Faster Array Sort

During my last experiments I tried to optimize my code at every line and dig into sort algorithms to find the fastest solution. As you may know Flash itself is using one of Quick Sort implementations. It is one of the fastest algorithms.
But I’ve tried different implementations and found some better solutions.

I tried 3 different ideas: Quick Sort + Insertion Sort, 3 Way Quick Sort and Quick Sort + Bubble Sort.
Here is my results:

  • Quick Sort + Insertion Sort | 65 – 84 Ms.
  • 3 Way Quick Sort | 74 – 91 Ms.
  • Built in Array Sort | 87 – 103 Ms.
  • Quick Sort + Bubble Sort | 117 – 124 Ms.

Below you will find simple test class. I used this algorithms to sort indexes of another array, sorry but I’m too lazy to adopt it to sort provided array (I suppose it is not hard to adopt it if you need)

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package
{
	import flash.display.Sprite;
	import flash.events.Event;
	import flash.utils.getTimer;
 
	/**
	 * Simple test for sorting algorithms
	 * @author Eugene Zatepyakin
	 */
	public class SortTest extends Sprite
	{
 
		private var centzs:Vector.<Number>;
		private var ord:Vector.<int>;
 
		private var arr:Array;
 
		public function SortTest()
		{
			if (stage) {
				init();
			} else {
				addEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
			}
		}
 
		private function init(e:Event = null):void
		{
			removeEventListener(Event.ADDED_TO_STAGE, init);
 
			var t:int = 100;
 
			centzs = new Vector.<Number>();
			ord = new Vector.<int>();
			arr = new Array();
 
			for (var i:int = 0; i < t; i++)
			{
				centzs[i] = 1000 - Math.random() * 2000;
				ord[i] = i;
				arr[i] = centzs[i];
			}
 
			var tt:int = getTimer();
 
			// Quick Sort + Insertion Sort
			//qsort(0, int(t - 1));
			//InsertionSort(0, int(t - 1));
 
			// 3 Way Quick Sort
			//qsort3(0, int(t - 1));
 
			// Quick Sort + Bubble Sort
			//qsort2(0, int(t - 1));
 
			// Built in Array sort
			//arr.sort(Array.NUMERIC);
			//arr = arr.sort(Array.NUMERIC | Array.RETURNINDEXEDARRAY);
 
			// qsort + ins // 65 - 84
			// qsort 3way // 74 - 91
			// array // 87 - 103
			// qsort + bubble // 117 - 124
 
 
			trace(getTimer() - tt);
		}
 
		private function InsertionSort(min:int, max:int):void
		{
			var i:int, j:int, k:int, vi:int, v:Number;
			for ( i = int(min + 1); i <= max; i++) {
				v = centzs[ (vi = ord[i]) ];
				j = i;
				while ( (j > min) && (centzs[ ord[ (k = int(j - 1)) ] ] > v) ) {
					ord[j] = ord[k];
					j--;
				}
				ord[j] = vi;
			}
		}
 
		private function qsort(l:int, r:int):void
		{
			const M:int = 4;
			var i:int, j:int, k:int, vi:int, v:Number;
			//var loop:int = 0;
 
			if (int(r - l) > M) {
				i = int(r + l) >> 1;
				if (centzs[ ord[l] ] > centzs[ ord[i] ]) {
					//swap(l, i);
					vi = ord[l];
					ord[l] = ord[i];
					ord[i] = vi;
				}
				if (centzs[ ord[l] ] > centzs[ ord[r] ]) {
					//swap(l, r);
					vi = ord[l];
					ord[l] = ord[r];
					ord[r] = vi;
				}
				if (centzs[ ord[l] ] > centzs[ ord[r] ]) {
					//swap(i, r);
					vi = ord[i];
					ord[i] = ord[r];
					ord[r] = vi;
				}
 
				j = int(r - 1);
 
				//swap(i, j);
				vi = ord[i];
				ord[i] = ord[j];
				ord[j] = vi;
 
				i = l;
				v = centzs[ ord[j] ];
 
				while (true) {
					while (centzs[ ord[++i] ] < v);
					while (centzs[ ord[--j] ] > v);
					if (j < i) break;
					//swap(i, j);
					vi = ord[i];
					ord[i] = ord[j];
					ord[j] = vi;
					//if (++loop > 100) { return; }
				}
				//swap(i, r - 1);
				vi = ord[i];
				ord[i] = ord[ (k = int(r - 1)) ];
				ord[k] = vi;
 
				qsort(l, j);
				qsort(int(i + 1), r);
			}
		}
 
		private function qsort3(l:int, r:int):void
		{
			var i:int = int(l - 1), j:int = r, p:int = int(l - 1), q:int = r, vi:int;
 
