Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!munnari.oz.au!uhccux!bigtuna!pegasus!tleylan
From: tleylan@pegasus.com (Tom Leylan)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: Clipper - SET EXACT <on/off>, SEEK
Message-ID: <1990Dec3.062351.11886@pegasus.com>
Date: 3 Dec 90 06:23:51 GMT
References: <48680@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU>
Organization: Pegasus,  Honolulu
Lines: 36

In article <48680@eerie.acsu.Buffalo.EDU> v067qklp@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu writes:
>Just a quick question for a friend regarding Clipper:
>
>   Does SET EXACT <ON/OFF> work as it does in DBASEIII+ or has
>   it been found to be buggy at all?  Do all the routines respect
>   that flag?  He's (my friend) getting frustrated complaining that
>   even with EXACT ON, SEEK is setting FOUND() to true even when
>   an exact match hasn't been made (e.g. lengths are different).
>
Danielle,

I guarantee that Clipper's SEEK isn't buggy and don't know if it follows
dBASE III to the letter but I believe so.  The fact is that SET EXACT has
no effect on a SEEK.  SET EXACT is only used in comparisons and my general
rule is to SET EXACT ON at the beginning and leave it that way.  One does
not want to wonder about the switch setting when comparing two strings.

The reason that your friend <it's always a friend isn't it (just kidding)>
is finding the record is most likely that they are trimming the key.  The
comparison is made up until the SEEK key is exhausted and at that point
you have a match.  Keep the length of the variable being SOOKEN (some sort
of perverted future-tense of SEEK) the same length as the field in the
index expression.

Note (not that you asked) that SET SOFTSEEK can be switched on and off to
alternatively set you at the correct record (if present) or at the next
record beyond the key (if not present).  An alternative if you want to
put the user "close".

As a parting note, I prefer to trim the SEEK string when the user has
keyed it in since they may not know the entire name and that allows them
to type up until they aren't sure.  In a process of some sort that wouldn't
be advisable of course so just use my padding suggestion.

tom leylan
former Senior Systems Analyst - Nantucket Corporation