Text Search : Advanced Features

How to search by object type?
How to search in the result of a previous search?
How to search by modification date?

How to search by object type?

Exemple:you want to modify a Userobject function dealing with products.
How to search for functions, located in userobjects and containing the string "product"?

  1. Open Visual Expert.
  2. In the treeview, select the Userobject Icon:

  3. Type [Ctrl F] to open the Search Window
  4. Type "product" in the field "containing text"
  5. Choose "Selected components only" in the field "Search into"

  6. Open the "General Options" tab and check the box "Search into script only"
    (because you are looking for functions).
  7. Click on "Start Search"

Text search : How to search in the result of a previous search?

Example: Your last text search returned a long list. How to refine it ?

First, let’s generate a large result:

  1. Open Visual Expert.
    Latest release can be downloaded from here - Update List is here.
  2. Type [Ctrl F] to open the Search Window
  3. Type "set" in the field "containing text". This should return a large result.
  4. Open the "General Options" tab and check the box "Search into script only" Click on "Start Search". A new treeview is filled with many functions and events.

We are now going to search into this result:

  1. Type [Ctrl A] to select all result items at the same time
  2. Type [Ctrl F] to open the Search Window
  3. Type "enabled" in the field "containing text".
  4. Choose "Selected components only" in the field "Search into".
  5. Click on "Start Search".

String search: How to search by modification date?

Example 1: You have to change a function calculating an INVOICE.
You don’t recall the function’s name, but you remember you did create it last month.

Visual Expert can display the history of the modification in its treeview.
You can use it to search a string in the objects modified last month:

  1. Open Visual Expert.
  2. Latest release can be downloaded from here - Update List is here.
  3. In the treeview, select your project (in the section "Project List")
  4. In the navigation Bar – Section "History" – Click on "Last Month":
  5. All the components modified last month are displayed.

  6. Type [Ctrl A] to select all these components at the same time
  7. Type [Ctrl F] to open the Search Window
  8. Type "invoice" in the field "containing text"
  9. Choose "Selected components only" in the field "Search into"
  10. Click on "Start Search"

Example 2: Same as example 1, but the function you are searching for is defined in a window.
  1. In the treeview, select the window Icon (in the section "PowerBuilder Components")
  2. In the navigation Bar – Section "History" – Click on "Last Month":
    The windows modified last month are listed.
  3. Type [Ctrl A] to select all these windows at the same time
  4. Type [Ctrl F] to open the Search Window
  5. Type "invoice" in the field "containing text"
  6. Choose "Selected components only" in the field "Search into"
  7. Click on "Start Search"