How to search each descendant of an XML object for a matching string

[4Sheezy]

Suicide is not an option so i need your help...why won't this work?

I'm working on a search feature of my interface which lists devices. I want to be able to enter a term into a search field and then display only the ones who match. Caveat is that each device has close to 50 children. I need to parse through each device's children to check to see if anyone of them contains the string I am looking for. I can access it fine, but when I check for the string, it

for each(var device:XML in fileXML.*)
{
       for each (var descendant:XML in device.*)
       {
		var field2check:String = descendant.name() + ": " + descendant.toString();
		trace(field2check );

                // problem is here, always evaluates to -1
		Trace(field2check.lastIndexOf(searchStr));
	}
}

[4Sheezy]

I assume that high number of views and lack of responses means my question was ill formed...let's try this again...say I have this XML...

<devices>
     <device>
         <deviceID>1001</deviceID>
         <city>Acme City</city>
         <state>CA</state>
         <zip>90210</zip>
    </device>
    <device>
         <deviceID>1020</deviceID>
         <city>Acme City</city>
         <state>CA</state>
         <zip>90210</zip>
    </device>
    <device>
         <deviceID>1031</deviceID>
         <city>Acme City</city>
         <state>CA</state>
         <zip>90210</zip>
    </device>
</devices>

What I need to do is search this XML to see if a string that is typed into a search box (searchTxt) exists in any of the device nodes. IE, user types something in the search box, code checks each device node's children to see if any of the nodes contain the search string. So I need to check each node for the string.

Here's my code THAT DOES NOT WORK! Doesn't find matches when it should:

searchBtn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, getSearchTerm);
searchBtn.buttonMode = true;


function getSearchTerm(evt:Event)
{
	var searchStr:String = searchTxt.text;
	trace ("search for > " + searchStr);
	showSearchResults(searchStr);
}

function showSearchResults(str:String)
{
	trace ("show Results called");
	for (var i:int=0; i<fileXML.device.children().length(); i++)
	{
		trace(fileXML.device.children()[i] + " : " + fileXML.device.children()[i].toString().lastIndexOf(str));
	}
}

HOWEVER, if I call the showSearchResults function explicitly with:

showSearchResults("20");

It works like a charm...I'm losing hair on this one please help

[fruitbeard]

Hi,

Does this help you at all?

var fileXML:XML;
var myLoader:URLLoader = new URLLoader();
myLoader.load(new URLRequest("file.xml"));
myLoader.addEventListener(Event.COMPLETE, processXML);
function processXML(e:Event):void
{
    fileXML = new XML(e.target.data);
    trace(fileXML);
}

searchBtn.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, getSearchTerm);
searchBtn.buttonMode = true;


function getSearchTerm(evt:Event)
{
    var searchStr:String = searchTxt.text;
    trace("search for > " + searchStr);
    showSearchResults(searchStr);
}

function showSearchResults(str:String)
{
    trace("show Results called");
    for (var i:int=0; i<fileXML.device.children().length(); i++)
    {
        if (fileXML.device.children()[i].toString().indexOf(str) != -1)
        {
            trace(fileXML.device.children()[i] + " : " + str + " has been found");
        }
        //trace(fileXML.device.children()[i] + " : " + fileXML.device.children()[i].toString().lastIndexOf(str));
    }
} 

or to give its node name as well

if (fileXML.device.children()[i].toString().indexOf(str) != -1)
        {
            trace(fileXML.device.children()[i].name() + " - " + fileXML.device.children()[i] + " : " + str + " has been found");
        } 

i needed to load the xml file too.

[4Sheezy]

Same problem...no matching results...

for whatever reason fileXML.device.children()[i].toString().indexOf(str) != -1 returns false so the code if the if statement never runs.

Did it work on your machine?

[fruitbeard]

Hi,

My output was

search for > 1020
show Results called
deviceID - 1020 : 1020 has been found

[4Sheezy]

Weird......can you send me your FLA?

[fruitbeard]

Hi,

Its not much, CS5, as low as I can go

[4Sheezy]

Fruitbeard my man...thnx...it was some weird ish going on with the textfield... I deleted the searchTxt textbox and created another one and all of sudden it starts working!?? I copied the original in my file into your FLA, and it wouldn't work there either...strange....either way PROBLEM SOLVED!!!

[fruitbeard]

Hi,

Glad I could help 4Sheezy, no idea what the textfield problem was without seeing it, perhaps you didn't embed it!!