The search procedure is used for filtering records in a table. With this procedure, you can specify search conditions and sort options which specify which records in a table will be selected. Once this procedure is executed, the table is filtered accordingly, and the module proceeds to work with the subset of this table instead of the full table. If, for instance, a report procedure follows the search procedure, then the report will show the result of the search instead of the full table. The search options enable the selection of a procedure to go to if the search finds records, and an alternative procedure to go to if no records where found that match the search criteria.
Searches have many practical uses.
One simple example is using a search to simulate a login screen. The login and password can be entered using a Data Entry Form . The search procedure can then use the login and password entered to search the table containing the user information. If a matching user is found, then the search will jump to a procedure containing a welcome message. If the search fails to find a user, then the procedure will jump to a procedure containing an appropriate message.