Array sort

A typical task is to sort an array. One of the problems is that an array could be of any type. Not a simple type, but more complicated types.

Prior to introducing generics into Freepascal, sorting an array of arbitrary type could be achieve via untyped variables (implicit pointers).

Features

• Fast
• any type

AnySort.pas

unit anysort;
 
{$ifdef fpc}{$mode delphi}{$H+}{$endif}
 
interface
 
type
  TCompareFunc = function (const elem1, elem2): Integer;
 
procedure AnySort(var Arr; Count: Integer; Stride: Integer; CompareFunc: TCompareFunc);
 
implementation
 
type
  TByteArray = array [Word] of byte;
  PByteArray = ^TByteArray;
 
procedure AnyQuickSort(var Arr; idxL, idxH: Integer;
  Stride: Integer; CompareFunc: TCompareFunc; var SwapBuf);
var
  ls,hs : Integer;
  li,hi : Integer;
  mi    : Integer;
  ms    : Integer;
  pb    : PByteArray;
begin
  pb:=@Arr;
  li:=idxL;
  hi:=idxH;
  mi:=(li+hi) div 2;
  ls:=li*Stride;
  hs:=hi*Stride;
  ms:=mi*Stride;
  repeat
    while CompareFunc( pb[ls], pb[ms] ) < 0 do begin
      inc(ls, Stride);
      inc(li);
    end;
    while CompareFunc( pb[ms], pb[hs] ) < 0 do begin
      dec(hs, Stride);
      dec(hi);
    end;
    if ls <= hs then begin
      Move(pb[ls], SwapBuf, Stride);
      Move(pb[hs], pb[ls], Stride);
      Move(SwapBuf, pb[hs], Stride);
      inc(ls, Stride); inc(li);
      dec(hs, Stride); dec(hi);
    end;
  until ls>hs;
  if hi>idxL then AnyQuickSort(Arr, idxL, hi, Stride, CompareFunc, SwapBuf);
  if li<idxH then AnyQuickSort(Arr, li, idxH, Stride, CompareFunc, SwapBuf);
end;
 
procedure AnySort(var Arr; Count: Integer; Stride: Integer; CompareFunc: TCompareFunc);
var
  buf: array of byte;
begin
  SetLength(buf, Stride);
  AnyQuickSort(Arr, 0, Count-1, Stride, compareFunc, buf[0]);
end;
 
end

Here's an example on how to use AnySort() function to sort an array of Integer

interface

uses AnySort

procedure SortArrayInteger(var arr: array of Integer; count: Integer);

implementation
 
function CompareInt(const d1,d2): integer;
var
  i1 : integer absolute d1;
  i2 : integer absolute d2;
begin
  if i1=i2 then Result:=0
  else if i1<i2 then Result:=-1
  else Result:=1;
end;

procedure SortArrayInteger(var arr: array of Integer; count: Integer);
begin
  AnySort(arr, Count, sizeof(Integer), CompareInt);
end;