FCC/Applications/Share/WayneLib_WayneLibraries/Strings/NaturalStringComparer.cs

using System;
using System.Collections.Generic;
namespace Wayne.Lib
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Comparer used to sort strings naturally (i.e. "5" comes before "10" and "x5" comes before "x10").
    /// </summary>
    internal class NaturalStringComparer : IComparer<string>
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Compares two objects and returns a value indicating whether one is less than, equal to, or greater than the other.
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="x"></param>
        /// <param name="y"></param>
        /// <returns></returns>
        public int Compare(string x, string y)
        {
            int len1 = x.Length;
            int len2 = y.Length;
            int marker1 = 0;
            int marker2 = 0;

            // Walk through two the strings with two markers.
            while (marker1 < len1 && marker2 < len2)
            {
                char ch1 = x[marker1];
                char ch2 = y[marker2];

                // Some buffers we can build up characters in for each chunk.
                char[] space1 = new char[len1];
                int loc1 = 0;
                char[] space2 = new char[len2];
                int loc2 = 0;

                // Walk through all following characters that are digits or
                // characters in BOTH strings starting at the appropriate marker.
                // Collect char arrays.
                do
                {
                    space1[loc1++] = ch1;
                    marker1++;

                    if (marker1 < len1)
                        ch1 = x[marker1];
                    else
                        break;
                }
                while (char.IsDigit(ch1) == char.IsDigit(space1[0]));

                do
                {
                    space2[loc2++] = ch2;
                    marker2++;

                    if (marker2 < len2)
                        ch2 = y[marker2];
                    else
                        break;
                }
                while (char.IsDigit(ch2) == char.IsDigit(space2[0]));

                // If we have collected numbers, compare them numerically.
                // Otherwise, if we have strings, compare them alphabetically.
                string str1 = new string(space1);
                string str2 = new string(space2);

                int result;
                if (char.IsDigit(space1[0]) && char.IsDigit(space2[0]))
                {
                    int thisNumericChunk = int.Parse(str1);
                    int thatNumericChunk = int.Parse(str2);
                    result = thisNumericChunk.CompareTo(thatNumericChunk);
                }
                else
                    result = str1.CompareTo(str2);

                if (result != 0)
                    return result;
            }
            return len1 - len2;
        }
    }
}