Features

Why SPEED Ferret?

In the early days of computing, software consisted entirely of source code contained in text files. Programmers interacted with their software through source code editors. And every good source code editor provided find and replace commands which helped programmers to quickly locate and update specific text strings.

The Emergence of Visual Development Tools

In recent years, the shape of software has begun to change. Today we have visual tools with integrated development environments. We think of our programs as collections of objects whose behavior is determined by information that we key into property sheets. Each type of object has a specialized design interface. We have form designers, report designers, query desginers, and yes, we still have source code editors. But the editor's find and replace commands typically search only source code. There are no comparable commands for searching the hundreds of objects and thousands of properties that make up today's typical project. As a result, we are often forced to search for things by hand.

The Difficulty of Performing Global Updates

The lack of global search capability in visual development tools becomes most painfully apparent when we need to perform global updates. For example, suppose your client asks you to estimate the cost of changing all occurrences of the word "customer" to "patient" in their application. You might start by using the editor's find command to locate all occurrences contained in source code. But what about label captions, field names, and other strings embedded in forms, reports, queries, and other objects? Most find commands completely ignore these objects, so you will need to inspect them manually. But that will take almost as long as actually performing the changes. This leaves you in the embarassing position of informing your client that the changes will be "very time consuming", but that you really can't give them a specific estimate.

In addition to the inability to search object properties, traditional find and replace commands have many other limitations which make them unsuitable for global updates:

• They force you to work in a sequential fashion. Each time a match is found, you must decide whether to replace it without knowing anything about the references that will follow. If you make a mistake, you may be unable to go back and correct it until you have completed the entire sequence of replacements.
• You have very tlittle control over the scope of the search. The only options typically available are Current Procedure, Current Module, and All Modules.
• You can't control the order in which occurrences are presented to you. The find and replace commands choose a serach order that is efficient for them, but which may not be efficient for you.
• You can't view or print a list of occurrences. I you need such a list, you have to create it manually.
• You can't easily suspend a series of replacements. There is no way to save your place and return to it later.
• If you decide to abandon a replacement operation, you must carefully undo any changes that you have already made. There is no Undo feature.

SPEED Ferret Solves the Global Update Problem

SPEED Ferret overcomes all of these limitations. Unlike traditional find and replace commands, SPEED Ferret is specifically designed to facilitate global updates. SPEED Ferret eliminates the "trapped on the treamill" sensation of sequential tools through it's unique 4-step process:

• Search
  SPEED Ferret searches your project to find all of the properties that match your search criteria. The results of the search are displayed in a datasheet.
• Review/Edit
  You can simultaneously review all of the references that SPEED Ferret has located. You can select the specific rows that you wish to replace, and you can directly edit their replacement values. And you can even sort the search results in any desired fashion and pring a neatly-formatted hardcopy to show your client.
• Save
  When you are satisfied with the list of replacements, you can save all your replacements at one time.
• Test/Undo
  You can exit from SPEED Ferret to test your changes. If you discover any changes that you wish to undo, you can restart SPEED Ferret, restore the previous session, and undo specific replacements while leaving all other changes intact.

SPEED Ferret Ensures Consistency and Completeness

With SPEED Ferret you can precisely tailor the scope of your search by creating reusable Object Sets and Property Sets containing any subset of objects and properties. And in case you thought SPEED Ferret was just intended for word substitions, think about what happens when you search for (*) (which matches anything) using a property set containing only one property. The result, called a Property Slice, lists the value of a single property across an entire collection of objects. When you sort a property slice by value, inconsistencies and missing values are easy to spot and correct. Imagine seeing all of your label captions, tool tip text, or help context id's in a single, ordered list. Imagine how much time you would save and how much confidence you would gain.

Applications

Its variety and range of applications make SPEED Ferret more than just a find and replace utility. Here are some of the potential uses for SPEED Ferret that will make your work easier:

Project Familiarization

Where-used listings can help you familiarize yourself with an inherited project. By searching for a specific term or object name, you can determine where and how the term or object is used throughout the application. For programmers taking over complex or poorly structured applications, this function can speed start-up time, reduce frustration, and gain customer confidence.

