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As a big fan of not sorting in the database when I don’t have to, I have often resorted to heavy handed javascript libraries like datatables.net. I do this in large part because I am just awful at javascript and the libs typically already exists. As long as the database is saving a few cycles who cares about the client right?!?!

This time of year is all about giving, so I thought I would try to find a better/lighter way of doing this. A few googles later, I found the tablesorter lib and this looked like a pretty decent compromise.

Thinking I was onto something, I ran the idea by my resident javascript expert Michael Sarchet (b / t). His response was so simple and on point that I was slightly offended I hadn’t thought of it. “I just use Knockout for that.” Advantages of this are that I’m not having to keep up with another lib (knockout is a default lib in MVC4) and this solution will be able to apply to collections outside of just a table. Thus, another life skill was born.

Code Time
Controller: var burritos = db.Select("select name,price from burritos"); var tacos = db.Select("select name,price from tacos");

var viewModel = new viewmodel_Food
{
  burritos = burritos
  , tacos = tacos
};
return View(viewModel); </code> **View:** <code>
@model burritoroll.web.Models.viewmodel_Food
@{
    ViewBag.Title = "Index";
}

Index
 
Can you dig our burritos?
BurritoPrice
 
  
 
Can you dig our tacos?

 
  TacoPrice
 
 
  
 

@section scripts{
	
	function viewModel() {
		var self = this;

	    self.tacosarray = ko.observableArray(@Html.Raw(Json.Encode(Model.tacos.ToArray())));
	    self.burritosarray = ko.observableArray(@Html.Raw(Json.Encode(Model.burritos.ToArray())));
	    
	    var sortitFunction = function (a, b) {
	        return a.name.toLowerCase() == b.name.toLowerCase() ? 0 : a.name.toLowerCase() < b.name.toLowerCase() ? -1 : 1;
	    };

	    self.tacosarray.sort(sortitFunction);
	    self.burritosarray.sort(sortitFunction);
	}

	ko.applyBindings(new viewModel());
	
} </code>