Filter

Specifies the filter expression string for the given dataset.

Syntax

property Filter: string;

Description

Use Filter to specify a dataset filter. When filtering is applied to a dataset, only those records that meet a filter’s conditions are available to an application. Filter contains the string that describes the filter condition.

Starting with Advantage version 5.5, exact match is the default. Unless the '*' character is used at the end of the filter, the result will be an exact match. To set a filter based on a partial comparison, use the ‘*’ character to specify the partial string to filter. For example:

Lastname = ‘Co*’; // This will include all Lastnames that begin ‘Co’

To create a filter that will find an exact match, do not include the ‘*’ character in the filter string. For example:

Lastname = ‘Smith’; // This will not include the lastnames that start with ‘Smith’ like ‘Smithers’

For additional information about the proper filter strings for different data types, visit the Advantage Developer Zone Web site, http://DevZone.AdvantageDatabase.com, and download an example application from the "Downloads" area in the "Delphi" section that covers the most common topics in Advantage/Delphi programming.