanks Sergey. I don't know know why it wouldn't let me take it because I thought I put that code in without the loops. The loops came about by trying to think "outside" the box because my first several attempts would not work. Thanks again!

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