To search an IMS database for a string

  1. Click Search > IMS DB Editor > Find.
  2. In the Find field, type in your search string.
  3. Optionally, do one or more of the following:
    • To specify a range for the search, select a range specification from the End drop-down list.
    • To restrict your search to the current segment type, check Only look in segment-name, where segment-name is the name of the current segment.
    • To make the search case sensitive, check Match case.
    • To indicate that the search should be restricted to certain positions within in each segment, specify the offsets in the Left and Right fields; then check Within offsets.
    • To base your search on the contents of an existing field, check Use field. This updates the search string and offset details with the relevant information for the currently selected field.
    • To change the field used when Use field is checked, select a different field; then click Refresh from field go to current segment to replace the current search criteria with information for the newly selected field.
      Note: The easiest way to search for a binary string when you have a segment layout file loaded is to use the Use field field and the Refresh from field button. If you do not have a segment layout file loaded, make sure you have checked Match case, to ensure the search is carried out as expected.
  4. When you have finished specifying the range and any restrictions, click Find to search for the next occurrence of your search string.
Note: The following rules apply:
  • You can only search forwards through the database.
  • Each time you search an IMS database, your current position changes to the last segment searched. This is true even if the search operation fails to find the string you are looking for.