[javascript] Sort array of objects by string property value

I have an array of JavaScript objects:

var objs = [ 
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

How can I sort them by the value of last_nom in JavaScript?

I know about sort(a,b), but that only seems to work on strings and numbers. Do I need to add a toString() method to my objects?

For fp-holics:

const objectSorter = (p)=>(a,b)=>((a,b)=>a>b?1:a<b?-1:0)(a[p], b[p]);
objs.sort(objectSorter('first_nom'));

underscore.js

use underscore, its small and awesome...

sortBy_.sortBy(list, iterator, [context]) Returns a sorted copy of list, ranked in ascending order by the results of running each value through iterator. Iterator may also be the string name of the property to sort by (eg. length).

var objs = [ 
  { first_nom: 'Lazslo',last_nom: 'Jamf' },
  { first_nom: 'Pig', last_nom: 'Bodine'  },
  { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

var sortedObjs = _.sortBy( objs, 'first_nom' );

This will sort a two level nested array by the property passed to it in alpha numeric order.

function sortArrayObjectsByPropAlphaNum(property) {
    return function (a,b) {
        var reA = /[^a-zA-Z]/g;
        var reN = /[^0-9]/g;
        var aA = a[property].replace(reA, '');
        var bA = b[property].replace(reA, '');

        if(aA === bA) {
            var aN = parseInt(a[property].replace(reN, ''), 10);
            var bN = parseInt(b[property].replace(reN, ''), 10);
            return aN === bN ? 0 : aN > bN ? 1 : -1;
        } else {
            return a[property] > b[property] ? 1 : -1;
        }
    };
}

Usage:

objs.sort(utils.sortArrayObjectsByPropAlphaNum('last_nom'));

You may need to convert them to the lower case in order to prevent from confusion.

objs.sort(function (a,b) {

var nameA=a.last_nom.toLowerCase(), nameB=b.last_nom.toLowerCase()

if (nameA < nameB)
  return -1;
if (nameA > nameB)
  return 1;
return 0;  //no sorting

})

In ES6/ES2015 or later you can do this way:

objs.sort((a, b) => a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom));

Prior to ES6/ES2015

objs.sort(function(a, b) {
    return a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom)
});

Deep

Based on this excellent tutorial I would like to develop Vlad Bezden answer and explain why localeCompare is better than standard comarison method like strA > strB. Lets run this example

console.log( 'Österreich' > 'Zealand' );  // We expect false
console.log( 'a' > 'Z' );                 // We expect false

The reason is that in JS all strings are encoded using UTF-16 and

let str = '';

// order of characters in JS
for (let i = 65; i <= 220; i++) {
  str += String.fromCodePoint(i); // code to character
}

console.log(str);

Capital letters go first (have small codes) and then go small letters and then go character Ö (after z). This is reason why we get true in first snippet - becasue operator > compare characters codes.

As you can see compare characters in diffrent languages is non trivial task - but luckily, modern browsers support the internationalization standard ECMA-402. So in JS we have strA.localeCompare(strB) which do the job (-1 means strA is less than strB; 1 means opposite; 0 means equal)

console.log( 'Österreich'.localeCompare('Zealand') ); // We expect -1
console.log( 'a'.localeCompare('Z') );                // We expect -1

I would like to add that localeCompare supports two parameters: language and additional rules

var objs = [ 
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' },
    { first_nom: 'Test',   last_nom: 'jamf'     } 
];

objs.sort((a,b)=> a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom,'en',{sensitivity:'case'}))

console.log(objs);

// in '>' comparison 'Jamf' will NOT be next to 'jamf'

I came into problem of sorting array of objects, with changing priority of values, basically I want to sort array of peoples by their Age, and then by surname - or just by surname, name. I think that this is most simple solution compared to another answers.

it' is used by calling sortPeoples(['array', 'of', 'properties'], reverse=false)

///////////////////////example array of peoples ///////////////////////_x000D_
_x000D_
var peoples = [_x000D_
    {name: "Zach", surname: "Emergency", age: 1},_x000D_
    {name: "Nancy", surname: "Nurse", age: 1},_x000D_
    {name: "Ethel", surname: "Emergency", age: 1},_x000D_
    {name: "Nina", surname: "Nurse", age: 42},_x000D_
    {name: "Anthony", surname: "Emergency", age: 42},_x000D_
    {name: "Nina", surname: "Nurse", age: 32},_x000D_
    {name: "Ed", surname: "Emergency", age: 28},_x000D_
    {name: "Peter", surname: "Physician", age: 58},_x000D_
    {name: "Al", surname: "Emergency", age: 58},_x000D_
    {name: "Ruth", surname: "Registration", age: 62},_x000D_
    {name: "Ed", surname: "Emergency", age: 38},_x000D_
    {name: "Tammy", surname: "Triage", age: 29},_x000D_
    {name: "Alan", surname: "Emergency", age: 60},_x000D_
    {name: "Nina", surname: "Nurse", age: 58}_x000D_
];_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
//////////////////////// Sorting function /////////////////////_x000D_
function sortPeoples(propertyArr, reverse) {_x000D_
        function compare(a,b) {_x000D_
            var i=0;_x000D_
            while (propertyArr[i]) {_x000D_
                if (a[propertyArr[i]] < b[propertyArr[i]])  return -1;_x000D_
                if (a[propertyArr[i]] > b[propertyArr[i]])  return 1;_x000D_
                i++;_x000D_
            }_x000D_
            return 0;_x000D_
            }_x000D_
        peoples.sort(compare);_x000D_
        if (reverse){_x000D_
            peoples.reverse();_x000D_
        }_x000D_
    };_x000D_
_x000D_
////////////////end of sorting method///////////////_x000D_
function printPeoples(){_x000D_
  $('#output').html('');_x000D_
peoples.forEach( function(person){_x000D_
 $('#output').append(person.surname+" "+person.name+" "+person.age+"<br>");_x000D_
} )_x000D_
}

<head>_x000D_
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>_x000D_
</head>_x000D_
  <html>_x000D_
  <body>_x000D_
<button onclick="sortPeoples(['surname']); printPeoples()">sort by ONLY by surname ASC results in mess with same name cases</button><br>_x000D_
<button onclick="sortPeoples(['surname', 'name'], true); printPeoples()">sort by surname then name DESC</button><br>_x000D_
<button onclick="sortPeoples(['age']); printPeoples()">sort by AGE ASC. Same issue as in first case</button><br>_x000D_
<button onclick="sortPeoples(['age', 'surname']); printPeoples()">sort by AGE and Surname ASC. Adding second field fixed it.</button><br>_x000D_
        _x000D_
    <div id="output"></div>_x000D_
    </body>_x000D_
  </html>

Old answer that is not correct:

arr.sort((a, b) => a.name > b.name)

UPDATE

From Beauchamp's comment:

arr.sort((a, b) => a.name < b.name ? -1 : (a.name > b.name ? 1 : 0))

More readable format:

arr.sort((a, b) => {
  if (a.name < b.name) return -1
  return a.name > b.name ? 1 : 0
})

Without nested ternaries:

arr.sort((a, b) => a.name < b.name ? - 1 : Number(a.name > b.name))

Explanation: Number() will cast true to 1 and false to 0.

