Text Based Search Engine

The program starts off by prompting the user to enter a search string. If the user enters LIST as the search string, a list of master parts and descriptions is presented. Otherwise, the string is matched against the master part names and descriptions, fields 2 and 3 in the table. The matching entries are displayed, and the user is asked to select a family to search.

Once a family has been selected, the master part's _tbl file is read, and any lines that start with #! are printed, up through the first line that doesn't start with a #. This allows the person creating the table to insert descriptions of variable names, and any other information that would be important to the end user. Since CADDS5 ignores any lines that start with #, these do not affect the creation of family parts.

If a picture of the part is available, the user is given the opportunity to view it. Then, the variables from the table are listed, and the user is asked to select the variables to search. The program then prompts for a search string for each selected variable in turn.

Once this has been completed, the number of matches is reported, and the parts are shown one at a time. The user is given a choice to see if that part exists, to skip it and go to the next part, or to exit the search.

If the user asks to see if the part exists, and the part does exist, the command to activate the part is printed. This command can be copied and pasted into a CADDS command window. If it does not exist, the user is given an option to generate the part. The search engine contacts the part server and asks it to generate the part if necessary. The server reports success or failure, and this information is passed along to the user. Following successful completion, the command needed to activate the part is printed.

A more in-depth description of the operation of this program is given in Appendix A. This is the text of a manual written for the users of the program, and includes sample output from the program. The original manual was written in HTML for distribution through a web server on Raytheon's private network.

Last Modified: Wed Aug 28 14:41:29 EDT 1996