sortTimestamps

​

Introduction

Organizing and comparing time-based data often requires sorting timestamps. The sortTimestamps function provides a reliable and straightforward way to compare and sort Firestore timestamps, accommodating possibly missing values to ensure robust and error-free operations.

​

Key Features

• Chronological Sorting: Compares two Firestore timestamps and sorts them chronologically.
• Handles Missing Timestamps: Gracefully manages scenarios where one or both timestamps may be missing (null or undefined).
• Versatile Application: Ideal for use in array sorting methods or when manually comparing timestamps.

​

Utilization

​

Comparing Two Timestamps

Import sortTimestamps and use it as a comparator function when sorting timestamps:

import { firestore } from 'firebase-admin'
import { sortTimestamps } from 'path-to-your-utilities'

// Example Firestore timestamps
const timestamp1: firestore.Timestamp = firestore.Timestamp.now()
const timestamp2: firestore.Timestamp = firestore.Timestamp.fromDate(
  new Date('2020-01-01'),
)

// Comparing two timestamps
const comparisonResult = sortTimestamps(timestamp1, timestamp2)

// 'comparisonResult' will be 1, -1, or 0, depending on the chronological order of the timestamps

​

Handling Missing Timestamps

sortTimestamps is designed to deal with missing timestamps effectively, ensuring that arrays of timestamps are sorted correctly even when some values are missing.

​

Best Practices

• Integrate sortTimestamps into array sorting operations when dealing with Firestore timestamp data.
• Use sortTimestamps for manual timestamp comparisons to maintain consistency and reliability in your time-based logic.
• Be cautious when sorting large arrays of timestamps and consider performance implications.