// Sort Array of Objects

// Data
var booksArray = [
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

// Property to Sort By
var args = "last_nom";

// Function to Sort the Data by given Property
function sortByProperty(property) {
    return function (a, b) {
        var sortStatus = 0,
            aProp = a[property].toLowerCase(),
            bProp = b[property].toLowerCase();
        if (aProp < bProp) {
            sortStatus = -1;
        } else if (aProp > bProp) {
            sortStatus = 1;
        }
        return sortStatus;
    };
}

// Implementation
var sortedArray = booksArray.sort(sortByProperty(args));

console.log("sortedArray: " + JSON.stringify(sortedArray) );

Console log output:

"sortedArray: 
[{"first_nom":"Pig","last_nom":"Bodine"},
{"first_nom":"Lazslo","last_nom":"Jamf"},
{"first_nom":"Pirate","last_nom":"Prentice"}]"

Adapted based on this source: http://www.levihackwith.com/code-snippet-how-to-sort-an-array-of-json-objects-by-property/

Way 1 :

You can use Underscore.js. Import underscore first.

 import * as _ from 'underscore';
 let SortedObjs = _.sortBy(objs, 'last_nom');

Way 2 : Use compare function.

function compare(first, second) {
     if (first.last_nom < second.last_nom)
         return -1;
     if (first.last_nom > second.last_nom)
       return 1;
    return 0;
 }

objs.sort(compare);

Warning!
Using this solution is not recommended as it does not result in a sorted array. It is being left here for future reference, because the idea is not rare.

objs.sort(function(a,b){return b.last_nom>a.last_nom})

Simple and quick solution to this problem using prototype inheritance:

Array.prototype.sortBy = function(p) {
  return this.slice(0).sort(function(a,b) {
    return (a[p] > b[p]) ? 1 : (a[p] < b[p]) ? -1 : 0;
  });
}

Example / Usage

objs = [{age:44,name:'vinay'},{age:24,name:'deepak'},{age:74,name:'suresh'}];

objs.sortBy('age');
// Returns
// [{"age":24,"name":"deepak"},{"age":44,"name":"vinay"},{"age":74,"name":"suresh"}]

objs.sortBy('name');
// Returns
// [{"age":24,"name":"deepak"},{"age":74,"name":"suresh"},{"age":44,"name":"vinay"}]

Update: No longer modifies original array.

Using lodash or Underscore, its a piece of cake

> const sortedList = _.orderBy(objs, [last_nom], [asc]); // asc or desc

Using Ramda,

npm install ramda

import R from 'ramda'
var objs = [ 
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];
var ascendingSortedObjs = R.sortBy(R.prop('last_nom'), objs)
var descendingSortedObjs = R.reverse(ascendingSortedObjs)

There are many good answers here, but I would like to point out that they can be extended very simply to achieve a lot more complex sorting. The only thing you have to do is to use the OR operator to chain comparision functions like this:

objs.sort((a,b)=> fn1(a,b) || fn2(a,b) || fn3(a,b) )

Where fn1, fn2, ... are the sort functions which return [-1,0,1]. This results in "sorting by fn1", "sorting by fn2" which is pretty much equal to ORDER BY in SQL.

This solution is based on the behaviour of || operator which evaluates to the first evaluated expression which can be converted to true.

The simplest form has only one inlined function like this:

// ORDER BY last_nom
objs.sort((a,b)=> a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom) )

Having two steps with last_nom,first_nom sort order would look like this:

// ORDER_BY last_nom, first_nom
objs.sort((a,b)=> a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom) || 
                  a.first_nom.localeCompare(b.first_nom)  )

A generic comparision function could be something like this:

// ORDER BY <n>
let cmp = (a,b,n)=>a[n].localeCompare(b[n])

This function could be extended to support numeric fields, case sensitity, arbitary datatypes etc.

You can them use it with chaining them by sort priority:

// ORDER_BY last_nom, first_nom
objs.sort((a,b)=> cmp(a,b, "last_nom") || cmp(a,b, "first_nom") )
// ORDER_BY last_nom, first_nom DESC
objs.sort((a,b)=> cmp(a,b, "last_nom") || -cmp(a,b, "first_nom") )
// ORDER_BY last_nom DESC, first_nom DESC
objs.sort((a,b)=> -cmp(a,b, "last_nom") || -cmp(a,b, "first_nom") )

The point here is that pure JavaScript with functional approach can take you a long way without external libraries or complex code. It is also very effective, since no string parsing have to be done

A simple way:

objs.sort(function(a,b) {
  return b.last_nom.toLowerCase() < a.last_nom.toLowerCase();
});

See that '.toLowerCase()' is necessary to prevent erros in comparing strings.

additional desc params for Ege Özcan code

function dynamicSort(property, desc) {
    if (desc) {
        return function (a, b) {
            return (a[property] > b[property]) ? -1 : (a[property] < b[property]) ? 1 : 0;
        }   
    }
    return function (a, b) {
        return (a[property] < b[property]) ? -1 : (a[property] > b[property]) ? 1 : 0;
    }
}

It works for me. Here It will keep undefined to the end.

