[stupidFish23]

Hey everyone...

I have a tableView which has records that are stored in a NSMutableDictionary. How can I make my app sort these in ascending order depending on whichever array within an object (a table's column) I specify as the sorting criteria.

Please help me... I have already spent more than two weeks with this problem...

thanks, stupidFish23

[DayLateDon]

Hello ...

No help here, but something of a related issue.

I have an NSMutableArray of NSStrings and I want to sort the entries according to, say, the second word in each string. I have no problem writing a comparator method to call via NSMutableArray's "sortUsingSelector:", but I can't figure out where the comparator should _live_. Do I have to sub-class NSString just to provide a "secondWordComparator:" method (not to mention a method for recasting a given NSString into this new subclass and who-knows-what other bookkeeping methods)?


Regards,

DayLateDon

[Carl Norum]

Originally posted by stupidFish23:
<STRONG>I have a tableView which has records that are stored in a NSMutableDictionary. How can I make my app sort these in ascending order depending on whichever array within an object (a table's column) I specify as the sorting criteria.</STRONG>

The authors of the Learning Cocoa book use an NSMutableArray of the keys and keep that sorted. There's no concept in Cocoa of a sorted dictionary (at least that I can see).

[Ghoser777]

Don't use an NSDictionary, it makes things messy. NSArray is definetly the way to go. Make an array of objects that have x different attributes, and then create a method that, given the type of attribute, can order objects soley based on the given attribute. Sounds complicated, but it's really easy, since NSArray has a method built in that does all the sorting given the comparative NSSelector. I forget the name, but it's painfully obvious if you look at the docs.

HTH,
F-bacher

[amonitzer]

Keys in NS*Dictionaries are unsorted. You have to use a NSMutableArray which includes many NSDictionaries (one for each row).

[Millennium]

NSDictionary (and its mutable cousin) are inherently unordered. The suggestion of keeping an array of the keys is your best bet.

[stupidFish23]

Wow, people, thanks for the tons of replies...

Gonna play around with that one a bit...