'Help like' record search

[martinwcole]

RE: 'Help like' record search

well, figured out how to simplify and greatly speed up the search

use this as the query instead

query.filter="alltrim(lower(var->tempstr)) $ lower(lastname))"

[martinwcole]

RE: 'Help like' record search

here is a sample app with the script using 12,500 customers

[martinwcole]

RE: 'Help like' record search

got to thinking about your request, and thought, "The script I used will work perfectly if the user knows the correct beginning characters for the value they are searching for - but what if they don't know the correct beginning value?!!"

have successfully experimented with the following change to the below line - the first part looks for the value at the beginning of the field and the second part (following the .or.,) searches for the value anywhere in the field.

While in theory you would only need the second half - when I use the second half only, it will only find values within that field that are NOT at the beginning - but this query is working like a charm in my little dialog form. I don't know why I have to have both parts of the query - but who cares, if it works! If you have only a few thousand records in your lookup I think it will work okay - but if it were used on a massive bunch of records it might be slow as it would be an extensive query.

In a scnenario like this my client doesn't care if there is a pause, he only cares whether ANY operator with ANY level of compentence can get it to work!

query.filter="left(lastname,"+ltrim(str(len(tempstr)))+")='"+tempstr+"' .or. *any(lastname,alltrim(var->tempstr))"

[Jimmie1234]

RE: 'Help like' record search

Will try it!!

Thanks for the input.

Jim

[Jimmie1234]

RE: 'Help like' record search

Thx Cal,

I've looked at that approach...trouble is it makes the user start to have to think.....:)))

The user for this app is most probably going to be a warehouse helper (minimum wage)who just needs to type a few letters, look at a list, and hit enter and thereby find the item according to the bin or rack its in. Mouse use or tool bar use is too complicated. Thanks for your suggestion.

Jim

[CALocklin]

RE: 'Help like' record search

Wouldn't a "Find Text" work here? If you use Xbasic, you could even script it to be a little more user friendly. unfortunately, 'more user friendly' often means 'less versatile' so you'll have to decide whether to set up something specific or just show them how to use the "Find/Find Text" menu item.

[martinwcole]

RE: 'Help like' record search

Here is a modified version of one of Dr. Wayne's scripts. In my main form, if the user pushes F10 I pop up a 2nd form as a dialog with an embedded browse based on the customers table showing only the first name and last name in the embedded browse.

at the main form:
onkey event:
'*********** CUSTOMER SEARCH
if a_user.key.value="{F10}" .and. a_user.key.event="down"
a_user.key.handled=.t.
ans=""
f=form.view("customerquick","dialog")
f.close()
if ans "yes"
end
end if
this.index_set("custid")
this.find(custnmbr)
'custnmbr is a global variable
'the parent table "contracts" has an index called "custid"
end if


This code is placed at the "Onkey" event
for that 2nd form.

as they type the characters of the last name, it will isolate and display appropriately.

I give then the F5 key on the 2nd form as a way of "starting over" in their search.

as the customers are isolated, if they move up or down with the arrow key, and then press "Enter," I close the form capturing the global variable "custnmbr"

'code for Customerquick

dim shared tempstr as c
dim shared posn as n
dim shared check as c
dim tbl as p
dim idx as p
if a_user.key.value="{F5}"
a_user.key.handled=.t.
posn=0; tempstr=""
browse1.activate()
browse1.fetch_first()
end
end if
if a_user.key.value = "{ESC}" .and. a_user.key.event="Down"
ans="no"
gpc="Y"
this.cancel()
this.close()
end
end if
if this.active()="browse1"
if a_user.key.value="{ENTER}" .and. a_user.key.event="down"
a_user.key.handled=.T.
tbl=table.current()
custn=tbl.custid
gpc=tbl.mapsco
ans="yes"
this.close()
end
end if

tbl=table.current(1)
tbl.index_primary_put("name")
if a_user.key.event="down"
if left(a_user.key.value,1)="{" then
' it's a special key or backspace or function key
select
case a_user.key.value="{BACKSPACE}"
if posn>0 then
posn=posn-1
tempstr=iif(posn=0,"",left(tempstr,posn))
end if
case a_user.key.value="{LEFT}"
posn=iif(posn>1,posn-1,0)
case a_user.key.value="{RIGHT}"
posn=iif(posn1,left(tempstr,posn),"")+substr(tempstr,posn+2,len(tempstr)-posn)
case a_user.key.value="{END}"
posn=len(tempstr)
case else
' do nothing
end select
' pass all special characters to form
a_user.key.handled=.f.
else
if posn=len(tempstr) then
posn=posn+1
tempstr=tempstr+a_user.key.value
else
tempstr=left(tempstr,posn)+a_user.key.value+substr(tempstr,posn+1,len(tempstr)-posn)
posn=posn+1
end if
a_user.key.handled=.f.
' check to see if a unique name can be matched
query.filter="left(lastname,"+ltrim(str(len(tempstr)))+")='"+tempstr+"'"
query.order="lastname"
query.options="I"
idx=tbl.query_create()
if idx.records_get()=1
ans="yes"
custn=tbl.custid
gpc=tbl.mapsco
this.close()
end
end if
browse1.refresh()
idx.drop()
end if
end if ' a_user.key.event="down"
end if

hope this helps

[Jimmie1234]

I've been playing around with this inventory app for sometime now, learning as I go. I have tried a number of different ways to make it easier for a user to find an item in the database for making changes or using in a transaction process. I like the way that the Windows HELP function works in the index mode (as you type the letters in a search the list window automatically zeroes in on the item that matches the typing).

This would be ideal for my app in which a user may only know a snippet of information about an item, not necessarily what user defined field to look in and how the complete field entry was originally entered. e.g.: The user might know that the item is a 14' roll of vinyl in a certain style, and is trying to identify which project it may have been ordered for or on which purchase order.

The number of items in the inventory is large and the expertise level of the user is rather low in terms of using a PC. Any suggestions as to how this can be(or where it has been) implemented?

Jim