 function sort(items, property, direction) {_x000D_
_x000D_
    function compare(a, b) {_x000D_
      if(!a[property] && !b[property]) {_x000D_
        return 0;_x000D_
      } else if(a[property] && !b[property]) {_x000D_
        return -1;_x000D_
      } else if(!a[property] && b[property]) {_x000D_
        return 1;_x000D_
      } else {_x000D_
        const value1 = a[property].toString().toUpperCase(); // ignore upper and lowercase_x000D_
        const value2 = b[property].toString().toUpperCase(); // ignore upper and lowercase_x000D_
        if (value1 < value2) {_x000D_
          return direction === 0 ? -1 : 1;_x000D_
        } else if (value1 > value2) {_x000D_
          return direction === 0 ? 1 : -1;_x000D_
        } else {_x000D_
          return 0;_x000D_
        }_x000D_
        _x000D_
      }_x000D_
    }_x000D_
    _x000D_
    return items.sort(compare);_x000D_
   } _x000D_
   _x000D_
   var items = [_x000D_
  { name: 'Edward', value: 21 },_x000D_
  { name: 'Sharpe', value: 37 },_x000D_
  { name: 'And', value: 45 },_x000D_
  { name: 'The', value: -12 },_x000D_
  { name: undefined, value: -12 },_x000D_
  { name: 'Magnetic', value: 13 },_x000D_
  { name: 'Zeros', value: 37 }_x000D_
];_x000D_
   console.log('Ascending Order:- ');_x000D_
   console.log(sort(items, 'name', 0));_x000D_
   console.log('Decending Order:- ');_x000D_
   console.log(sort(items, 'name', 1));_x000D_
    _x000D_
    

Combining Ege's dynamic solution with Vinay's idea, you get a nice robust solution:

Array.prototype.sortBy = function() {
    function _sortByAttr(attr) {
        var sortOrder = 1;
        if (attr[0] == "-") {
            sortOrder = -1;
            attr = attr.substr(1);
        }
        return function(a, b) {
            var result = (a[attr] < b[attr]) ? -1 : (a[attr] > b[attr]) ? 1 : 0;
            return result * sortOrder;
        }
    }
    function _getSortFunc() {
        if (arguments.length == 0) {
            throw "Zero length arguments not allowed for Array.sortBy()";
        }
        var args = arguments;
        return function(a, b) {
            for (var result = 0, i = 0; result == 0 && i < args.length; i++) {
                result = _sortByAttr(args[i])(a, b);
            }
            return result;
        }
    }
    return this.sort(_getSortFunc.apply(null, arguments));
}

Usage:

// Utility for printing objects
Array.prototype.print = function(title) {
    console.log("************************************************************************");
    console.log("**** "+title);
    console.log("************************************************************************");
    for (var i = 0; i < this.length; i++) {
        console.log("Name: "+this[i].FirstName, this[i].LastName, "Age: "+this[i].Age);
    }
}

// Setup sample data
var arrObj = [
    {FirstName: "Zach", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 35},
    {FirstName: "Nancy", LastName: "Nurse", Age: 27},
    {FirstName: "Ethel", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 42},
    {FirstName: "Nina", LastName: "Nurse", Age: 48},
    {FirstName: "Anthony", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 44},
    {FirstName: "Nina", LastName: "Nurse", Age: 32},
    {FirstName: "Ed", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 28},
    {FirstName: "Peter", LastName: "Physician", Age: 58},
    {FirstName: "Al", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 51},
    {FirstName: "Ruth", LastName: "Registration", Age: 62},
    {FirstName: "Ed", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 38},
    {FirstName: "Tammy", LastName: "Triage", Age: 29},
    {FirstName: "Alan", LastName: "Emergency", Age: 60},
    {FirstName: "Nina", LastName: "Nurse", Age: 54}
];

//Unit Tests
arrObj.sortBy("LastName").print("LastName Ascending");
arrObj.sortBy("-LastName").print("LastName Descending");
arrObj.sortBy("LastName", "FirstName", "-Age").print("LastName Ascending, FirstName Ascending, Age Descending");
arrObj.sortBy("-FirstName", "Age").print("FirstName Descending, Age Ascending");
arrObj.sortBy("-Age").print("Age Descending");

This is my take on this:

The order parameter is optional and defaults to "ASC" for ascending order.

Works on accented chars and it's case insensitive.

NOTE: It sorts and returns the ORIGINAL array.

function sanitizeToSort(str) {
  return str
    .normalize('NFD')                   // REMOVE ACCENTED AND DIACRITICS
    .replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g,'')     // REMOVE ACCENTED AND DIACRITICS
    .toLowerCase()                      // SORT WILL BE CASE INSENSITIVE
  ;
}

function sortByProperty(arr, property, order="ASC") {
  arr.forEach((item) => item.tempProp = sanitizeToSort(item[property]));
  arr.sort((a,b) => order === "ASC" ?
      a.tempProp > b.tempProp ?  1 : a.tempProp < b.tempProp ? -1 : 0
    : a.tempProp > b.tempProp ? -1 : a.tempProp < b.tempProp ?  1 : 0
  );
  arr.forEach((item) => delete item.tempProp);
  return arr;
}

SNIPPET

function sanitizeToSort(str) {
  return str
    .normalize('NFD')                   // REMOVE ACCENTED CHARS
    .replace(/[\u0300-\u036f]/g,'')     // REMOVE DIACRITICS
    .toLowerCase()
  ;
}

function sortByProperty(arr, property, order="ASC") {
  arr.forEach((item) => item.tempProp = sanitizeToSort(item[property]));
  arr.sort((a,b) => order === "ASC" ?
      a.tempProp > b.tempProp ?  1 : a.tempProp < b.tempProp ? -1 : 0
    : a.tempProp > b.tempProp ? -1 : a.tempProp < b.tempProp ?  1 : 0
  );
  arr.forEach((item) => delete item.tempProp);
  return arr;
}

const rockStars = [
  { name: "Axl",
    lastname: "Rose" },
  { name: "Elthon",
    lastname: "John" },
  { name: "Paul",
    lastname: "McCartney" },
  { name: "Lou",
    lastname: "Reed" },
  { name: "freddie",             // WORKS ON LOWER/UPPER CASE
    lastname: "mercury" },
  { name: "Ámy",                 // WORKS ON ACCENTED CHARS TOO
    lastname: "winehouse"}
  
];

sortByProperty(rockStars,"name");

console.log("Ordered by name A-Z:");
rockStars.forEach((item) => console.log(item.name + " " + item.lastname));

sortByProperty(rockStars,"lastname","DESC");

console.log("\nOrdered by lastname Z-A:");
rockStars.forEach((item) => console.log(item.lastname + ", " + item.name));

Instead of using a custom comparison function, you could also create an object type with custom toString() method (which is invoked by the default comparison function):

function Person(firstName, lastName) {
    this.firtName = firstName;
    this.lastName = lastName;
}

Person.prototype.toString = function() {
    return this.lastName + ', ' + this.firstName;
}

var persons = [ new Person('Lazslo', 'Jamf'), ...]
persons.sort();

Sorting (more) Complex Arrays of Objects

Since you probably encounter more complex data structures like this array, I would expand the solution.

