How to short text alphabetical whit giving value for each character

Question

I was thinking if good way short strings whit character value. Like A = 0, B = 1...

I made some code, but best i get is wrong answer and i think i know where is problem but i dont know what is the problem.

So here is code:

void Start()
{
    i = Inventory.instance;
    List<Items> items = i.returnList("Food");
    Debug.Log(items.Count); List<Items> sItems = GetListSetList(items);

    foreach (Items item in sItems)
    {
        Debug.Log(item.name);
    }
}

List items = i.returnList ("Food"); <-- This part is where i ask inventory return all "Food" taged items. Code is here:

public List<Items> returnList(string tag)
{
    List<Items> classifiedItemSet = new List<Items>();
    foreach (Items i in items)
    {
        if (i.tag == tag)
        {
            classifiedItemSet.Add(i);
        }
    }
    return classifiedItemSet;
}

List sItems = GetListSetList (items); <-- This is part where i really try short list what i get from inventory. It looks like this :

 private List<Items> GetListSetList(List<Items> itemS)
{
    foreach (Items item in itemS)
    {
        GetAlphabetaValue(item);
    }
    List<Items> shorted = new List<Items>();
    Items[] hold = new Items[itemS.Count];
    foreach (Items item in itemS)
    {
        for (int x = 0; x < hold.Length; x++)
        {
            if (hold[x] == null)
            {
                hold[x] = item;
                break;
            }
            else
            {
                bool PassIt = true;
                for (int c_value = 0; c_value < item.Alphabet_value.Length; c_value++)                    
                    if (item.Alphabet_value[c_value] > hold[x].Alphabet_value[c_value])                        
                        PassIt = false;                       

                if (PassIt)
                {
                    for (int h_pos = hold.Length - 1; h_pos > x; h_pos--)                       
                        if (hold[h_pos] != null)
                            hold[h_pos] = hold[h_pos - 1];                       

                    hold[x] = item;
                    break; // If i use this break i get error ("NullReferenceException")
                }
                else continue;                             
            }
        }
    }
    for (int x = 0; x < hold.Length; x++)        
        shorted.Add(hold[x]);        
    return shorted;
}

Start of this void i give every character in every items name string some value. It is this part : GetAlphabetaValue (item); Oh and sorry naming it AlphaBeta :) Okey how i get this values is this :

 private void GetAlphabetaValue(Items x)
{
    x.Alphabet_value = new int[x.name.Length];
    for (int c = 0; c < x.Alphabet_value.Length; c++)
    {
        string character = x.name.Substring(c, 1);
        character.ToLower();
        switch (character)
        {
            case "a":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 0;
                break;
            case "b":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 1;
                break;
            case "c":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 2;
                break;
            case "d":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 3;
                break;
            case "e":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 4;
                break;
            case "f":
                x.Alphabet_value[c] = 5;
                break;
            //To the end
        }
    }
}

I hope you understand what i try to talk :D Thank you :) And i try find some information in internet before i start doing this, but i dont find anything how really can short multiple string from array.

This part i think i got wrong but now i cant just see what wrong whit that :

 for (int h_pos = hold.Length - 1; h_pos > x; h_pos--) 
      if (hold [h_pos] != null)
      {
        hold [h_pos] = hold [h_pos - 1];                        
        hold [x] = item;
      }        

Answer 1

To start with do you really think it's a good idea to have a +20 switch-case?

Characters are already numbered, characters a-z in enligsh alphabet correspond to 97-122 chars in Unicode.

This function:

void GetAlphabetaValue(Items x)
{
  x.Alphabet_value = new int[x.name.Length];
  for (int c = 0; c < x.Alphabet_value.Length; c++) 
  {
      string character = x.name.Substring (c, 1);
      character.ToLower ();
      switch (character) 
      {
      case "a":
         x.Alphabet_value [c] = 0;
         break;  
       ///Etc... //Etc..... And end.  
      }
   }
}    

Becomes this:

void GetAlphabetaValue2(Items x)
{
    var CharIntList = List<int>; 
    foreach (char ch in x.Name)
        CharIntList.Alphabet_value.Add(ch - 97);
   x.Alphabet_value = CharIntList.ToArray();
}

Much simpler. Also you code is messy, hard to understand and bad formatted. Probably you are new to C# so you should read about how you are supposed to write code, It's not like I do it well, but other pepole should be able to understand your code.

Then about you question, I think you mean to sort not to short (Completly different things). Also why is Items in plural? it's a singular thing, then it should be Item.

Well, I don't know about your problem, but you can replace your GetListSetList() function to this:

private List<Items> GetListSetList(List<Items> items)
{
    foreach (Items item in items)
    {
        GetAlphabetaValue(item);
        Array.Sort(item.Alphabet_value);
    }
    return items;
}