Search and Bookmark the Database

Provides instructions for using the IMS Database Editor to locate a search string in an IMS database, and to add and find a bookmark.

Locate a search string

To open the IMS Database Find bar and locate a search string:

  1. From the Micro Focus Data File Tools menu, click Search > IMS DB Editor > Find.
  2. On the IMS Database Find bar, uncheck Match case, if it is not already unchecked.
  3. In the Find field, type in the word Table.
  4. From the End drop-down list, select at end of database.
  5. Click Find.

    The IMS Database Editor searches the database from your current position at the start of the database. In the Segment Data area in the left pane of the IMS Database Editor window, you can see that the cursor is positioned at the start of the first occurrence of the string TABLE. If you look in the right pane, you can see that this is in the segment occurrence for A TABLE OF TEST DEPARTMENTS.

  6. Click Find again.

    The Segment Data area displays the second occurrence of TABLE. In the right pane, you can see that this is in the segment occurrence for A TABLE OF TESTERS.

  7. Click Find again.

    As there are no more occurrences of the word Table in the database, a prompt appears indicating that no more occurrences could be found.

  8. Click OK.
  9. To close Find, click the Close button ( ) located at the top right of the window.

    Whether a search operation fails or succeeds, your current position in the database changes to the last segment searched.

  10. Click  to move to the start of the database.

Add and find a bookmark

With the IMS Database Editor, you can navigate your way forwards but not backwards through the database. To help you, the IMS Database Editor provides a bookmarking utility so that you can mark any segment occurrences that you want to revisit. This saves you from having to issue a number of DL/I calls to position yourself at that segment occurrence again.

Add a bookmark
To add a bookmark in the database:
  1. Click  repeatedly until positioned yourself at the DEMOELES segment occurrence for JOHN SMITH.
  2. Right-click inside the tree view and click Add Bookmark on the context menu.
  3. In the text field on the Add bookmark dialog box, type First developer segment; then click OK.
  4. Click  to return to the start of the database.
Find a bookmark
Now suppose that you want to jump directly back to the segment occurrence for JOHN SMITH. If this was a large database, it could take some time to go to work your way through from the start. However, because you inserted a bookmark at the first developer occurrence, you can use the bookmark to move directly there.
  1. Right-click inside the Tree view and click Goto Bookmark on the context menu.
  2. On the Bookmarks dialog box, click on the DEMOELES bookmark, and then click Goto bookmark.

    This repositions you back at the segment occurrence for JOHN SMITH.