locate

Definition

Unit: FreePascal, unit db

    function  Locate(const KeyFields: string; const KeyValues: Variant; Options: TLocateOptions): Boolean; override;

Official documentation: none

Description

locate looks for a record in the dataset where the specified search values for the specified fields match. If found, the function returns true and the cursor position/current record moves to that record.

KeyFields can be a single field name or a semicolon-separated list of fields.

KeyValue can be a variant or a variant array and the number of items must match the number of fields specified in KeyFields.

Search options can be

• loCaseInsensitive: ignore upper case/lower case differences when searching
• loPartialKey: match partial finds (instead of the complete key). Note: this only works for string-type fields, not for number/date/currency etc fields where this option is ignored.

  Note: Locate is only implemented in non-unidirectional datasets, i.e. you must be able to move back and forwards through the dataset.

  Note: Locate and lookup act at low level inside a dataset to search for records. Often it is more efficient to filter/limit what gets into the dataset in the first place, e.g. using SQL WHERE clauses.

Example

// Using a TDBF dataset
uses dbf, db
...
// Look for 'di Angelo', 'Di Angelo' etc in a field called
// LASTNAME
if MyDBF.Locate('LASTNAME','di Angelo',[loCaseInsensitive])then
  writeln('Found record.');

See also

• [1] Description of how to use locate with Delphi