<?php
 
$data = array(
    array('zz', 'name' => 'Jack', 'number' => 22, 'birthday' => '12/03/1980'),
    array('xx', 'name' => 'Adam', 'number' => 16, 'birthday' => '01/12/1979'),
    array('aa', 'name' => 'Paul', 'number' => 16, 'birthday' => '03/11/1987'),
    array('cc', 'name' => 'Helen', 'number' => 44, 'birthday' => '24/06/1967'),
);
 
usort($data, make_comparer('description'));
print_r($data);
 
 
function make_comparer() {
    // Normalize criteria up front so that the comparer finds everything tidy
    $criteria = func_get_args();
    foreach ($criteria as $index => $criterion) {
        $criteria[$index] = is_array($criterion)
            ? array_pad($criterion, 3, null)
            : array($criterion, SORT_ASC, null);
    }
 
    return function($first, $second) use ($criteria) {
        foreach ($criteria as $criterion) {
            // How will we compare this round?
            list($column, $sortOrder, $projection) = $criterion;
            $sortOrder = $sortOrder === SORT_DESC ? -1 : 1;
 
            // If a projection was defined project the values now
            if ($projection) {
                $lhs = call_user_func($projection, $first[$column]);
                $rhs = call_user_func($projection, $second[$column]);
            }
            else {
                $lhs = $first[$column];
                $rhs = $second[$column];
            }
 
            // Do the actual comparison; do not return if equal
            if ($lhs < $rhs) {
                return -1 * $sortOrder;
            }
            else if ($lhs > $rhs) {
                return 1 * $sortOrder;
            }
        }
 
        return 0; // tiebreakers exhausted, so $first == $second
    };
}
 

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