Fuzzy Search Algorithm

[dsc]

Does anybody know of a fuzzy text-search algorithm in VBA?

I call an Access database table from Word, search for a selected string,
then display results in a listbox.

I can search for exact matches, and using the "like" operator can do
wildcard searches.

That's not good enough for the boss. He wants a "true fuzzy search
capability," involving matches on chars in the string in the right order, in
the wrong order, matching 4 of 14 chars, 5 of 20 chars, etc.

For instance, if the selected string is, "When, in the course of human
events, it becomes necessary," he wants something that will return hits on:

When on a golf course
When necessary, self destruct
It is necessary when baffled to waffle
The magazine Human Events is not widely read

et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, and selectable so you can make the search
more or less permissive.

I'm not even sure this is doable in VBA.

Thanks for any assistance.

 

[Jezebel]

This sort of programming is deliciously addictive, like good drugs. And the
appropriate response for your boss is similar, too. Just say no.

 

[Helmut Weber]

Hi everybody,
certainly this is doable. Inform your boss, it requires some million
dollars for a mainframe and, let's say, 1 million $ to program it.
I would love to do it. Jezebel and some others here would love to
join. Hoping, you got a sense of humor.
Greetings from Bavaria, Germany
Helmut Weber
"h.weber" & chr$(64) & "t-online.de"