I don't really understand you're using icons as keys, but if you do go with a hashing solution (clever idea!), the HashTools component from some years back supports text, blobs, pictures, and documents. It offers a variety of hash functions. Instead of an 'expensive' cryptographically oriented hash like MD5, the HashTools functions return a simple longint quite quickly. This is the sort of hashing you would normally use for calculating what "bucket" to put data in within a hash table, for example.
The HashTools Component http://kb.4d.com/assetid=41107 Optimizing Searches with Hashes http://kb.4d.com/assetid=41108 ********************************************************************** 4D Internet Users Group (4D iNUG) FAQ: http://lists.4d.com/faqnug.html Archive: http://lists.4d.com/archives.html Options: http://lists.4d.com/mailman/options/4d_tech Unsub: mailto:4d_tech-unsubscr...@lists.4d.com **********************************************************************
