TypeScript Lab: Sort Order Visualizer

LAB / EXPLORATION

TypeScript Lab: Sort Order Visualizer

Planned

LAB 034 — Data Transformation
Reorder records by sort order and title.

LAB TypeScript Lab: Sort Order Visualizer Preview coming soon

LAB 034

TypeScript Lab: Sort Order Visualizer

Concept

Comparator functions define deterministic ordering for collections.

Concept

Comparator functions define deterministic ordering for collections.

Objective & Explanation

What the project should make visible and why the concept matters.

Learning Target

Objective

Reorder records by sort order and title.

Explanation

Comparator functions define deterministic ordering for collections.

Project Plan

Structure, technologies, data boundary, and source connection.

Structure

project/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── index.html
├── styles.css
└── src/
    └── app.ts

Technologies

TypeScript
HTML
CSS
JSON

Data Layer

Use a small local object, array, or JSON fixture so the transformation stays visible.

Sandbox Source

src/generator/generate.ts → recordSort()

Build Instructions

Build only the focused behavior, then use the visual layer to inspect it.

Setup

Create the standalone project folder and listed files.

Implement

Implement the smallest version that demonstrates the concept.

Run & Inspect

Change one input and observe the visible output change.

Code & Configuration

Starter configuration plus the focused implementation example.

Focused TypeScript

Implement this behavior first, then alter the input.

function recordSort(a: { sortOrder: number; title: string },
                    b: { sortOrder: number; title: string }): number {
  return a.sortOrder - b.sortOrder || a.title.localeCompare(b.title);
}

records.sort(recordSort);

Starter Configuration

Keep the project independently buildable.

package.json

{
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": { "build": "tsc" },
  "devDependencies": { "typescript": "^7.0.2" }
}

tsconfig.json

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "rootDir": "./src",
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "target": "ES2022",
    "module": "ES2022",
    "lib": ["ES2022", "DOM"],
    "strict": true,
    "sourceMap": true
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*.ts"]
}

Expected Visual Result

The output is the proof that the concept is working.

Visible Proof

The browser should visibly demonstrate: reorder records by sort order and title.

Data: JSON