TL;DR

Are more pluggable version based on @ege-Özcan's very lovely answer.

Problem

I encountered the below and couldn't change it. I also did not want to flatten the object temporarily. Nor did I want to use underscore / lodash, mainly for performance reasons and the fun to implement it myself.

var People = [
   {Name: {name: "Name", surname: "Surname"}, Middlename: "JJ"},
   {Name: {name: "AAA", surname: "ZZZ"}, Middlename:"Abrams"},
   {Name: {name: "Name", surname: "AAA"}, Middlename: "Wars"}
];

Goal

The goal is to sort it primarily by People.Name.name and secondarily by People.Name.surname

Obstacles

Now, in the base solution uses bracket notation to compute the properties to sort for dynamically. Here, though, we would have to construct the bracket notation dynamically also, since you would expect some like People['Name.name'] would work - which doesn't.

Simply doing People['Name']['name'], on the other hand, is static and only allows you to go down the n-th level.

Solution

The main addition here will be to walk down the object tree and determine the value of the last leaf, you have to specify, as well as any intermediary leaf.

var People = [
   {Name: {name: "Name", surname: "Surname"}, Middlename: "JJ"},
   {Name: {name: "AAA", surname: "ZZZ"}, Middlename:"Abrams"},
   {Name: {name: "Name", surname: "AAA"}, Middlename: "Wars"}
];

People.sort(dynamicMultiSort(['Name','name'], ['Name', '-surname']));
// Results in...
// [ { Name: { name: 'AAA', surname: 'ZZZ' }, Middlename: 'Abrams' },
//   { Name: { name: 'Name', surname: 'Surname' }, Middlename: 'JJ' },
//   { Name: { name: 'Name', surname: 'AAA' }, Middlename: 'Wars' } ]

// same logic as above, but strong deviation for dynamic properties 
function dynamicSort(properties) {
  var sortOrder = 1;
  // determine sort order by checking sign of last element of array
  if(properties[properties.length - 1][0] === "-") {
    sortOrder = -1;
    // Chop off sign
    properties[properties.length - 1] = properties[properties.length - 1].substr(1);
  }
  return function (a,b) {
    propertyOfA = recurseObjProp(a, properties)
    propertyOfB = recurseObjProp(b, properties)
    var result = (propertyOfA < propertyOfB) ? -1 : (propertyOfA > propertyOfB) ? 1 : 0;
    return result * sortOrder;
  };
}

/**
 * Takes an object and recurses down the tree to a target leaf and returns it value
 * @param  {Object} root - Object to be traversed.
 * @param  {Array} leafs - Array of downwards traversal. To access the value: {parent:{ child: 'value'}} -> ['parent','child']
 * @param  {Number} index - Must not be set, since it is implicit.
 * @return {String|Number}       The property, which is to be compared by sort.
 */
function recurseObjProp(root, leafs, index) {
  index ? index : index = 0
  var upper = root
  // walk down one level
  lower = upper[leafs[index]]
  // Check if last leaf has been hit by having gone one step too far.
  // If so, return result from last step.
  if (!lower) {
    return upper
  }
  // Else: recurse!
  index++
  // HINT: Bug was here, for not explicitly returning function
  // https://stackoverflow.com/a/17528613/3580261
  return recurseObjProp(lower, leafs, index)
}

/**
 * Multi-sort your array by a set of properties
 * @param {...Array} Arrays to access values in the form of: {parent:{ child: 'value'}} -> ['parent','child']
 * @return {Number} Number - number for sort algorithm
 */
function dynamicMultiSort() {
  var args = Array.prototype.slice.call(arguments); // slight deviation to base

  return function (a, b) {
    var i = 0, result = 0, numberOfProperties = args.length;
    // REVIEW: slightly verbose; maybe no way around because of `.sort`-'s nature
    // Consider: `.forEach()`
    while(result === 0 && i < numberOfProperties) {
      result = dynamicSort(args[i])(a, b);
      i++;
    }
    return result;
  }
}

Example

Working example on JSBin

In case you have nested objects

const objs = [{
        first_nom: 'Lazslo',
        last_nom: 'Jamf',
        moreDetails: {
            age: 20
        }
    }, {
        first_nom: 'Pig',
        last_nom: 'Bodine',
        moreDetails: {
            age: 21
        }
    }, {
        first_nom: 'Pirate',
        last_nom: 'Prentice',
        moreDetails: {
            age: 22
        }
    }];

nestedSort = (prop1, prop2 = null, direction = 'asc') => (e1, e2) => {
        const a = prop2 ? e1[prop1][prop2] : e1[prop1],
            b = prop2 ? e2[prop1][prop2] : e2[prop1],
            sortOrder = direction === "asc" ? 1 : -1
        return (a < b) ? -sortOrder : (a > b) ? sortOrder : 0;
    }

and call it like

objs.sort(nestedSort("last_nom"));
objs.sort(nestedSort("last_nom", null, "desc"));
objs.sort(nestedSort("moreDetails", "age"));
objs.sort(nestedSort("moreDetails", "age", "desc"));

Hers a function you can use to sort the list by multiple objects, where if the first object is equal, the second order will be used as a fallback. empty values should also be ignored to fallback order if possible.

function sortObjects(list, orderBy){
    list.sort(function(a, b){
        let byIndex = 0;
        let order = orderBy[byIndex];
        while(!a[order.by] || !b[order.by] || a[order.by] === b[order.by]){
            byIndex++;
            if(byIndex >= orderBy.length){break;}
            order = orderBy[byIndex];
        }
        if(!a[order.by] || !b[order.by] || a[order.by] === b[order.by]){
            return false;
        }
        if(order.desc){
            return a[order.by] < b[order.by];
        }
        return a[order.by] > b[order.by];
    });
    return list;
}

usage:

var objs = [
    {a: 10, b: 20, c: 30},
    {a: 30, b: 10, c: 20},
    {a: 20, b: 10, c: 30},
];

sortObjectList(objs, [{by: 'a'}]);
[
    {a: 10, b: 20, c: 30},
    {a: 20, b: 10, c: 30},
    {a: 30, b: 10, c: 20},
]

sortObjectList(objs, [{by: 'a', desc: true}]);
[
    {a: 30, b: 10, c: 20},
    {a: 20, b: 10, c: 30},
    {a: 10, b: 20, c: 30},
]

sortObjectList(objs, [{by: 'b', desc: true}, {by: 'c'}]);
[
    {a: 10, b: 20, c: 30},
    {a: 30, b: 10, c: 20},
    {a: 20, b: 10, c: 30},
]

another example:

var objs = [
    {a: 5, b: 5},
    {a: 10, b: 15},
    {a: 15, b: 25},
    {b: 10},
    {b: 20},
    {a: 10, b: 30},
    {a: 10, b: 12},
];

sortObjectList(objs, [{by: 'a'}, {by: 'b'}]);
[
    {a: 5, b: 5},
    {b: 10},
    {a: 10, b: 12},
    {a: 10, b: 15},
    {b: 20},
    {a: 10, b: 30},
    {a: 15, b: 25},
]

