Search text box for first name AND last name

[mcupito]

I have a text box where users will enter a first and last name, and then search by those parameters. I can find plenty of examples and have done search functions where first name and last name are separate text boxes, however I am not sure how to go about this.

I understand it would be some kind of concatenation, yet I'm not sure how to go about it (Parameters, etc.). I am also curious on how to handle whether or not the user enters "FirstName LastName" or "LastName FirstName" in the text box. I suppose it would be the same logic just reversed.

Anyone ever done something like this who could provide insight? Here is what I have so far...

Private Sub Searchbtn_Click(sender As System.Object, e As System.EventArgs) Handles Searchbtn.Click
        Dim SQLConnection As New SqlClient.SqlConnection("Data Source=SQLTEST_HR,4000\SQLEXPRESS;Integrated Security=True")
        SQLConnection.Open()
        Dim SqlCommand As New SqlClient.SqlCommand("Select * FROM PARTICIPANT", SQLConnection)
 
 
        Dim SQLReader As SqlClient.SqlDataReader
        SQLReader = SqlCommand.ExecuteReader
        'Need Parameter
 
        If SQLReader.Read Then
 
        End If

[Rabbit]

Why not separate the inputs?

[mcupito]

Rabbit, thanks for replying. Honestly, I wanted to just have knowledge of how this could be performed and have a better understanding of searching for items in a database (somewhat like Google's search). In no way is this method mandatory, however it was just a preference to be able to do it.

[Rabbit]

I would split the input by a space delimiter and look for the individual values in the first and last name fields.

[mcupito]

Hmm. So I would create two variables, say First and Last.
Assign them to the two values that would be delimited.
and in the search button handler I would use those variables as the parameters?

[Rabbit]

Pretty much. It would be something like:

string1 = string before space
string2 = string after space
 
sql = where (first name = string1 and last name = string2) or (first name = string2 and last name = string1)

[mcupito]

Do you know how to declare the text in the textbox to a variable to delimit? I am getting an error "'Variable of type 1-dimensional array of String' cannot be converted to string.

Dim Search = Searchtxt.Text
        Dim searchArray As String = Split(Searchtxt.Text)
 
        Dim NonEmpty As Integer = -1
        For i As Integer = 0 To searchArray.Length - 1
            If searchArray(i) <> "" Then
                NonEmpty += 1
                searchArray(NonEmpty) = searchArray(i)
            End If
        Next
        ReDim Preserve searchArray(NonEmpty)

[Rabbit]

I don't understand what you are trying to do. You are basically setting the array equal to itself, I don't understand the purpose of trying to do that.

[mcupito]

I've given up for now, haha. Thanks for your assistance, Rabbit.

[Rabbit]

Don't give up just yet. You don't need any of the code from lines 4 through 11. None of that was in my pseudo code. You just need to go straight to the filter now.

[mcupito]

I managed to get it to work. Here's my code for the OnClick Event for a button:

        Dim Search As String() = DelimitTxt.Text.Split(" ")
        Dim first As String = Search(0)
        Dim last As String = Search(1)
 
        eFirsttxt.Text = first
        eLasttxt.Text = last

[Rabbit]

Glad you got it working.

[mcupito]

Thanks for the encouragement, Rabbit.