Sort direction (asc, desc) in Rest API - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to set the sort direction to ascending.

Rest API

params = {"sort": "name", "direction": "[1]"}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adesc

Bdown

Cup

Dasc

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'desc' instead of 'asc' for ascending order.

The correct sort direction for ascending order is "asc".

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to set the sort direction to descending.

Rest API

params = {"sort": "date", "direction": "[1]"}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aup

Basc

Cdesc

Ddown

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'asc' instead of 'desc' for descending order.

The correct sort direction for descending order is "desc".

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the sort direction value to make it valid.

Rest API

params = {"sort": "price", "direction": "[1]"}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aupward

Bdesc

Cdownward

Dascending

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using full words instead of 'asc' or 'desc'.

The API expects 'asc' or 'desc' for direction. 'desc' is the correct value for descending.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to create a query with ascending sort on 'title'.

Rest API

params = {"sort": "[1]", "direction": "[2]"}

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Atitle

Basc

Cdesc

Ddate

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Mixing up sort field and direction values.

The sort field should be 'title' and direction 'asc' for ascending order.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a query sorting by 'rating' descending.

Rest API

params = {"sort": "[1]", "direction": "[2]", "limit": [3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Adate

Bdesc

C10

Drating

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using wrong field or direction, or putting limit as a string.

Sort by 'rating' with direction 'desc' and limit results to 10.

Practice

1.

What does the direction=asc parameter do in a REST API request?

easy

A. Sorts the data in ascending order, from smallest to largest.

B. Sorts the data in descending order, from largest to smallest.

C. Filters the data to show only ascending values.

D. Deletes all data except the first item.

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand the meaning of 'asc'

   'asc' stands for ascending, which means sorting from smallest to largest.

2. Step 2: Apply to REST API sorting

   When used as a direction parameter, it orders the data from smallest to largest values.

3. Final Answer:

   Sorts the data in ascending order, from smallest to largest. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   direction=asc means ascending order [OK]

Hint: Asc means smallest to largest order in sorting [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing 'asc' with descending order
• Thinking 'asc' filters data instead of sorting
• Assuming 'asc' deletes data

2.

Which of the following is the correct way to specify descending sort direction in a REST API URL query?

https://api.example.com/items?sort=price&_____

easy

A. direction=asc

B. order=asc

C. sort=desc

D. direction=desc

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the parameter for sort direction

   The common parameter to specify sort direction is 'direction'.

2. Step 2: Choose the correct value for descending order

   Descending order is indicated by 'desc'. So the correct query is 'direction=desc'.

3. Final Answer:

   direction=desc -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Descending sort uses direction=desc [OK]

Hint: Use direction=desc for descending sort in query [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using 'sort=desc' instead of 'direction=desc'
• Mixing 'asc' and 'desc' values
• Using 'order=asc' which is not standard here

3.

Given this REST API response sorted by rating in descending order, what is the first item's rating?

GET https://api.example.com/movies?sort=rating&direction=desc

Response:
[
  {"title": "Movie A", "rating": 9.5},
  {"title": "Movie B", "rating": 8.7},
  {"title": "Movie C", "rating": 7.9}
]

medium

A. 7.9

B. 8.7

C. 9.5

D. Cannot determine

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand descending order sorting

   Descending order means highest values come first.

2. Step 2: Check the first item in the response

   The first item has rating 9.5, which is the highest rating.

3. Final Answer:

   9.5 -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Descending sort puts 9.5 first [OK]

Hint: Descending means highest value is first in list [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Picking the last item's rating instead of first
• Confusing ascending with descending order
• Choosing 'Cannot determine' without checking response

4.

Identify the error in this REST API request URL that tries to sort users by age in descending order:

https://api.example.com/users?sort=age&direction=descending

medium

A. The parameter 'direction' should be 'desc' not 'descending'.

B. The 'sort' parameter should be 'desc' instead of 'age'.

C. The URL is missing the 'order' parameter.

D. The '&' symbol should be replaced with '?' in the URL.

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the 'direction' parameter value

   The correct values for direction are 'asc' or 'desc', not 'descending'.

2. Step 2: Confirm the 'sort' parameter is correct

   'sort=age' is correct to specify sorting by age.

3. Final Answer:

   The parameter 'direction' should be 'desc' not 'descending'. -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use 'desc' for descending direction [OK]

Hint: Use 'desc' not 'descending' for direction [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using full word 'descending' instead of 'desc'
• Changing 'sort' parameter incorrectly
• Misplacing '&' and '?' in URL

5.

You want to get a list of products sorted by price ascending, but only those with price greater than 100. Which query parameters correctly combine sorting and filtering?

hard

A. sort=price&direction=desc&filter=price>100

B. filter=price>100&sort=price&direction=asc

C. sort=price&direction=asc&filter=price=100

D. direction=asc&filter=price>100

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify sorting parameters

   Sorting by price ascending requires 'sort=price' and 'direction=asc'.

2. Step 2: Add filtering for price greater than 100

   Filtering is done with 'filter=price>100'. The order of parameters does not affect functionality but including all is best practice.

3. Final Answer:

   filter=price>100&sort=price&direction=asc -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Filter then sort ascending with correct parameters [OK]

Hint: Combine filter and sort with correct parameters [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using descending direction instead of ascending
• Omitting filter parameter
• Incorrect parameter order causing confusion