A simple function that sort an array of object by a property

function sortArray(array, property, direction) {
    direction = direction || 1;
    array.sort(function compare(a, b) {
        let comparison = 0;
        if (a[property] > b[property]) {
            comparison = 1 * direction;
        } else if (a[property] < b[property]) {
            comparison = -1 * direction;
        }
        return comparison;
    });
    return array; // Chainable
}

Usage:

var objs = [ 
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

sortArray(objs, "last_nom"); // Asc
sortArray(objs, "last_nom", -1); // Desc

You can also create a dynamic sort function that sorts objects by their value that you pass:

function dynamicSort(property) {
    var sortOrder = 1;
    if(property[0] === "-") {
        sortOrder = -1;
        property = property.substr(1);
    }
    return function (a,b) {
        /* next line works with strings and numbers, 
         * and you may want to customize it to your needs
         */
        var result = (a[property] < b[property]) ? -1 : (a[property] > b[property]) ? 1 : 0;
        return result * sortOrder;
    }
}

So you can have an array of objects like this:

var People = [
    {Name: "Name", Surname: "Surname"},
    {Name:"AAA", Surname:"ZZZ"},
    {Name: "Name", Surname: "AAA"}
];

...and it will work when you do:

People.sort(dynamicSort("Name"));
People.sort(dynamicSort("Surname"));
People.sort(dynamicSort("-Surname"));

Actually this already answers the question. Below part is written because many people contacted me, complaining that it doesn't work with multiple parameters.

Multiple Parameters

You can use the function below to generate sort functions with multiple sort parameters.

function dynamicSortMultiple() {
    /*
     * save the arguments object as it will be overwritten
     * note that arguments object is an array-like object
     * consisting of the names of the properties to sort by
     */
    var props = arguments;
    return function (obj1, obj2) {
        var i = 0, result = 0, numberOfProperties = props.length;
        /* try getting a different result from 0 (equal)
         * as long as we have extra properties to compare
         */
        while(result === 0 && i < numberOfProperties) {
            result = dynamicSort(props[i])(obj1, obj2);
            i++;
        }
        return result;
    }
}

Which would enable you to do something like this:

People.sort(dynamicSortMultiple("Name", "-Surname"));

Subclassing Array

For the lucky among us who can use ES6, which allows extending the native objects:

class MyArray extends Array {
    sortBy(...args) {
        return this.sort(dynamicSortMultiple(...args));
    }
}

That would enable this:

MyArray.from(People).sortBy("Name", "-Surname");

You can use a reusable sort function.

Array.prototype.order= function(prop, methods = {}) {
  let swipe = 1;
  if (prop?.constructor == Object) methods = prop;
  swipe = methods.reverse ? -1 : 1;
  function key(x) {
    if (typeof prop == "string")
      return methods.insensitive ? String(x[prop]).toLowerCase() : x[prop];
    if (methods.insensitive) return String(x).toLowerCase();
    return x;
  }
  this.sort((a, b) => {
    if (key(a) < key(b)) return -1 * swipe;
    if (key(b) < key(a)) return 1 * swipe;
    return 0;
  });
  return this;
};

Its can be use to sort both Array and Object in array
.

let arr = [6, 2, 4, 1, 5, 3];
let arr2 = [
  { name: "Bar", age: 12 },
  { name: "Nur", age: 18 },
  { name: "foo", age: 30 },
  { name: "bazz", age: 15 }
];
arr.order({ reverse: true }); //  [ 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 ]
arr2.order("name", { reverse: 1, insensitive: 0});
let arr3 = [...arr2].order("age");  // new sorted array created from arr2 (But does not change original array)

1nd (optional) > to sort object contain in array.
2rd is method > { reverse: Boolean, insensitive: Boolean }

You can use

Easiest Way: Lodash

(https://lodash.com/docs/4.17.10#orderBy)

This method is like _.sortBy except that it allows specifying the sort orders of the iteratees to sort by. If orders is unspecified, all values are sorted in ascending order. Otherwise, specify an order of "desc" for descending or "asc" for ascending sort order of corresponding values.

Arguments

collection (Array|Object): The collection to iterate over. [iteratees=[_.identity]] (Array[]|Function[]|Object[]|string[]): The iteratees to sort by. [orders] (string[]): The sort orders of iteratees.

Returns

(Array): Returns the new sorted array.

var _ = require('lodash');
var homes = [
    {"h_id":"3",
     "city":"Dallas",
     "state":"TX",
     "zip":"75201",
     "price":"162500"},
    {"h_id":"4",
     "city":"Bevery Hills",
     "state":"CA",
     "zip":"90210",
     "price":"319250"},
    {"h_id":"6",
     "city":"Dallas",
     "state":"TX",
     "zip":"75000",
     "price":"556699"},
    {"h_id":"5",
     "city":"New York",
     "state":"NY",
     "zip":"00010",
     "price":"962500"}
    ];

_.orderBy(homes, ['city', 'state', 'zip'], ['asc', 'desc', 'asc']);

I Just enhanced Ege Özcan's dynamic sort to dive deep inside objects. If Data looks like this:

obj = [
    {
        a: { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 },
        b: { a: 4, b: 5, c: 6 }
    },
    { 
        a: { a: 3, b: 2, c: 1 },
        b: { a: 6, b: 5, c: 4 }
}];

and if you want to sort it over a.a property I think my enhancement helps very well. I add new functionality to objects like this:

Object.defineProperty(Object.prototype, 'deepVal', {
    enumerable: false,
    writable: true,
    value: function (propertyChain) {
        var levels = propertyChain.split('.');
        parent = this;
        for (var i = 0; i < levels.length; i++) {
            if (!parent[levels[i]])
                return undefined;
            parent = parent[levels[i]];
        }
        return parent;
    }
});

and changed _dynamicSort's return function:

return function (a,b) {
        var result = ((a.deepVal(property) > b.deepVal(property)) - (a.deepVal(property) < b.deepVal(property)));
        return result * sortOrder;
    }

And now you can sort by a.a. this way:

obj.sortBy('a.a');

See Commplete script in JSFiddle

As of 2018 there is a much shorter and elegant solution. Just use. Array.prototype.sort().

