How to Search for Character Strings Using RQBE

 Last reviewed: April 29, 1996
Article ID: Q105599
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0
  • Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5x, 2.6x
  • Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5x, 2.6x

When you are trying to locate character strings using the Visual FoxPro Query Designer, or the FoxPro 2.x Relational Query By Example (RQBE) interface, the percent sign (%) is used to find character strings in character fields, and the dollar sign ($) is used to find character strings in memo fields.

Examples

To search for a character string in a character field, the lines in the selection criteria would resemble the following: 

   Filename.fieldname        LIKE        %Stringtobefound%
To search for a string in a memo field, the lines in the selection criteria would resemble the following: 

   ('Stringtobefound'$fieldname) = .t.

Alternative Method

This method brings up records that contain the search string in any field.

  1. Select "<expression...>" from the Field Name list box.

  2. In the Expression text box of the Expression Builder dialog box, use one of the following statements: 

          'Stringtobefound'


             -or-

      <variable_name>

Additional reference words: FoxDos VFoxWin FoxWin 2.00 2.50 2.50a 2.50b
2.60 2.60a 3.00 wild card wildcard
KBCategory: kbtool kbprg
KBSubcategory: FxtoolRqbe

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Last reviewed: April 29, 1996
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