How to sort a string's characters alphabetically?

Question

For Array, there is a pretty sort method to rearrange the sequence of elements. I want to achieve the same results for a String.

For example, I have a string str = "String", I want to sort it alphabetically with one simple method to "ginrSt".

Is there a native way to enable this or should I include mixins from Enumerable?

score 133 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 30 '17 at 20:25

133

The chars method returns an enumeration of the string's characters.

str.chars.sort.join
#=> "Sginrt"

To sort case insensitively:

str.chars.sort(&:casecmp).join
#=> "ginrSt"

edited Jan 30 '17 at 20:25

Omar Ali

answered Feb 27 '12 at 11:20

molf

score 15 · Answer 2 · answered Mar 07 '12 at 16:20

15

Also (just for fun)

str = "String"
str.chars.sort_by(&:downcase).join
#=> "ginrSt"

answered Mar 07 '12 at 16:20

fl00r

I like the sort_by method more, because it is more clear and easy – Sam P Mar 02 '21 at 16:32

score 3 · Answer 3 · answered May 15 '13 at 14:33

3

str.unpack("c*").sort.pack("c*")

answered May 15 '13 at 14:33

user2386335

6

add some explanation to it. what exactly are you trying to say? – Dinesh Raja May 15 '13 at 14:52

score 3 · Answer 4 · answered Mar 01 '15 at 04:14

3

You can transform the string into an array to sort:

'string'.split('').sort.join

answered Mar 01 '15 at 04:14

imtk

score 1 · Answer 5 · answered Apr 27 '22 at 21:29

1

If you deal with Unicode text, you might prefer to use String#grapheme_clusters:

"a\u0300e".chars.sort.join
=> "aè" # diacritic moved!
"a\u0300e".grapheme_clusters.sort.join
=> "àe" # expected result

answered Apr 27 '22 at 21:29

psychoslave

5 Answers5