Contents:
- This function calculates based on the outer layer of an array. If your array is nested, the sorting of inner elements is not factored.
Basic Usage
Array literal reference example:
derive type:single value:ARRAYSORT([A,B,C,D],descending)
Output: Generates the following array in the new column: [D,C,B,A].
Column reference example:
derive type:single value:ARRAYSORT(myArrays,ascending) as:'myArrays_ascending'
Output: Generates the new myArrays_ascending column containing the arrays listed in the myArrays column sorted in ascending order.
Syntax and Arguments
derive type:single value:ARRAYSORT(array_ref,order_enum)
| Argument | Required? | Data Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| array_ref | Y | string | Name of Array column, Array literal, or function returning an Array to apply to the function |
| order_enum | Y | string (enumerated value) | Order is defined as either:
|
For more information on syntax standards, see Language Documentation Syntax Notes.
array_ref
Name of the array column, array literal, or function returning an array whose array values you wish to sort.
- Multiple columns and wildcards are not supported.
Usage Notes:
| Required? | Data Type | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | String (column reference or function) or array literal | myArray1 |
order_enum
String literal indicating the order by which the referenced arrays should be sorted:
ascending- (default) lowest values for the valid data type are listed first.descending- Null/empty values are sorted first, followed by mismatched values. Then, the array values that are valid for the specified data type are listed in descending order.- For more information on the rules of sorting, see Sort Order.
Usage Notes:
Required? | Data Type | Example Value |
|---|---|---|
| No | String (enumerated value) | descending |
Tip: For additional examples, see Common Tasks.
Examples
Example - Student progress across tests
ARRAYLEN- Returns 1-based number of elements in an array. See ARRAYLEN Function.ARRAYELEMENTAT- Returns array element based on 0-based index parameter. See ARRAYELEMENTAT Function.ARRAYSORT- Returns array sorted in ascending or descending order. See ARRAYSORT Function.
Source:
Here are some student test scores. Individual scores are stored in the Scores column. You want to:
- Flag the students who have not taken four tests.
- Compute the range in scores for each student.
| LastName | FirstName | Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Allen | Amanda | [79, 83,87,81] |
| Bell | Bobby | [85, 92, 94, 98] |
| Charles | Cameron | [88,81,85] |
| Dudley | Danny | [82,88,81,77] |
| Ellis | Evan | [91,93,87,93] |
Transform:
First, you want to flag the students who did not take all four tests:
derive type:single value:IF(ARRAYLEN(Scores) < 4,"incomplete","") as:'Error'
This test flags Cameron Charles only.
The following transform sorts the array values in highest to lowest score:
set column: Scores value: ARRAYSORT(Scores, 'descending')
The following transforms extracts the first (highest) and last (lowest) value in each student's test scores, provided that they took four tests:
derive type:single value:ARRAYELEMENTAT(Scores,0) as:'highestScore'
derive type:single value:ARRAYELEMENTAT(Scores,3) as:'lowestScore'
Tip: You could also generate the Error column when the Scores4 column contains a null value. If no value exists in the array for the ARRAYELEMENTAT function, a null value is returned, which would indicate in this case an insufficient number of elements (test scores).
You can now track change in test scores:
derive type:single value:SUBTRACT(highestScore,lowestScore) as:'Score_range'
Results:
| LastName | FirstName | Scores | Error | lowestScore | highestScore | Score_range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allen | Amanda | [87,83,81,79] | 79 | 87 | 8 | |
| Bell | Bobby | [98,94,92,85] | 85 | 98 | 13 | |
| Charles | Cameron | [88,85,81] | incomplete | 88 | ||
| Dudley | Danny | [88,82,81,77] | 77 | 88 | 11 | |
| Ellis | Evan | [93,93,91,87] | 87 | 93 | 6 |
This page has no comments.