[javascript] How can I do an asc and desc sort using underscore.js?

Underscore Mixins

Extending on @emil_lundberg's answer, you can also write a "mixin" if you're using Underscore to make a custom function for sorting if it's a kind of sorting you might repeat in an application somewhere.

For example, maybe you have a controller or view sorting results with sort order of "ASC" or "DESC", and you want to toggle between that sort, you could do something like this:

Mixin.js

_.mixin({
    sortByOrder: function(stooges, prop, order) {
      if (String(order) === "desc") {
          return _.sortBy(stooges, prop).reverse();
      } else if (String(order) === "asc") {
          return _.sortBy(stooges, prop);
      } else {
          return stooges;
      }
    }
})

Usage Example

var sort_order = "asc";
var stooges = [
  {name: 'moe', age: 40}, 
  {name: 'larry', age: 50}, 
  {name: 'curly', age: 60},
  {name: 'July', age: 35},
  {name: 'mel', age: 38}
 ];

_.mixin({
    sortByOrder: function(stooges, prop, order) {
    if (String(order) === "desc") {
        return _.sortBy(stooges, prop).reverse();
    } else if (String(order) === "asc") {
        return _.sortBy(stooges, prop);
    } else {
        return stooges;
    }
  }
})


// find elements
var banner = $("#banner-message");
var sort_name_btn = $("button.sort-name");
var sort_age_btn = $("button.sort-age");

function showSortedResults(results, sort_order, prop) {
    banner.empty();
    banner.append("<p>Sorting: " + prop + ', ' + sort_order + "</p><hr>")
  _.each(results, function(r) {
    banner.append('<li>' + r.name + ' is '+ r.age + ' years old.</li>');
  }) 
}

// handle click and add class
sort_name_btn.on("click", function() {
  sort_order = (sort_order === "asc") ? "desc" : "asc"; 
    var sortedResults = _.sortByOrder(stooges, 'name', sort_order);
  showSortedResults(sortedResults, sort_order, 'name');
})

sort_age_btn.on('click', function() {
    sort_order = (sort_order === "asc") ? "desc" : "asc"; 
    var sortedResults = _.sortByOrder(stooges, 'age', sort_order);
  showSortedResults(sortedResults, sort_order, 'age');
})

Here's a JSFiddle demonstrating this: JSFiddle for SortBy Mixin