# Case insensitive search **URL:** \ **Category:** Rails\ **Created:** [March 10, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435 "2006-03-10T13:56:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 10, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/1 "2006-03-10T13:56:28Z")
I am having trouble with a simple gallery search. I type in a segment of the address and i only seem to be getting results if I use the correct case. This is in my Gallery controller: def search @gallery = Gallery.find(:all, :include =\> :property, :conditions =\> “address LIKE ‘%#{@params[:keywords]}%’”) end On a different note: I am having trouble trying to access Gallery.property even though my Model associations have been setup. ie: Gallery belongs\_to Property (foreign key -\> property\_id) Property has\_many Galleries ---
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/2 "2006-03-12T22:13:19Z")
On 3/10/06, bmgz [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > I am having trouble with a simple gallery search. > I type in a segment of the address and i only > seem to be getting results if I use the correct case. > > This is in my Gallery controller: > > def search > @gallery = Gallery.find(:all, :include =\> :property, > :conditions =\> “address LIKE ‘%#{@params[:keywords]}%’”) > end Hi, If you’re using MySQL, that should be working fine. Under postgres, you’d need to use “ilike” rather than “like” for a case insensitive search. Not sure about other databases and what they use for case insensitive searches. Rick ---
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2006, 10:38pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/3 "2006-03-12T22:38:05Z")
On Sun, 2006-03-12 at 13:10 -0800, Rick T. wrote: > > end > > Hi, > > If you’re using MySQL, that should be working fine. Under postgres, > you’d need to use “ilike” rather than “like” for a case insensitive > search. > > Not sure about other databases and what they use for case insensitive searches. * * * seems to me that you abstract it by using (params[:keywords]).downcase and then you can do it ruby way instead of sql specific commands for one db or another but I’m not too certain about the usage above… #{@params[:keywords]} which just looks wrong and I would think that you have to do ‘%’ + YOUR\_SEARCH\_PHRASE + ‘%’ anyway…so it seems that there are a lot of things wrong with OP’s question. Craig ---
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/4 "2006-03-13T08:27:45Z")
Craig W. wrote: … > seems to me that you abstract it by using (params[:keywords]).downcase > and then you can do it ruby way instead of sql specific commands for one > db or another but I’m not too certain about the usage above… The problem isn’t with the params[:keywords] being case sensitive but with the database itself (Postgres). The previous poster sorted this out by mentioning ILIKE. Nothing wring with choosing a database and actually USING it’s specific functions I supoose… > #{@params[:keywords]} which just looks wrong and I would think that you Explain? it works perfectly well. “you can execute ruby code in a string by using #{}” which is much neater than “doing” + this + “when” + you + "have alot of " + stuff\_going\_on ---
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 8:52am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/5 "2006-03-13T08:52:09Z")
On Mon, 2006-03-13 at 09:24 +0200, Brendon G. wrote: > Craig W. wrote: > … > > > seems to me that you abstract it by using (params[:keywords]).downcase > > and then you can do it ruby way instead of sql specific commands for one > > db or another but I’m not too certain about the usage above… > > The problem isn’t with the params[:keywords] being case sensitive but with > the database itself (Postgres). The previous poster sorted this out by > mentioning ILIKE. Nothing wring with choosing a database and actually USING > it’s specific functions I supoose… * * * ## not at all - I was just offering a db independent method as opposed to a hard coded db specific method…I use postgres myself but that wasn’t the point. > > #{@params[:keywords]} which just looks wrong and I would think that you > > Explain? it works perfectly well. “you can execute ruby code in a string > by using #{}” which is much neater than “doing” + this + “when” + you + > "have alot of " + stuff\_going\_on * * * well the + stuff seems more obvious to me but the thing that caught my eye was using the instance variable @params which is confusing because of the nature of params being the object passed by GET/POST. One of the more confusing things to me was the usage of @model vs. @models and what I finally figured out was that the difference was more in my own expectations and thus the choice of the names of instance variables becomes one of easy comprehension. Craig ---
**Author:** ![bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/439d5e/32.png) [@bmgz](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/bmgz)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2006, 8:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/case-insensitive-search/79435/6 "2006-03-13T08:27:45Z")
Rick T. wrote: > If you’re using MySQL, that should be working fine. Under postgres, > you’d need to use “ilike” rather than “like” for a case insensitive Thanks, I didn’t manage to stumble acrross ILIKE in the Postgres docs ☹