User input dialog box to search across multiple fields

[Demnos]

Hi everyone.

I have something here that I'm sure isn't too hard to do but I haven't been able to figure this out myself and I can't seem to find the solution with a quick search either.

What I have is a database with three fields that I would like to be able to search at once with a pop-up dialog box. My hope is to create a button that a user could click and be presented with a dialog box that allows a text string to be entered. This would then perform the same search on the three seperate fields and return a found set of all the matching values.

So...

1) Click button

2) User enters data via dialog box

3) Search is performed (search string found in Field 1 OR Field 2 OR Field 3)

Is this something that can be created via ScriptMaker? I'm not a complete database novice but am not too far above that either.

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer.

[mr_vodka]

See this thread.

http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/193060

[Demnos]

Thanks for your reply. It looks like I could possibly use this to get it to work. This solution seems rather complicated though.

I guess I was hoping for something not quite as complicated. Maybe somehow assigning the desired search term as a variable and then using that to perform the search.

[mr_vodka]

I dont see how you feel that it is complicated. The demo that Michael posted is pretty straight forward and almost exactly what you want.

All you really need is a calc field that concatenates the 3 fields that you want. Then a global field to enter what you are searching for, and finally a very short script that performs the find. In your case, the global field is entered by the custom dialog since that is what you wanted.

[comment]

Maybe somehow assigning the desired search term as a variable and then using that to perform the search.

You could do it that way, too: enter the search term into a global field (users cannot input data into a variable), then create three find requests, one for each field.

In any case, if you need to search for the same term in three fields, there's very likely something wrong with your data structure - that's where the complications begin.

Edited May 1, 2008 by Guest

[Fitch]

It doesn't necessarily mean a problem with database structure. Users are used to Google, where a search might reveal a person, a product, a city, a street, etc. My friend Matt is doing a Devcon session on it this year.

[comment]

No, not necessarily - only very likely...

[Demnos]

I did get Mr. Vodka's tip to work then. It certainly gets the job done. I basically just copied for the setup from the linked file and all worked well.

I do agree that if our database was built properly we maybe wouldn't have this problem. The database was built a long time ago on a flat database system and has just been upgraded through the years. A relational database would be great but there isn't anyone here with the time or knowhow to take what we have and rebuild it. I maintain it somewhat but I'm certainly no database programmer.

Anyway, thanks so much for all your help. This takes care of my immediate problem. I'm sure I'll be back on soon with something else though. :smirk:

[iBob]

On 5/1/2008 at 7:57 AM, mr_vodka said:

http://www.fmforums.com/forum/showtopic.php?tid/193060

Too bad this thread no longer exists.  I need to do the same thing Demons asked about. 

[Lee Smith]

Hi iBob, and welcome to the FM Forums,

I don't know how much this will help

You might have more luck in starting your own thread.

Here is something you should read to understand how to post a question on the FM Forums, Anatomy of a Good Topic

[comment]

1 hour ago, iBob said:

I need to do the same thing

It's really very simple: show a custom dialog using a global field to receive user's input. Then create three find requests (one for each field to search) and in each request set the target field to the value of the global field.

[Fitch]

Maybe a simple 'quick find' would do the job, with or without a script.

http://fmhelp.filemaker.com//help/15/fmp/en/#page/FMP_Help%2Fperform-quick-find.html

Hooray for getting a notification on a 9-year-old thread. FileMaker 9 was current at that time. We got Perform Quick Find in FileMaker 11 (2010).