Let's say I have a table with two fields - Name and Number. The Name field is is a combination of first names and last names. The Number field is just a phone number.

Here's what I want to do -

In one layout I want to have a search field where I'd enter part of the name, either first or last name, then press a button and either it will go the only matching record or populate a portal with the possible matches.

I believe I should be able to do this with a self join but I can't figure it out.

I looked at http://www.kevinfrank.com/demo-files.html (his contact finder) but I can't quite understand how it works. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

You need to take his file apart, piece by piece, in order to try and grasp his concept. Basically, the g_fields are global fields and the c_Fields are calculated fields related to the fields you want to filter on. Both reside within the same table.

Take a look at filter.zip:

http://www.newcenturydata.com/downloads.php

by New Century data. Perhaps you'll find it a little easier to understand.

Either way it will take a little time to understand the concept. However, it is a great learning experience.

Thank you for the referral.

Cheers