remove duplicates and sort array

[JACKWEBS]

I have a multi level array.
I want to remove duplicates from the array and then sort it.
Problem is I want to do this to different columns of the array at different times.
So, first time I sort by workinstructure[i][0] and remove any duplicates in [i][0], next time I need to do the same but for column [i][3]

	//create copy of the array to work with	
	var workingstructure = structure;

	//initialise
	if (document.getElementById) {
	document.getElementById("Division").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("DivisionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("BusUnitLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("RegionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("CostCentreLevels").disabled=true;
	}

	//sort the array, remove duplicates, etc.
	workingstructure.sort; //i actually need to sort by different columns here, in this example it's [i][0] of the array
	//for (i = 0; i < workingstructure.length; i++) {
	//	if (workingstructure[i][0] == some duplicate check here) {
	//		workingstructure.splice(i);
	//	}
	//}

	//fill with data from the copy javascript array
	for (i = 0; i < workingstructure.length; i++) {
		var optn = document.createElement("OPTION");
		optn.text = workingstructure[i][1];
		optn.value = workingstructure[i][0];
		document.getElementById("Division").options.add(optn);
	}

	//destroy the array
	workingstructure = null;

[PeejAvery]

What exactly is your problem, the removing of the duplicates? Or knowing which column is the next one?

[JACKWEBS]

How to remove duplicates from the array.
Example data:
1,Jones, SY300
2,SMith, SY300
1,ABAB, Sy400

Sometimes, I need to check column 1 and remove duplicates leaving me with:
1,Jones, SY300
2,SMith, SY300

Sometimes, I need to check column 3 and remove duplicates leaving me with:
1,ABAB, Sy400

[PeejAvery]

To remove duplicates is easy. Take a look at an example from my website.

[JACKWEBS]

but doesnt that look through the whole array?
How do I tell it to delete duplicates from column 2 only ?
See data example above

	//create copy of the array to work with	
	var workingstructure = structure;

	//initialise
	if (document.getElementById) {
	document.getElementById("Division").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("DivisionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("BusUnitLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("RegionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("CostCentreLevels").disabled=true;
	}


	//fill with data from the copy javascript array
	unique(workingstructure[1],false);

	for (i = 0; i < structure.length; i++) {
		var optn = document.createElement("OPTION");
		optn.text = workingstructure[i][1];
		optn.value = workingstructure[i][0];
		document.getElementById("Division").options.add(optn);
	}

	//destroy the array
	workingstructure = null;

[PeejAvery]

but doesnt that look through the whole array?

Not a whole two-dimensional array, but it does an array. Just pass the second dimension to it.

[JACKWEBS]

But how do I do that?
If I pass array[2], it will think I'm talking about the 3rd row.
If I pass [i][2], it won't know which row to use.
Am I supposed to loop it? for i=0, i<array.length, i++
then use your function every time?

[PeejAvery]

You were close in your first try. Notice it doesn't clean the array, it returns a new array without the duplicates.

workingstructure[1] = unique(workingstructure[1], false);

[JACKWEBS]

just says object doesn't support this property or method?
Also, the FirefOx debugger says tempArray[ii].toLowerCase is not a function

	//create copy of the array to work with	
	//var workingstructure = structure;
	workingstructure = new Array;

	//initialise
	if (document.getElementById) {
	document.getElementById("Division").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("DivisionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("BusUnitLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("RegionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("CostCentreLevels").disabled=true;
	}


	//fill with data from the copy javascript array
	//workingstructure[0] = unique(structure[0],false);
	workingstructure[1] = unique(structure[1],false);

	for (i = 0; i < structure.length; i++) {
		var optn = document.createElement("OPTION");
		optn.text = workingstructure[i][1];
		optn.value = workingstructure[i][0];
		document.getElementById("Division").options.add(optn);
	}

	//destroy the array
	workingstructure = null;

[PeejAvery]

The function toLowerCase() can fail if the variable is not a string. They only way we can truly help you is if you post the array as well. Can you please do so?

