Searching Textboxes and Listboxes and dropdown lists

[PHil_ROX]

Well, im back again , arent u so happy? well anyway, i need a search that will search textboxes listboxes and dropdrown lists and return a list of Links that will hide and show textboxes

im guessing that this is possible, but i have no clue where to start, could somebody help me out a little, not write the whole script or anything (unless u wanna) but just give me a basis for the search

[drag0n_45]

Where do you expect to get these textboxes, listboxes, or comboboxes from? I don't quite understand what you mind but it will return a list of links. Are you looking to say, look for all textboxes in your app and be able to hide them? Please be a bit more clear.

[PHil_ROX]

ok, i have a textbox with a submit button, i want the words inside the textboxed to be searched for from multiple textboxes, lisboxes, and comboboxes that i have hidden in my app and i want it to return a list of links that will show the textbox the word is in when clicked. make sense?

[drag0n_45]

Yeah a bit. So all of the textboxes that you want to search FOR are in your app?

[PHil_ROX]

i want to search through, like lets say i have 5 articles, i want to find any mention of the word vista, so i type in vista and press submit, and it lists all the articles that have vista in it and i click on one and it takes me there

i already got the UI and search box done, i just need the code to search and display the results

[Code Doc]

i want to search through, like lets say i have 5 articles, i want to find any mention of the word vista, so i type in vista and press submit, and it lists all the articles that have vista in it and i click on one and it takes me there

i already got the UI and search box done, i just need the code to search and display the results

You will find your code to be much simpler if all the hidden text boxes are inside a control array. Then you loop through each of them and look for a match. Isolate your search to within the Submit command button click event. A list box can be used to collect all the matched results.

[Neato]

The following examples are using InStr (In String), which will go through the designated string and look for the provided data.
Syntax:

InStr(Start At Character, String One(your input data), String Two(what we're looking for), What type of comparison)

Searching in textbox:

If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare) Then
    MsgBox("Found " & Text1.Text)
    Exit Function
End If

Searching a listbox:

Function SearchTextString()
Dim N As Long
If Text1.Text = "" Then Exit Function
 
For N = 0 To List1.ListCount - 1
If InStr(1, Text1.Text, List1.List(N), vbTextCompare) Then
    MsgBox("Found " & (N))
    Exit Function
End If
Next N

Hope it helps =)

[drag0n_45]

Are the textboxes in another app though?

[PHil_ROX]

they are in the same app

@neato thanks for the start, it helps alot

[drag0n_45]

Oh ok. Then go with neato. It's much easier that way.

[PHil_ROX]

i didnt really get what you said anyway lol

[drag0n_45]

lol. Let's just say if the textboxes were in another app it would be a lot harder to read them.

[PHil_ROX]

thanks guys for all your help, just one more question, after i get them into a list, is it possible to make the results into links that take you to the textbox or listbox and highlight them? and if its a long list or paragrapgh, take you to that section of it... do you get what im saying?

[louvelle]

The following examples are using InStr (In String), which will go through the designated string and look for the provided data.
Syntax:

InStr(Start At Character, String One(your input data), String Two(what we're looking for), What type of comparison)

Searching in textbox:

If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare) Then
    MsgBox("Found " & Text1.Text)
    Exit Function
End If

Searching a listbox:

Function SearchTextString()
Dim N As Long
If Text1.Text = "" Then Exit Function
 
For N = 0 To List1.ListCount - 1
If InStr(1, Text1.Text, List1.List(N), vbTextCompare) Then
    MsgBox("Found " & (N))
    Exit Function
End If
Next N

Hope it helps =)

Umm...Can this code be used in a datagrid?

[Hack]

I don't know about a datagrid (never use them), but it could be easily modified for a Listview.

[PHil_ROX]

ok, i finally got around to working on my app again and i got some questions

what should i put here
InStr(Start At Character, String One(your input data), String Two(what we're looking for), What type of comparison)

at first i thought it was what the user was searching for, but it wasnt...

i used this fuction without the above and no matter what, i always get a message box saying it found what i was searching for even tho it doesnt exist. my guess is its because of the lack of the syntax but maybe not

      If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare) Then
          MsgBox("Found " & Text1.Text)
          Exit Function
      End If

[drag0n_45]

try:

  If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
          MsgBox("Found " & Text1.Text)
          Exit Function
      End If

[PHil_ROX]

ok, that works better, idk if this is the best way to do it, but im gonna have it search the boxs one at a time, if it finds it, add it to a invisible listbox and move it on to the next box by the way of a if inside a if and if it doesnt find it, move on anyway

so basically, like this

  If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
          'add to listbox
          If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
                 MsgBox("Found " & Text1.Text)
                If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
                      'add to listbox
                Else
                
                End If 
  Else        
          If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
                'add to listbox
          Else
                
          End If
  End If

and so on. is ther a better way?

[drag0n_45]

Use a recursive sub. Put only one instance of the if instr(.... end if part in a sub, and from that sub call the sub if the text is found.

for example:

 
Private sub AddToBox
 If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
          'add to listbox
          addtobox
  Else        
          If InStr(1, Text1.Text, Text2.Text, vbTextCompare)>0 Then
                'add to listbox
          Else
                
          End If
  End If
End sub

[PHil_ROX]

well, i just found out sumting that really sucks, when i tested the search i just had one word in there, but when i accually put a paragraph in and searched. it returned negative every time unless i copied and pasted the whole paragraph into the searchbox

[drag0n_45]

weird...send me your code through pm i'll see what i can do.. it's hard to picture the problem

[PHil_ROX]

done

[PHil_ROX]

still waiting... lolz

[drag0n_45]

I know. I had just left the office when I made that post. Most of my work is done from my office M-F 8-5. It's 8:30 now. I'll do my best to take a look at it by the end of the day.

[Hack]

Moved To VB.NET

[PHil_ROX]

oops, guess i had the wrong section...