Impact Analysis

How often are you able to systematically evaluate the ramifications of proposed changes will have on your application? Frequently? Sometimes? Never? All too often, this activity is neglected due to the tedious work it requires. Unfortunately, without performing this task, you open yourself and your customers up to risk. What if a global change compromises the functionality of your application? Will backtracking cause you to miss deadlines and exceed budgets? Are your time estimates for clients accurate and realistic? SPEED Ferret makes the task of impact analysis easier. By viewing all occurrences of a text string simultaneously, you can determine the effect proposed changes will have on your project. What is the magnitude and complexity of the proposed changes? How much time should I allot? What should the client be charged? These questions are answered more easily when you use SPEED Ferret.

Terminology Changes

Need to clean up some ambiguous terminology in an existing application? Are you unhappy with the original naming convention? No problem, SPEED Ferret works with you to shape up, shore-up and modernize outdated terminology. Now you can stop agonizing over naming conventions. With SPEED Ferret, changes of heart don’t imply hours of work...quick and frequent terminology changes are easy.

Client Customization

What one client calls a Packing List may be called a Bill of Lading by another client. Using SPEED Ferret, you can easily accommodate industry-specific lingo for your clients. Time, tedium, and overlooked occurrences are saved when you deliver a completely updated application to your client in record time.

Object Renaming

Thinking of renaming an object but frightened of the consequences? No need to worry. SPEED Ferret allows you to confidently locate all occurrences of an object’s name in forms, modules,...everywhere! The result? Fewer fears of broken functionality...less time hunting for references...more flexibility in choosing logical, consistent naming conventions...SPEED Ferret makes it possible.

Risk-Free Object Deletions

Ready to delete an object that you think isn’t used in your application? Better double-check! Simply type in the name of the object and SPEED Ferret will quickly locate every reference to that name contained within the project. If other objects depend upon the one you’re about to delete, you’ll see them in the search results, and you’ll avoid making a costly mistake.

Annual Date Changes

SPEED Ferret can help you to locate and re-format constant date values embedded in your application’s design. So, you can easily change "12/12/97" to "12/12/1997" or even "Friday December 12, 1997." SPEED Ferret is so smart, it can determine the day of the week for replacement values!

Property Slices

Suppose you need to make sure all of your label captions are consistently worded across all of your forms? Instead of paging through property sheets, searching for occurrences (and missing some), causing yourself eye strain, mental fatigue, and frustration...you can use SPEED Ferret to view all label captions at one time across a collection of objects. And this ability is extensible to any property that interests you. By viewing the values in this format, you’re able to spot inconsistencies in your project merely through a quick visual inspection.

Cross-Reference Lists

Using a Property Slice based on a linkage property (like DatabaseName or DataField), you can produce an object cross-reference list. This ability is useful tool for understanding relationships among objects, and can also help when someone in another department renames a file that is referenced throughout your project. Using SPEED Ferret, you’re able to quickly locate and update all references.

Features

SPEED Ferret provides many new and improved features designed to make your work easier.

Comprehensive Searching

SPEED Ferret searches your entire application design, including all object properties and source code. With SPEED Ferret, you can be sure that you’ve located all of the occurrences of a string and completed all of the changes. No more embarassing calls from clients, complaining of incomplete changes. You can confidently deliver projects that are completely updated.

Unique Four-Step Process

SPEED Ferret takes the guess work out of find and replace tasks. Unlike traditional methods, SPEED Ferret’s unique four-step process allows you to:

• Search all properties of all objects
• Review and modify the search results
• Save changes to selected occurrences
• Test the changes, and undo unwanted changes

Multiple Platforms

You can use SPEED Ferret to inspect and modify object properties and source code in:

• Access 97 Databases
• Access 2000 Databases (mdb)
• Access 2000 Projects (adp)
• SQL Server 6.5 Databases
• SQL Server 7 Databases
• Visual Basic 5 Projects
• Visual Basic 6 Projects

Multiple Projects

You can search multiple projects of different types at the same time, and SPEED Ferret will automatically perform replacements in the proper sequence. You can think of the SPEED Ferret workspace as a catalog of your projects. SPEED Ferret remembers where your projects are located and how to open them. You can browse the objects and, in many cases, open the objects in design view directly from SPEED Ferret. This makes all of your Access, SQL Server, and Visual Basic projects seem like one big superproject.