[JACKWEBS]

Aha.
That will be why. The first element is a number, all the rest are text:

array:
0 3,Infrastructure,SY400,SY410,SY414,ZACY
1 5,Regions,SY600,SY610,SY610,ZALY
2 3,Infrastructure,SY400,SY410,SY410,ZAVI
3 4,Management,SY300,SY340,SY344,ZBBC
4 1,Central Services,SY700,SY700,SY700,ZBDX
5 4,Management,SY300,SY340,SY345,ZBFP
6 3,Infrastructure,SY400,SY440,SY440,ZBHX
row7 etc.
row 8 etc.

can I just change the 1st element to text.
SO just put in "3"
??

[PeejAvery]

Am I to assume that the 0-6 are the indexes of the first dimension and that rest of each line delimited by the commas are the second dimensions?

[JACKWEBS]

Am I to assume that the 0-6 are the indexes of the first dimension and that rest of each line delimited by the commas are the second dimensions?

Yes, sorry.
So If you put in array[1][0] you get 5
array [2][2] you get SY400

the array[i][0] is put in as a number in javascript when I build the array, all the others are text as they have "" round them

[PeejAvery]

All you needed to do was add the toString() function to the check.

<script type="text/javascript">
function unique(theArray, caseSensitive){
  var inArray;
  tempArray = [];
  for(i = 0; i < theArray.length; i++){
    inArray = false;
    for(ii = 0; ii < tempArray.length; ii++){
      if(caseSensitive){
        if(tempArray[ii] == theArray[i]){inArray = true;}
      }
      else{
        if(tempArray[ii].toString().toLowerCase() == theArray[i].toString().toLowerCase()){inArray = true;}
      }
    }
    if(!inArray){tempArray[tempArray.length] = theArray[i];}
  }
  return tempArray;
}

var testArray = [
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY410", "SY414", "ZACY"],
  [5, "Regions", "SY600", "SY610", "SY610", "ZALY"],
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY410", "SY410", "ZAVI"],
  [4, "Management", "SY300", "SY340", "SY344", "ZBBC"],
  [1, "Central Services", "SY700", "SY700", "SY700", "ZBDX"],
  [4, "Management", "SY300", "SY340", "SY345", "ZBFP"],
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY440", "SY440", "ZBHX"]
];

alert(testArray[2]);
alert(unique(testArray[2]));
</script>

[JACKWEBS]

Something weird is definitely happening here.
When I run it, it seems to only list 1 row, the number 3.
Is that because I only use this line once?
workingstructure[0] = unique(structure[0],false);

For example, in the code above when you alert(TestArray[2]); it only alerts one row of the array. And shouldn't it pick out the value SY400? It is alreting the entire row.
unique only seems to be returning 1 row. Can't figure out where though

	//create copy of the array to work with	
	//var workingstructure = structure;	
	var workingstructure = new Array();

	//initialise
	if (document.getElementById) {
	document.getElementById("Division").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("DivisionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("BusUnitLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("RegionalLevels").disabled=true;
	document.getElementById("CostCentreLevels").disabled=true;
	}

	workingstructure[0] = unique(structure[0],false);
	//workingstructure[1] = unique(structure[1],false);	

	for (i = 0; i < structure.length; i++) {
		var optn = document.createElement("OPTION");
		optn.text = workingstructure[i][0];
		optn.value = workingstructure[i][0];
		document.getElementById("Division").options.add(optn);
	}

	//destroy the array
	workingstructure = null;

Int his array:

var testArray = [
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY410", "SY414", "ZACY"],
  [5, "Regions", "SY600", "SY610", "SY610", "ZALY"],
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY410", "SY410", "ZAVI"],
  [4, "Management", "SY300", "SY340", "SY344", "ZBBC"],
  [1, "Central Services", "SY700", "SY700", "SY700", "ZBDX"],
  [4, "Management", "SY300", "SY340", "SY345", "ZBFP"],
  [3, "Infrastructure", "SY400", "SY440", "SY440", "ZBHX"]
];

I would expect unique to return 3,5,4, and 1
Yet it only returns the value 3 because it looks at the first row only when you put in array[0]