Example:

var items = [
  { name: 'Edward', value: 21 },
  { name: 'Sharpe', value: 37 },
  { name: 'And', value: 45 },
  { name: 'The', value: -12 },
  { name: 'Magnetic', value: 13 },
  { name: 'Zeros', value: 37 }
];

// sort by value
items.sort(function (a, b) {
  return a.value - b.value;
});

This is a simple problem, don't know why people have such complex solution.
A simple sort function (based on quick-sort algorithm):

function sortObjectsArray(objectsArray, sortKey)
        {
            // Quick Sort:
            var retVal;

            if (1 < objectsArray.length)
            {
                var pivotIndex = Math.floor((objectsArray.length - 1) / 2);  // middle index
                var pivotItem = objectsArray[pivotIndex];                    // value in the middle index
                var less = [], more = [];

                objectsArray.splice(pivotIndex, 1);                          // remove the item in the pivot position
                objectsArray.forEach(function(value, index, array)
                {
                    value[sortKey] <= pivotItem[sortKey] ?                   // compare the 'sortKey' proiperty
                        less.push(value) :
                        more.push(value) ;
                });

                retVal = sortObjectsArray(less, sortKey).concat([pivotItem], sortObjectsArray(more, sortKey));
            }
            else
            {
                retVal = objectsArray;
            }

            return retVal;
        }

Use example:

var myArr = 
        [
            { val: 'x', idx: 3 },
            { val: 'y', idx: 2 },
            { val: 'z', idx: 5 },
        ];
myArr = sortObjectsArray(myArr, 'idx');

this sorting funciton can be use for all object sorting,

• object

• deepObject

• numeric array

you can also do assending or desending sort by passing 1,-1 as param

Object.defineProperty(Object.prototype, 'deepVal', {_x000D_
    enumerable: false,_x000D_
    writable: true,_x000D_
    value: function (propertyChain) {_x000D_
        var levels = propertyChain.split('.');_x000D_
        parent = this;_x000D_
        for (var i = 0; i < levels.length; i++) {_x000D_
            if (!parent[levels[i]])_x000D_
                return undefined;_x000D_
            parent = parent[levels[i]];_x000D_
        }_x000D_
        return parent;_x000D_
    }_x000D_
});_x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_
function dynamicSortAll(property,sortOrders=1) {_x000D_
_x000D_
/**default sorting will be ascending order if you need descending order_x000D_
sording you have to pass -1 as param**/_x000D_
_x000D_
    var sortOrder = sortOrders;_x000D_
   _x000D_
    return function (a,b) {_x000D_
_x000D_
   var result =(property? ((a.deepVal(property) > b.deepVal(property)) ? 1 : (a.deepVal(property) < b.deepVal(property)) ? -1 : 0) :((a > b) ? 1 : (a < b) ? -1 : 0))_x000D_
  _x000D_
        return result * sortOrder;_x000D_
  _x000D_
   _x000D_
    }_x000D_
}_x000D_
_x000D_
deepObj = [_x000D_
    {_x000D_
        a: { a: 1, b: 2, c: 3 },_x000D_
        b: { a: 4, b: 5, c: 6 }_x000D_
    },_x000D_
    { _x000D_
        a: { a: 3, b: 2, c: 1 },_x000D_
        b: { a: 6, b: 5, c: 4 }_x000D_
}];_x000D_
_x000D_
let deepobjResult=deepObj.sort(dynamicSortAll('a.a',1))_x000D_
console.log('deepobjResult :'+ JSON.stringify(deepobjResult))_x000D_
var obj = [ _x000D_
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },_x000D_
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },_x000D_
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }_x000D_
];_x000D_
let objResult=obj.sort(dynamicSortAll('last_nom',1))_x000D_
console.log('objResult :'+ JSON.stringify(objResult))_x000D_
_x000D_
var numericObj=[1,2,3,4,5,6]_x000D_
_x000D_
let numResult=numericObj.sort(dynamicSortAll(null,-1))_x000D_
console.log('numResult :'+ JSON.stringify(numResult))_x000D_
_x000D_
let stringSortResult='helloworld'.split('').sort(dynamicSortAll(null,1))_x000D_
_x000D_
 console.log('stringSortResult:'+ JSON.stringify(stringSortResult))_x000D_
_x000D_
let uniqueStringOrger=[...new Set(stringSortResult)]; _x000D_
 console.log('uniqueStringOrger:'+ JSON.stringify(uniqueStringOrger))

Given the original example:

var objs = [ 
    { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
    { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
    { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

Sort by multiple fields:

objs.sort(function(left, right) {
    var last_nom_order = left.last_nom.localeCompare(right.last_nom);
    var first_nom_order = left.first_nom.localeCompare(right.first_nom);
    return last_nom_order || first_nom_order;
});

Notes

• a.localeCompare(b) is universally supported and returns -1,0,1 if a<b,a==b,a>b respectively.
• || in the last line gives last_nom priority over first_nom.
• Subtraction works on numeric fields: var age_order = left.age - right.age;
• Negate to reverse order, return -last_nom_order || -first_nom_order || -age_order;

Simple answer:

objs.sort((a,b)=>a.last_nom.localeCompare(b.last_nom))

Details:

Today it is very simple, You can compare strings with localeCompare. As the Mozilla Doc says:

The localeCompare() method returns a number indicating whether a reference string comes before, or after, or is the same as the given string in sort order.