Object Filters

At times, you’ll want to precisely tailor your searches, limiting them to specific objects. You can use wildcard specifications to precisely control which objects SPEED Ferret inspects. For example, to search all forms in the Northwind project whose names start with the letters "inv", you could use the object filter {Northwind.Forms.inv*}. You can also use an object filter to search a specific type of object across multiple projects. For example, to search all forms in all projects, you could use the object filter {*.Forms.*}.

Property Filters

You can use wildcard specifications to precisely control which properties SPEED Ferret inspects. For example, to search only the Caption properties of forms in Access 97 databases, you could use the property filter {MSAC80.Form.Caption}. Property filters help you to automate searches that you perform routinely. Using a property filter, you can view and edit a single property across an entire collection of objects. This helps you to spot errors and inconsistencies in your application.

Substitution Lists

Substitution lists allow you to find and replace an unlimited number of values during a single search. This saves time when a large number of changes need to be made. It also allows you to easily and repeatedly apply a consistent set of terminology changes when delivering updated versions of an application to various clients with differing preferences.

Multiple Property Types

SPEED Ferret searches all types of properties, including text, numeric, and Boolean. This makes it possible to systematically change the BackColor, ForeColor, Visible, Enabled, and all other properties of your objects.

Property Cache

The properties of all objects are cached for rapid retrieval. Each time you begin a search, SPEED Ferret updates the property cache by directly inspecting only those objects that have been modified since the last time they were searched. Then SPEED Ferret rapidly searches the cache to find the properties that match your criteria. Your initial search may take several minutes, but subsequent searches will typically be completed in a matter of seconds.

Preview Window

SPEED Ferret’s unique Preview Window allows you to simultaneously view all search results and pending replacements in a single list. You’ll be able to quickly see whether you've specified the correct search criteria and what impact your changes will have on your application.

Selective Replacement

While reviewing the search results, you can exclude specific replacements that you do not wish to perform. Only the changes that you have not excluded will be applied when you save your replacements.

Restartable Saves

If some of your replacements cannot be saved because of invalid replacement values, you can correct the values and restart the save operation as many times as necessary.

Selective Undo

If some changes that you have made using SPEED Ferret are later discovered to have caused unintended side-effects, you can selectively undo those changes by opening the saved search, selecting the unwanted changes, and clicking the Undo button.

Automatic Replacement Sequencing

When saving replacements across multiple projects which contain references to one another's objects, it is frequently necessary to save the replacements in a specific sequence. For example, the SourceTableName property of a linked table in an Access database cannot be changed until the backend table has been renamed. SPEED Ferret automatically determines the correct sequence and saves replacements in that order. As a SPEED Ferret user, you do not need to concern yourself with replacement sequencing issues as long as you remember to include all of the related projects in your searches.

Unlimited Search History

You can save an unlimited number of prior searches for later review, printing, or undo. You can sort searches by name, description, or execution date for quick and easy lookup.

Session Spanning

If you are sidetracked by an urgent request while reviewing or editing the results of a search, you can save the search and exit SPEED Ferret, and then return later to finish the job. Your previous work is saved, and you can pick up right where you left off.

Non-modal User Interface

You can directly interact with all of your projects while your SPEED Ferret session remains open. After returning to the SPEED Ferret session, you can click the Refresh button to insure that SPEED Ferret will reinspect any objects that you may have modified externally.

Extensibility

You can perform a Live Update to download the latest interfaces provided in the online interface library. You can also use interfaces supplied by third parties, or use the Interface Wizard to create an interface for virtually any ActiveX control, including non-commercial controls that you have developed yourself.

Automation Interface

You can automate repetitive or complex tasks by controlling SPEED Ferret directly from your own code through the OLE Automation interface. Just set a reference to the SPEED Ferret Object Library, create an instance of the sflib.Workspace class, and the entire SPEED Ferret object model is available to your program.

Return to the Speed Ferret Main Page
Possible SPEED Ferret Uses
Reviews
DataSheet Screen Shot

Compatible with: Access 97,2000 & 2002(XP), VB5 & VB6, SQL Server 6.5, 7.0 & 2000.