How TO - Sort a List

<ul id="id01">
  <li>Oslo</li>
  <li>Stockholm</li>
  <li>Helsinki</li>
  <li>Berlin</li>
  <li>Rome</li>
  <li>Madrid</li>
</ul>

<script>
function sortList() {
  var list, i, switching, b, shouldSwitch;
  list = document.getElementById("id01");
  switching = true;
  /*Make a loop that will continue until
  no switching has been done:*/
  while (switching) {
    //start by saying: no switching is done:
    switching = false;
    b = list.getElementsByTagName("LI");
    //Loop through all list items:
    for (i = 0; i < (b.length - 1); i++) {
      //start by saying there should be no switching:
      shouldSwitch = false;
      /*check if the next item should
      switch place with the current item:*/
      if (b[i].innerHTML.toLowerCase() > b[i + 1].innerHTML.toLowerCase()) {
        /*if next item is alphabetically lower than current item,
        mark as a switch and break the loop:*/
        shouldSwitch= true;
        break;
      }
    }
    if (shouldSwitch) {
      /*If a switch has been marked, make the switch
      and mark the switch as done:*/
      b[i].parentNode.insertBefore(b[i + 1], b[i]);
      switching = true;
    }
  }
}
</script>

<ul id="id01">
  <li>Oslo</li>
  <li>Stockholm</li>
  <li>Helsinki</li>
  <li>Berlin</li>
  <li>Rome</li>
  <li>Madrid</li>
</ul>

<script>
function sortListDir() {
  var list, i, switching, b, shouldSwitch, dir, switchcount = 0;
  list = document.getElementById("id01");
  switching = true;
  //Set the sorting direction to ascending:
  dir = "asc";
  //Make a loop that will continue until no switching has been done:
  while (switching) {
    //start by saying: no switching is done:
    switching = false;
    b = list.getElementsByTagName("LI");
    //Loop through all list-items:
    for (i = 0; i < (b.length - 1); i++) {
      //start by saying there should be no switching:
      shouldSwitch = false;
      /*check if the next item should switch place with the current item,
      based on the sorting direction (asc or desc):*/
      if (dir == "asc") {
        if (b[i].innerHTML.toLowerCase() > b[i + 1].innerHTML.toLowerCase()) {
          /*if next item is alphabetically lower than current item,
          mark as a switch and break the loop:*/
          shouldSwitch= true;
          break;
        }
      } else if (dir == "desc") {
        if (b[i].innerHTML.toLowerCase() < b[i + 1].innerHTML.toLowerCase()) {
          /*if next item is alphabetically higher than current item,
          mark as a switch and break the loop:*/
          shouldSwitch= true;
          break;
        }
      }
    }
    if (shouldSwitch) {
      /*If a switch has been marked, make the switch
      and mark that a switch has been done:*/
      b[i].parentNode.insertBefore(b[i + 1], b[i]);
      switching = true;
      //Each time a switch is done, increase switchcount by 1:
      switchcount ++;
    } else {
      /*If no switching has been done AND the direction is "asc",
      set the direction to "desc" and run the while loop again.*/
      if (switchcount == 0 && dir == "asc") {
        dir = "desc";
        switching = true;
      }
    }
  }
}
</script>