Finding a Value in a Collection of Records

You can search the records in a collection for a specific value in a field. For example, suppose you wanted to locate the records for all customers located in the state of Indiana. Using the Customers form, you would search on the State/Prov field for the abbreviation IN. The Find Value in Collection feature locates the first record for the state of Indiana. You can then repeat the Find action until you locate the particular customer you want.

Note:  This search applies only to a collection that has been retrieved and does not query the database. Thus, it is limited by the cap on records retrieved.

To find a specific field value in a collection of records:

  1. In an open form, display the collection you want to search.
  2. Click in the field or grid column you want to search. Note that, in a grid, the search only looks at records below the current cursor position.
  3. Select Edit > Find Value in Collection.
  4. In the Find dialog box, Find field, specify the value you want to find, such as a word or number.

    The Find Value feature uses an "implied wildcard" search.

    By default, the Find Value feature searches the field in the primary collection that currently has focus. If you do not want to search the primary collection, you can select a different collection and field:

    • From the In Collection list, select the name of the collection you want to search. If you do not know the name, return to the form and select Help > About This Form to see the name of the current collection.
    • From the In Property list, select the name of the field you want to search.
  5. To find records that have the exact capitalization you typed, select Case Sensitive.
  6. To find the first record that contains the value for which you are searching, click OK.
  7. To find the next record that contain the value, select Edit > Repeat Find.