    //example1:
    console.log("aaa".localeCompare("aab")); //-1
    console.log("aaa".localeCompare("aaa")); //0
    console.log("aab".localeCompare("aaa")); //1

    //example2:
    const a = 'réservé'; // with accents, lowercase
    const b = 'RESERVE'; // no accents, uppercase

    console.log(a.localeCompare(b));
    // expected output: 1
    console.log(a.localeCompare(b, 'en', { sensitivity: 'base' }));
    // expected output: 0

For more details see Mozilla doclocaleCompare:

I will give you a solution implementing selectionSort algorithm ,it is simple and effective

var objs = [ 
{ first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
{ first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
{ first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];


function selection_Sort(num) { 
 //console.log(num);  
 var temp, index;
 for (var i = 0; i <= num.length - 1; i++) {
index = i;
for (var j = i + 1; j <= num.length - 1; j++) {
 // you can use first_nom/last_nom,any way you choose to sort

  if (num[j]. last_nom < num[index]. last_nom) {
    index = j;
  } 
}

//below is the swapping part
temp = num[i]. last_nom;
num[i]. last_nom = num[index]. last_nom;
num[index]. last_nom = temp;
 };
 console.log(num); 
 return num; 
  }
  selection_Sort(objs);

Great to see such great answers

Example Usage:

objs.sort(sortBy('last_nom'));

Script:

/**
 * @description
 * Returns a function which will sort an
 * array of objects by the given key.
 *
 * @param  {String}  key
 * @param  {Boolean} reverse
 * @return {Function}
 */
const sortBy = (key, reverse) => {

  // Move smaller items towards the front
  // or back of the array depending on if
  // we want to sort the array in reverse
  // order or not.
  const moveSmaller = reverse ? 1 : -1;

  // Move larger items towards the front
  // or back of the array depending on if
  // we want to sort the array in reverse
  // order or not.
  const moveLarger = reverse ? -1 : 1;

  /**
   * @param  {*} a
   * @param  {*} b
   * @return {Number}
   */
  return (a, b) => {
    if (a[key] < b[key]) {
      return moveSmaller;
    }
    if (a[key] > b[key]) {
      return moveLarger;
    }
    return 0;
  };
};

Lodash.js (superset of Underscore.js)

It's good not to add a framework for every simple piece of logic, but relying on well tested utility frameworks can speed up development and reduce the amount of bugs.

Lodash produces very clean code and promotes a more functional programming style. In one glimpse it becomes clear what the intent of the code is.

OP's issue can simply be solved as:

const sortedObjs = _.sortBy(objs, 'last_nom');

More info? E.g. we have following nested object:

const users = [
  { 'user': {'name':'fred', 'age': 48}},
  { 'user': {'name':'barney', 'age': 36 }},
  { 'user': {'name':'wilma'}},
  { 'user': {'name':'betty', 'age': 32}}
];

We now can use the _.property shorthand user.age to specify the path to the property that should be matched. We will sort the user objects by the nested age property. Yes, it allows for nested property matching!

const sortedObjs = _.sortBy(users, ['user.age']);

Want it reversed? No problem. Use _.reverse.

const sortedObjs = _.reverse(_.sortBy(users, ['user.age']));

Want to combine both using chain?

const { chain } = require('lodash');
const sortedObjs = chain(users).sortBy('user.age').reverse().value();

Or when do you prefer flow over chain

const { flow, reverse, sortBy } = require('lodash/fp');
const sortedObjs = flow([sortBy('user.age'), reverse])(users); 

Acording your example, you need to sort by two fields (last name, first name), rather then one. You can use Alasql library to make this sort in one line:

var res = alasql('SELECT * FROM ? ORDER BY last_nom, first_nom',[objs]);

Try this example at jsFiddle.

Using xPrototype: https://github.com/reduardo7/xPrototype/blob/master/README.md#sortbycol1-col2-coln

var o = [ 
  { Name: 'Lazslo', LastName: 'Jamf'     },
  { Name: 'Pig',    LastName: 'Bodine'   },
  { Name: 'Pirate', LastName: 'Prentice' },
  { Name: 'Pag',    LastName: 'Bodine'   }
];


// Original
o.each(function (a, b) { console.log(a, b); });
/*
 0 Object {Name: "Lazslo", LastName: "Jamf"}
 1 Object {Name: "Pig", LastName: "Bodine"}
 2 Object {Name: "Pirate", LastName: "Prentice"}
 3 Object {Name: "Pag", LastName: "Bodine"}
*/


// Sort By LastName ASC, Name ASC
o.sortBy('LastName', 'Name').each(function(a, b) { console.log(a, b); });
/*
 0 Object {Name: "Pag", LastName: "Bodine"}
 1 Object {Name: "Pig", LastName: "Bodine"}
 2 Object {Name: "Lazslo", LastName: "Jamf"}
 3 Object {Name: "Pirate", LastName: "Prentice"}
*/


// Sort by LastName ASC and Name ASC
o.sortBy('LastName'.asc, 'Name'.asc).each(function(a, b) { console.log(a, b); });
/*
 0 Object {Name: "Pag", LastName: "Bodine"}
 1 Object {Name: "Pig", LastName: "Bodine"}
 2 Object {Name: "Lazslo", LastName: "Jamf"}
 3 Object {Name: "Pirate", LastName: "Prentice"}
*/


// Sort by LastName DESC and Name DESC
o.sortBy('LastName'.desc, 'Name'.desc).each(function(a, b) { console.log(a, b); });
/*
 0 Object {Name: "Pirate", LastName: "Prentice"}
 1 Object {Name: "Lazslo", LastName: "Jamf"}
 2 Object {Name: "Pig", LastName: "Bodine"}
 3 Object {Name: "Pag", LastName: "Bodine"}
*/


// Sort by LastName DESC and Name ASC
o.sortBy('LastName'.desc, 'Name'.asc).each(function(a, b) { console.log(a, b); });
/*
 0 Object {Name: "Pirate", LastName: "Prentice"}
 1 Object {Name: "Lazslo", LastName: "Jamf"}
 2 Object {Name: "Pag", LastName: "Bodine"}
 3 Object {Name: "Pig", LastName: "Bodine"}
*/

It is also possible to make a dynamic sorting function when programming in TypeScript, but the types become more tricky in this case.

function sortByKey<O>(key: keyof O, decending: boolean = false): (a: O, b: O) => number {
    const order = decending ? -1 : 1;
    return (a, b): number => {
        const valA = a[key];
        const valB = b[key];
        if (valA < valB) {
            return -order;
        } else if (valA > valB) {
            return order;
        } else {
            return 0;
        }
    }
}

This can be used in TypeScript as the following:

const test = [
    {
        id: 0,
    },
    {
        id: 2,
    }
]

test.sort(sortByKey('id')) // OK
test.sort(sortByKey('id1')) // ERROR
test.sort(sortByKey('')) // ERROR

If you have duplicate last names you might sort those by first name-

obj.sort(function(a,b){
  if(a.last_nom< b.last_nom) return -1;
  if(a.last_nom >b.last_nom) return 1;
  if(a.first_nom< b.first_nom) return -1;
  if(a.first_nom >b.first_nom) return 1;
  return 0;
});

