recursive-sorting.js

const R = require('ramda')

const kind = 'desc'

let collection = {
  nodes: [
    {
      name: 'Items',
      children: [
        {
          name: 'very-old-2',
          children: [
            { name: 'very-new-old-2.2-last-try-final' },
            { name: 'very-new-old-2.3-last-try-final' }
          ]
        },
        {
          name: 'very-old-1',
          children: [
            { name: 'very-new-old-1.2-last-try-final' },
            { name: 'very-new-old-1.3-last-try-final' }
          ]
        }]
    }
  ]
}

const sortNormalization = (propName) =>
  R.compose(
    R.toLower,
    R.prop(propName)
  )

const sortStrategy = (type) =>
  R.ifElse(
    R.equals('asc'),
    () => R.ascend,
    () => R.descend
  )(type)

const alphabeticalSortWithProp = (propName, type) =>
  R.compose(
    R.sort,
    sortStrategy(type),
    sortNormalization
  )(propName)


const sortCollection = (entries) => R.compose(
  alphabeticalSortWithProp('name', kind),
  sortDescedants
)(entries)

const sortDescedants = (nodes) => {
  return nodes.map(
    entry => {
      if (entry.children) {
        entry.children = sortCollection(entry.children)
      }

      return entry
    }
  )
}

collection = sortCollection(collection.nodes)

console.dir(collection, { depth: 10, colors: true })