• Add Fields to List Dialog Box
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• Xbasic View Record

Quickly Sorting and Filtering Records

Description

You can order records by their field values using single and multiple sorting techniques. When you issue a sort command, Alpha Anywhere uses an index, if one exists, or a query, to order the records. The Alpha Anywhere Status Bar, at the bottom of the screen, shows you which one is being used.

Ascending Sort

Use the ascending and descending sort commands to quickly order records based on the value of a single field. To sort records:

1. Click on any field in the form or browse, or click the field heading.

2. Click either CTRL+A, Query > Ascending Sort, or the 'AZ up arrow' icon on the toolbar.

3. Alpha Anywhere sorts the records.

Descending Sort

Use the ascending and descending sort commands to quickly order records based on the value of a single field. To sort records:

1. Click on any field in the form or browse, or click the field heading.

2. Click either CTRL+Z, Query > Descending Sort, or 'ZA down arrow' on the toolbar.

3. Alpha Anywhere sorts the records.

Multi-Field Sort

The Multi-Field Quick Sort command lets you sort records on more than one field. For example, you can sort by LASTNAME , and then within LASTNAME , by FIRSTNAME . To use Multi-Field Quick Sort:

1. Select Query > Multi-Field Select.

2. Use the drop-down boxes to select fields on which to sort.

3. Click A...Z to change from ascending to descending order for the field.

4. Click OK to continue or Cancel to discard your inputs.

You can sort on up to five different fields. If you are working with a set that has one-to-many links, you can select the level at which you want to sort. For example, in the sample invoice application, you could select to sort at the top level INVOICE_HEADER , or at the INVOICE_ITEMS level (which would sort the invoice line items).

Quick Filter

You use Quick Filter to quickly find records in a form or browse with matching field data. To filter records using Quick Filter:

1. Click on any field and select Query > Multi-Field Select or click the Quick Filter button on the toolbar.

   

2. Only records containing the same value as that field are displayed, while the others are filtered out.

Quick Filter (Exclude)

You can quickly create a filter to exclude records in a form or browse using Quick Filter (Exclude). To filter records using Quick Filter (Exclude):

1. Right-click on any field and select Quick Filter (Exclude) from the right-click menu.

2. Only records which do not contain the same value as that field are displayed, while the others are filtered out.

Quick Filter For...

You can quickly create a filter to search for records in a form or browse that have a specified value:

1. Right-click on any field and select Quick Filter For... from the right-click menu.

2. Enter the value to find in the Filter Field dialog box.

3. Click OK.

4. Only records which contain the specified value are displayed, while the others are filtered out.

Multi-Field Quick Filter

The Multi-Field Quick Filter command lets you filter records based on more than one field. To use Multi-Field Quick Filter:

1. Select Query > Multi-Field Quick Filter.

2. Check to the left of the fields you want to use in the filter.

3. Use the drop-down box to specify how the filter should execute. The options are:

   • "Find records that match ALL conditions"

   • "Find records that match ANY condition"

   • "Exclude records that match ALL conditions"

   • "Exclude records that match ANY condition"

4. Click OK to continue or Close to discard your inputs.

If you are working with a set that has one-to-many links, you can select the level at which you want to filter. For example, in the sample invoice application, you could select to filter at the top level INVOICE_HEADER , or at the INVOICE_ITEMS level (which would filter the invoice line items).

Show All Records in the Default Order

After running a query, sorting, or filtering you can easily switch back to default record order and un-filter records with the Show All command. The Show All button turns off the current query and shows all the records in the table, if the form or browse filter or order properties were not set in the Properties window. To revert back to default record order and cancel filters, select Query > Show All or click the following on the toolbar. All records are displayed in their default order.

See Also

• Query Genie
• Query Builder
• Query Operations
• Query by Form
• Query by Expression