I haven't seen this particular approach suggested, so here's a terse comparison method I like to use that works for both string and number types:

const objs = [ 
  { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
  { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
  { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

const sortBy = fn => {
  const cmp = (a, b) => -(a < b) || +(a > b);
  return (a, b) => cmp(fn(a), fn(b));
};

const getLastName = o => o.last_nom;
const sortByLastName = sortBy(getLastName);

objs.sort(sortByLastName);
console.log(objs.map(getLastName));

Explanation of sortBy()

sortBy() accepts a fn that selects a value from an object to use in comparison, and returns a function that can be passed to Array.prototype.sort(). In this example, we're comparing o.last_nom. Whenever we receive two objects such as

a = { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf' }
b = { first_nom: 'Pig', last_nom: 'Bodine' }

we compare them with (a, b) => cmp(fn(a), fn(b)). Given that

fn = o => o.last_nom

we can expand the comparison function to (a, b) => cmp(a.last_nom, b.last_nom). Because of the way logical OR (||) works in JavaScript, cmp(a.last_nom, b.last_nom) is equivalent to

if (a.last_nom < b.last_nom) return -1;
if (a.last_nom > b.last_nom) return 1;
return 0;

Incidentally, this is called the three-way comparison "spaceship" (<=>) operator in other languages.

Finally, here's the ES5-compatible syntax without using arrow functions:

var objs = [ 
  { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf'     },
  { first_nom: 'Pig',    last_nom: 'Bodine'   },
  { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];

function sortBy(fn) {
  function cmp(a, b) { return -(a < b) || +(a > b); }
  return function (a, b) { return cmp(fn(a), fn(b)); };
}

function getLastName(o) { return o.last_nom; }
var sortByLastName = sortBy(getLastName);

objs.sort(sortByLastName);
console.log(objs.map(getLastName));

One more option:

var someArray = [...];

function generateSortFn(prop, reverse) {
    return function (a, b) {
        if (a[prop] < b[prop]) return reverse ? 1 : -1;
        if (a[prop] > b[prop]) return reverse ? -1 : 1;
        return 0;
    };
}

someArray.sort(generateSortFn('name', true));

sorts ascending by default.

sort method can be modified to sort anything like an array of numbers, strings and even objects using compare function.

Compare function is passed as an optional argument to the sort method.

Compare function accepts 2 arguments generally called a and b. Based on these 2 arguments you can modify the sort method to work as you want. if:

1. If compare function returns less than 0, then the sort() method sorts a at a lower index than b. Simply a will come before b.
2. If compare function returns equal to 0, then sort() method leave the element positions as it is.
3. If compare function returns greater than 0, then sort() method sorts a at greater index than b. Simply a will come after b.

Reference: Understanding sorting array of numbers, strings and objects

Use the above concept to apply on your object where a will be your object property.

var objs = [
  { first_nom: 'Lazslo', last_nom: 'Jamf' },
  { first_nom: 'Pig', last_nom: 'Bodine' },
  { first_nom: 'Pirate', last_nom: 'Prentice' }
];
function compare(a, b) {
  if (a.last_nom > b.last_nom) return 1;
  if (a.last_nom > b.last_nom) return -1;
  return 0;
}
objs.sort(compare);
console.log(objs)
// for better look use console.table(objs)

So here is one sorting algorithm which can sort in any order , throughout array of any kind of objects , without the restriction of datatype comparison ( i.e. Number , String )

function smoothSort(items,prop,reverse) {  
    var length = items.length;
    for (var i = (length - 1); i >= 0; i--) {
        //Number of passes
        for (var j = (length - i); j > 0; j--) {
            //Compare the adjacent positions
            if(reverse){
              if (items[j][prop] > items[j - 1][prop]) {
                //Swap the numbers
                var tmp = items[j];
                items[j] = items[j - 1];
                items[j - 1] = tmp;
            }
            }

            if(!reverse){
              if (items[j][prop] < items[j - 1][prop]) {
                  //Swap the numbers
                  var tmp = items[j];
                  items[j] = items[j - 1];
                  items[j - 1] = tmp;
              }
            }
        }
    }

    return items;
}

• the first argument items is the array of objects ,

• prop is the key of the object on which you want to sort ,

• reverse is a boolean parameter which on being true results in Ascending order and in false it returns descending order.

function compare(propName) {
    return function(a,b) {
        if (a[propName] < b[propName])
            return -1;
        if (a[propName] > b[propName])
            return 1;
        return 0;
    };
}

objs.sort(compare("last_nom"));

Try this,

UPTO ES5

//Ascending Sort
items.sort(function (a, b) {
   return a.value - b.value;
});


//Descending Sort
items.sort(function (a, b) {
   return b.value - a.value;
});


IN ES6 & above:

// Ascending sort
items.sort((a, b) => a.value - b.value);

// Descending Sort
 items.sort((a, b) => b.value - a.value);

I know this question is too old, but I didn't see any implementation similar to mine.
This version is based on the Schwartzian transform idiom.

function sortByAttribute(array, ...attrs) {
  // generate an array of predicate-objects contains
  // property getter, and descending indicator
  let predicates = attrs.map(pred => {
    let descending = pred.charAt(0) === '-' ? -1 : 1;
    pred = pred.replace(/^-/, '');
    return {
      getter: o => o[pred],
      descend: descending
    };
  });
  // schwartzian transform idiom implementation. aka: "decorate-sort-undecorate"
  return array.map(item => {
    return {
      src: item,
      compareValues: predicates.map(predicate => predicate.getter(item))
    };
  })
  .sort((o1, o2) => {
    let i = -1, result = 0;
    while (++i < predicates.length) {
      if (o1.compareValues[i] < o2.compareValues[i]) result = -1;
      if (o1.compareValues[i] > o2.compareValues[i]) result = 1;
      if (result *= predicates[i].descend) break;
    }
    return result;
  })
  .map(item => item.src);
}

Here's an example how to use it:

let games = [
  { name: 'Mashraki',          rating: 4.21 },
  { name: 'Hill Climb Racing', rating: 3.88 },
  { name: 'Angry Birds Space', rating: 3.88 },
  { name: 'Badland',           rating: 4.33 }
];

// sort by one attribute
console.log(sortByAttribute(games, 'name'));
// sort by mupltiple attributes
console.log(sortByAttribute(games, '-rating', 'name'));