			if (r <= l) return;
 
			var v:Number = centzs[ ord[r] ];
 
			while (true)
			{
				while (centzs[ ord[++i] ] < v);
				while (v < centzs[ ord[--j] ]) {
					if (j == l) break;
				}
 
				if (i >= j) break;
 
				vi = ord[i];
				ord[i] = ord[j];
				ord[j] = vi;
 
				if (centzs[ ord[i] ] == v) {
					p++;
					vi = ord[p];
					ord[p] = ord[i];
					ord[i] = vi;
				}
				if (v == centzs[ ord[j] ]) {
					q--;
					vi = ord[j];
					ord[j] = ord[q];
					ord[q] = vi;
				}
			}
 
			vi = ord[i];
			ord[i] = ord[r];
			ord[r] = vi;
 
			j = int(i - 1);
			i = int(i + 1);
 
			for (var k:int = l; k < p; k++, j--) {
				vi = ord[k];
				ord[k] = ord[j];
				ord[j] = vi;
			}
			for (k = int(r - 1); k > q; k--, i++) {
				vi = ord[i];
				ord[i] = ord[k];
				ord[k] = vi;
			}
 
			qsort3(l, j);
			qsort3(i, r);
		}
 
		private function qsort2(lo0:int, hi0:int):void
		{
			var lo:int = lo0;
			var hi:int = hi0;
 
			if ((hi-lo) <= 6) {
				bsort(lo, hi);
				return;
			}
 
			var t:int;
			var mid:int = int(lo + hi) >> 1;
			var vi:int = ord[ mid ];
 
			var pivot:int = centzs[ vi ];
			ord[mid] = ord[hi];
			ord[hi] = vi;
 
			while( lo < hi ) {
				/*
				 *  Search forward from a[lo] until an element is found that
				 *  is greater than the pivot or lo >= hi
				 */
				while (centzs[ ord[lo] ] <= pivot && lo < hi) lo++;
				/*
				 *  Search backward from a[hi] until element is found that
				 *  is less than the pivot, or hi <= lo
				 */
				while (pivot <= centzs[ ord[hi] ] && lo < hi ) hi--;
				/*
				 *  Swap elements a[lo] and a[hi]
				 */
				if( lo < hi ) {
					t = ord[lo];
					ord[lo] = ord[hi];
					ord[hi] = t;
				}
			}
			/*
			 *  Put the median in the "center" of the list
			 */
			ord[hi0] = ord[hi];
			ord[hi] = vi;
			/*
			 *  Recursive calls, elements a[lo0] to a[lo-1] are less than or
			 *  equal to pivot, elements a[hi+1] to a[hi0] are greater than
			 *  pivot.
			 */
			qsort2(lo0,int(lo-1));
			qsort2(int(hi+1), hi0);
		}
 
		private function bsort(lo:int, hi:int):void
		{
			var t:int;
			var k:int;
			var flipped:Boolean;
 
			for (var j:int = hi; j > lo; j--) {
				flipped = false;
				for (var i:int = lo; i < j; i++) {
					if ( centzs[ ord[i] ] > centzs[ ord[ (k = int(i+1)) ] ] ) {
						t = ord[i];
						ord[i] = ord[ k ];
						ord[k] = t;
						flipped = true;
					}
				}
				if(!flipped) return;
			}
		}
 
	}
 
}

5 Responses to “Faster Array Sort”


  1. 1 Mario Klingemann

    I’d love to have some fast alternative sorting options, but I think you first have to adjust your testing conditions a bit, so the comparison is real life. The way you built your test the initial conditions are different for the internal sort and your sort algorithms. You make heavy use of the ord[] array that contains the array indices, but you create that array outside your timing look. In a real world situation I would send an unsorted array to the sort algorithm and there would not be any prebuilt index array.

    So for an honest comparison you have to recreate that index before every sort and include the time it takes to do that in your timings. Of course you are free to prebuild one big index table and just concat() or slice() it.

    Nevertheless – you have a great blog! I wonder why it took me until today to discover it.

  2. 2 Eugene

    @Mario I know my test conditions isn’t good at all but this test class was a very quick extract from my main application where it was implemented as it is. I just wanted to note that for me it was faster to use custom sort algo. Thanx for pointing this out. I’ll try to create a real test conditions and see the results.
    And thanx for the good words about my blog/experiments here and in twitter ;)

  3. 3 ozgur uksal

    I just discovered your blog today. liked it. About the quicksort + insertion sort combination, it has been proved mathematically that this combination is the fastest way to sort until today.

  1. 1 Faster Array Sort [Take 2] | astatic notes
  2. 2 Faster Array Sort [Take 3][updated 2] | astatic notes

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