How to filter a big list

[Richard Gaskin]

Jérôme Rosat wrote:
> I explained in my message that I wish to filter a list of names and  
> addresses dynamically when I type a name in a field. This list  
> contains 400'000 lines like this:  Mme [TAB] DOS SANTOS albertina  
> [TAB] rue GOURGAS 23BIS [TAB] 1205 Genève
> 
> I made various tests using the "repeat for each" loop and the  
> "filter ... with" command. Filtering takes the most time when I type  
> the first and the second letter. That takes approximately 800  
> milliseconds for the first char and about 570 milliseconds for the  
> second char. The repeat loop with the "contains" operator is a little  
> beat slower (about 50 milliseconds) than the "filter ... with". There  
> is no significant difference when the third char or more is typed. Of  
> course I filter a variable before to put it in the list field.
> 
> Obviously, 800 milliseconds to filter a list of 400'000 lines, it is  
> fast. But it is too slow for what I want to do. It would take a time  
> of filtering lower than 300 milliseconds so that the user is not  
> slowed down in his typing.

Would it be practical to break your list into 26 sublists by first letter?

--
  Richard Gaskin
  Fourth World
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