Groups | Search | Server Info | Keyboard shortcuts | Login | Register [http] [https] [nntp] [nntps]

Groups > comp.databases.filemaker > #2307 > unrolled thread

Finding Numbers in Text Fields

Back to article view | Back to comp.databases.filemaker

Contents

  Finding Numbers in Text Fields csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2015-05-06 10:42 -0700
    Re: Finding Numbers in Text Fields Martin Τrautmann <t-usenet@gmx.net> - 2015-05-06 17:53 +0000
    Re: Finding Numbers in Text Fields Howard Schlossberg <howard@nospam.fmprosolutions.com> - 2015-05-06 12:02 -0700
      Re: Finding Numbers in Text Fields csampson@inetworld.net (Charles H. Sampson) - 2015-05-08 02:28 -0700
    Re: Finding Numbers in Text Fields Erik Appeldoorn <ursus.kirk@gmail.com> - 2015-05-06 21:52 +0200

#2307 — Finding Numbers in Text Fields

The tutorial for the day is on finding strings of digits in text fields.
If I simply use the string of digits as the search value I invariably
get the "No records match this set of find requests." message. I guessed
that enclosing the string of digits in quotes ("123") would do it.
Sometimes it does, usually it doesn't.

I just want to know what the technique is. I don't expect it to make
sense. As a long-time system software developer (mostly compilers, some
operating systems), I know that searching for any string in a text field
should search for that string, the only exceptions being characters that
have special meaning. I suspect that FileMaker is making the mistake of
converting the string ot digits into internal numeric form (often called
binary) and searching to that value in the field, which will almost
never succeed.

Charlie
-- 
Nobody in this country got rich on his own.  You built a factory--good.
But you moved your goods on roads we all paid for.  You hired workers we
all paid to educate. So keep a big hunk of the money from your factory.
But take a hunk and pay it forward.  Elizabeth Warren (paraphrased)

[toc] | [next] | [standalone]

#2308

On Wed, 6 May 2015 10:42:33 -0700, Charles H. Sampson wrote:
>  The tutorial for the day is on finding strings of digits in text fields.
>  If I simply use the string of digits as the search value I invariably
>  get the "No records match this set of find requests." message. I guessed
>  that enclosing the string of digits in quotes ("123") would do it.
>  Sometimes it does, usually it doesn't.
> 
>  I just want to know what the technique is. I don't expect it to make
>  sense. As a long-time system software developer (mostly compilers, some
>  operating systems), I know that searching for any string in a text field
>  should search for that string, the only exceptions being characters that
>  have special meaning. I suspect that FileMaker is making the mistake of
>  converting the string ot digits into internal numeric form (often called
>  binary) and searching to that value in the field, which will almost
>  never succeed.

I don't know what you do and how. 

But when I use FMP 11 and do a search within a text field, a search for
the value 123 will show all records with 123, 1234, 123.45 etc within
this text.

- Martin

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#2309

On 5/6/2015 10:42 AM, Charles H. Sampson wrote:
> The tutorial for the day is on finding strings of digits in text fields.
> If I simply use the string of digits as the search value I invariably
> get the "No records match this set of find requests." message. I guessed
> that enclosing the string of digits in quotes ("123") would do it.
> Sometimes it does, usually it doesn't.
>
> I just want to know what the technique is. I don't expect it to make
> sense. As a long-time system software developer (mostly compilers, some
> operating systems), I know that searching for any string in a text field
> should search for that string, the only exceptions being characters that
> have special meaning. I suspect that FileMaker is making the mistake of
> converting the string ot digits into internal numeric form (often called
> binary) and searching to that value in the field, which will almost
> never succeed.

FileMaker will only find a string if a "word" begins with that string. 
You will likely otherwise be successful if you search for *123*, with 
the '*' assuming there is text both before and after the number string.

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#2314

Howard Schlossberg <howard@nospam.fmprosolutions.com> wrote:

> On 5/6/2015 10:42 AM, Charles H. Sampson wrote:
> > The tutorial for the day is on finding strings of digits in text fields.
> > If I simply use the string of digits as the search value I invariably
> > get the "No records match this set of find requests." message. I guessed
> > that enclosing the string of digits in quotes ("123") would do it.
> > Sometimes it does, usually it doesn't.
> >
> > I just want to know what the technique is. I don't expect it to make
> > sense. As a long-time system software developer (mostly compilers, some
> > operating systems), I know that searching for any string in a text field
> > should search for that string, the only exceptions being characters that
> > have special meaning. I suspect that FileMaker is making the mistake of
> > converting the string ot digits into internal numeric form (often called
> > binary) and searching to that value in the field, which will almost
> > never succeed.
> 
> FileMaker will only find a string if a "word" begins with that string.
> You will likely otherwise be successful if you search for *123*, with
> the '*' assuming there is text both before and after the number string.

Thank you, Howard. That use of "word" appears to be the key. Foolish me
for thinking that I was searching for strings in text fields.

Charlie
-- 
Nobody in this country got rich on his own.  You built a factory--good.
But you moved your goods on roads we all paid for.  You hired workers we
all paid to educate. So keep a big hunk of the money from your factory.
But take a hunk and pay it forward.  Elizabeth Warren (paraphrased)

[toc] | [prev] | [next] | [standalone]

#2310

Charles H. Sampson schreef op 6-5-2015 om 19:42:
> The tutorial for the day is on finding strings of digits in text fields.
> If I simply use the string of digits as the search value I invariably
> get the "No records match this set of find requests." message. I guessed
> that enclosing the string of digits in quotes ("123") would do it.
> Sometimes it does, usually it doesn't.
>
> I just want to know what the technique is. I don't expect it to make
> sense. As a long-time system software developer (mostly compilers, some
> operating systems), I know that searching for any string in a text field
> should search for that string, the only exceptions being characters that
> have special meaning. I suspect that FileMaker is making the mistake of
> converting the string ot digits into internal numeric form (often called
> binary) and searching to that value in the field, which will almost
> never succeed.
>
> Charlie
>
You have to work around that. Perhaps using a patterncount function.

text= abc123def
findstring = "123"
cfind = patterncount (text , findstring) result as number
if cfind greater 0 you have a match

Ursus

-- 
met vriendelijke groeten,
Erik Appeldoorn

[toc] | [prev] | [standalone]

Back to top | Article view | comp.databases.filemaker

csiph-web