String localeCompare

[Jump_Over]

Hi every,

Has anyone experience with StringA.localeCompare(StringB) method?

Does it need any library or preferences to work?

Jarek

[Peter Kahrel]

You don't need libraries, it's used to compare plain strings. See here: String.prototype.localeCompare() - JavaScript | MDN

Peter

[Jump_Over]

Hi Peter,

Thanks for the link.

Does InDesign javascript support this method options?

I am testing with "locale = pl" but

"a".localeCompare("z", "pl")      //     returns -1

"ą".localeCompare("z", "pl")     //     returns 1

From my side ID Obj Model description: "Performs a localized comparison of two strings" is not true...

Jarek

[Peter Kahrel · Accepted solution]

Jarek -- You're right. I thought it worked ok because:

'b'.localeCompare('b') // returns 0

'b'.localeCompare('a') // returns 1

'b'.localeCompare('c') // returns -1

Setting the locale to Polish doesn't help (as it shouldn't, but you never know), nor various variants of the locale string (pl, PL, pl_PL): "ą".localeCompare("z", "pl") keeps returning 1 instead of -1. The examples shown in that link don't work either. Don't know how to make it work. Sorry.

Peter

[Jump_Over]

Hi,

I found this link (Marc Autret page)

Indiscripts :: Alphabetical Sort in JavaScript (and InDesign)

as very helpful and let me share it for future searches

Jarek

[Marc Autret]

Thanks Jarek for the mention.

As far as I've investigated String.localeCompare() is not properly implemented in ExtendScript. On my platform it just seems locale-independent and simply performs the default UTF16 compare whatever the value of $.locale. Did anybody observe a different behavior?

@+

Marc