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 and Projects
• Access 2002 Databases and Projects
• SQL Server 6.5 Databases
• SQL Server 7 Databases
• SQL Server 2000 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.