Text Filtering -- Find Text Dialog

The "Find Text" dialog is used when using the text-search function from a report or a tab view, and also when the Text Filtering option is selected from within the Site Filter, Reservation Filter, Transaction Filter, Inventory Filter, Purchase Order Filter, or Audit Trail Filter.

Text-Search function on Grids

The text search function can be used in nearly any report, list or setup function that has a "grid" to help locate text shown in the grid, or in many cases to "deep search" the data represented by the grid, e.g. search the reservations and/or customer data for all records shown in the grid even if that field isn't shown.

After initiated from the grid (see below), the first cell found with a match (starting from the cell that was currently selected/highlighted) will be highlighted, scrolling the grid to make it visible if necessary.   Some reports will highlight the entire row, not just the single cell, if that's how the selections are normally shown on that report.  

Once started, you can use the Find Next shortcut (see below) to jump to the next match without re-opening the dialog.  The next matching grid cell will be highlighted.  If the end of the grid is reached, then it will go back to the first match (if only one match is found, it will remain highlighted).  

Note that if you're using the "Search All Record Data" option and the match is due to data in the record instead of what's actually shown on the grid, then using Find Next will jump to the first cell in the next row with a match, rather than the next cell on the same row.  This keeps you from wasting time cycling through every column of the same matching record.

On Tab Views

When on a Tab View (with no pop-up dialogs open). you can start a text search by pressing Ctrl-Shift-F. (Ctrl-F is used for the Find-Reservation shortcut, so a Shift is needed for text search.)  Note that you may need to click somewhere in the grid first to make it the active window before this works.  The Find Text dialog will appear, where you can specify the search parameters and click the Find Next button to start the search.  Depending on the size of the grid and the parameters selected, there may be a slight delay before it shows the first match.

Once you initiate a search, use Ctrl-F3 to "Find Next" without re-opening the Find Text dialog.  Note that the search criteria is remembered as long as the grid has not been reset due to some database change or system function that requires a complete refresh of all tabs.

On Report Dialogs

When you're on any other report (any pop-up dialog with a grid), then you can use Ctrl-F to start a search.  You don't have to use the Shift key as with Tab Views, although that will work too.  You may need to click in the grid first to make it active, if there's not already something selected/highlighted in the grid.  The Find Text dialog will appear, where you can specify the search parameters and click Find Next.    Depending on the size of the grid and the parameters selected, there may be a slight delay before it shows the first match.

Once you initiate a search, use F3 to "Find Next" without re-opening the Find Text dialog.  You don't need to use the Ctrl key as with tab views, although that will work too.  Note that the search criteria is remembered as long as the dialog remains open.  Once the dialog is closed it will reset the search even if you re-open the same report.

Text Filtering from within other filters

Anywhere you use some other filtering function that uses a dialog to select options, for instance the Reservation Filter, you will see a "Text Filtering" button.  This allows you to add a text-matching requirement to the filter (so only records with the matching text will be included in the results, assuming they also meet the other filter requirements).  By default, this will search all fields of the applicable record (e.g. all Reservation fields if it's a Reservation Filter).  Optionally you can search all related records (for instance to include the Customer records, etc. for each Reservation in the filter).  

Find Text dialog (Search options)

Reset -- This button will clear the search parameters (blank the text and set other options back to default).  You must still click Find Next button to complete the reset (Cancel will cancel the reset).

Find text -- Enter the text to look for.

Match Case -- Select this option if you want it to be case-sensitive, e.g. so "Tom" will not consider "tom" or "TOM" a match.

Include text in pop-up tips -- If this option is shown, and assuming the grid has pop-up tips on cells, then the text in the tips will also be searched when this is selected.

Type of match -- Select the type of search (where in the text the match must occur):

•Contains text (anywhere) -- The text to find can be anywhere in the cell or data field.

•Starts with text -- The text in the cell or data field must start with the text to find.

•Has a word starting with text -- Each "word" in the cell/field is checked separately, e.g. a cell with "Smith/Jones" will be a match for "Smi" and also for "Jone".

•Complete match -- the cell or data field must match the Find Text completely, e.g. "Smith" will not match a search for "Smit".

Direction (for grid searches only) -- select whether "Find Next" will search up or down form the current position.

Search All Record Data -- Select this to search all fields of the records shown, not just the text shown on the grid.  Note that this option only tells it to search those exact records -- for instance if it's showing Reservation records (common with reports), it will not search the customer information because that's not in the Reservation record (see Database Organization).  In this case, if you want to look at customer information then you would also select the next option to search related records.

Note that for Text Filtering from within filters, this option is not shown since it's always assumed to be required (you're not searching a grid, you're searching all records of the given type).

Search Related Records -- Select this to include any other records linked to the records being searched (and records linked to those, and records linked to those, and so forth).  This is powerful, but will also slow down the search considerably.  For instance in a common search involving Reservation records, this option will cause it to also search every field in each of these records:

oThe Site record for the Reservation

oAll Transactions of the Reservation

oAll Journal entries for the Reservation

oThe Customer for the Reservation

oAll Reservations that the Customer has ever had

oAll Site records, Transactions and Journal entries for all of those Reservations

There are a few things specifically excluded even though they are technically "linked" to a reservation:

oGuests of the reservation (because they are different customers)

oGroup Leader (because it's a different customer)

oNon-synchronized linked reservations, which could be different customers

Be aware that you can't specify which data fields are included in the search, or even which related records, e.g. to only look at the customer's last name.  Therefore be careful about searching for common words!  For instance if you're looking for a customer named "Daily" and include related records, you're probably going to end up with every customer that has a "Daily Rate" transaction (unless you select the "Complete match" type of match)!