Advanced Search (SQL)

IntelliSense

You can use the [Ctrl]+[Space] shortcut keys to open an IntelliSense list when formulating the expression; you can then select valid icons from here. The text in front of the insertion point acts as a filter.

The IntelliSense list always provides names of classes, stereotypes, properties and values in the model language. The search only works with a query formulated in the model language.

You must formulate specification texts and property values with the enumeration and string types as placeholders if you want to successfully run a search with a set display language.

Syntax Highlighting

Icons are colored depending on their function in the expression.

• Target Type
• Property Name
• Property Value
• Query Name
• Comment

Syntax Diagrams

Queries can be formulated using a syntax inspired by SQL.

The following syntax diagrams show the basic query grammar.

Search target - SELECT FROM

Sets the element type searched for and shown in the result region. Information is then displayed using an Innovator data model's metaclass or a stereotype.

Examples:

• Metaclass: #Class#
• Stereotype: «class» #Class# [ROOT PROFILE]

Note:

• The search expression is formulated in the interface language (see blow)
• You can choose whether to enter a class and profile for the stereotype. However, stereotypes with the same name might be searched for in different profiles or even those belonging to different metaclasses.
• Inverted commas « and » are created in the editor by entering << and >>.

Tip: it is considerably easier to select the target type from the IntelliSense list than type it in.

If the ELEMENTS keyword is used as target type, then the element type is not constrained upon the search.

Search criteria - WHERE

Element Property

A search criteria is the querying of the elements' property on a value; the property corresponds to the target type.

Properties are element properties, stereotype properties, labels and specification texts. The icon identifies the type of property in the IntelliSense list.

You can search in all specification texts regardless of the type of text by using the SPECIFICATIONS keyword.

A search criteria is usually a triple property name, operator and comparison value.

Value Types

The following table describes the types of values and their format:

Value Type	Format	Examples
Boolean value	TRUE, FALSE	TRUE FALSE
Numeric value	Integer	-7 42
Text	Text in single inverted commas	'Search template'
Enumeration value	Text in single inverted commas	'In progress'
Date	'YYYY-MM-DD' 'YYYY-MM-DD hh:mm'	TODAY '2019-11-19' '2019-05-27 14:57'

Note:

• Possible values for enumeration types can be selected via IntelliSense.
• "TODAY" shows the current date of execution for date format.

Operators for Textual Values

The following table describes the operators for textual values and their function:

Operators	Function	Compare entire text with the value or Search the value for appearance in text	Take case sensitivity into consideration
=, <>	Same, different	Entire text	No
LIKE	Search with simple text pattern (see "Simple Text Patterns")	Entire text	No
CONTAINS	Simple text search	Appears in text	No
REGEXP	Text search with regular expressions (see "Using Regular Expressions")	Appears in text	yes

Unary Operators

These operators do not require a value.

• IS NULL, IS NOT NULL

  Check values that have not been set

  Can be used for textual values, enumeration types and date formats

• IS DEFAULT, IS NOT DEFAULT

  Check to see if it is the same as the default value

  Can be used for stereotype properties, labels and specification texts

Placeholders

Placeholders can be used in the $Name$ format in textual values. A dialog then appears when the search is called; you can use this to enter the placeholders's value.

Logical Operators

You can combine search criteria using AND or OR links.

Use round parenthesis if required.

SELECT FROM #Class# WHERE
( SELECT FROM "Own Operations" : «JavaConstructor» #Operation# [J2SE] WHERE
( SELECT FROM "Parameter" WHERE "Direction" = 'Input' ) = 2
)

Target Type Extension – COLLECT

The type of searched element is set in the SELECT expression. The keyword COLLECT allows the target type to be changed as a relationship is followed, as is the case with subqueries. The search result then contains elements of both types.

Example: Search for classes and their operations

SELECT FROM #Class#
COLLECT "Own Operations"

If the SELECT expression is constrained with a WHERE, then the constraint also effects the following COLLECT.

Example: search for classes with “entity” in the name and their operations

SELECT FROM #Class#
   WHERE "Name" CONTAINS 'Entity'
COLLECT "Own Operations"

The COLLECT expression can be constrained with a WHERE, as is the case with SELECT.

Example: Search for classes and their operations with at least one parameter

SELECT FROM #Class#
COLLECT "Own Operations"
   WHERE ( SELECT FROM "Parameter" ) > 0

As with subqueries, you can filter according to type.

Example: Search for classes and their operations with «operation» stereotype

SELECT FROM #Class#
COLLECT "Own Operations" : «operation» #Operation# [ROOT PROFILE]

Multiple COLLECT expressions can follow on from one another.

Example: Search for classes, their operations and parameters

SELECT FROM #Class#
COLLECT "Own Operations"
COLLECT "Parameter"

Navigation via Relationships – NAVIGATE

The keyword NAVIGATE is used if elements of various target types should be searched for but these are not necessarily linked via a connection, as is the case with COLLECT elements.

Example: Search for classes and parameters of their operations

SELECT FROM #Class#
NAVIGATE "Own Operations"

COLLECT "Parameter"

Unlike with COLLECT, elements with the new target type are not added to the result set with NAVIGATE. COLLECT and NAVIGATE behave the same with regard to constraints using the WHERE expression or filtering of the type.

Combine Search Results Using UNION and EXCEPT

You can combine multiple queries with the UNION and EXCEPT keywords.

Results from two queries are combined using UNION.

Example: Search for all classes and entities

SELECT FROM #Class#
UNION
SELECT FROM # Entity#

Use EXCEPT to reduce the result of a query by the result of a second query.

Example: Search for all constructs of classes

SELECT FROM #Class#
   COLLECT "Own Operations" : «Constructor» #Operation# [UML 2]
EXCEPT
SELECT FROM #Class#

Use UNION and EXCEPT to combine saved queries. You can select these from the IntelliSense list if required.

Example: Search for all classes and entities (using the stored search "search for entities")

SELECT FROM #Class#
UNION
Search for entities

You can use both local and model-wide searches. If searches with the same name appear in both instances, then the local search is used upon execution.

A stored search also contains its search area. It retains this if it is called within another query.

If a stored search contains placeholders, then their values are queried using a separate dialog.

Comments

Comments are derived using two hyphens and extend to the target end. Comments are shown in gray.

Technical Features

Various inverted commas are used for metaclasses, stereotypes, profiles, names and values of properties. If these characters are included in the respective expression itself, then you need to prefix the backslash (\). The same applies for the backslash character itself.

Queries can be run in both interface languages. A target type such as #Class# will also be found on the German interface.

Specification texts and property values with the enumeration and string types are always searched for with the value in the query. We therefore recommend that you use placeholders when carrying out a search in a display language so that you can enter the language-dependent value during the search.