---
title: when two macros are faster than one
draft: "false"
---
While working on my Database datapack (still WIP), I knew I'd want to find 

# scenario
## dataset
The data is stored in a storage `#_macro.array`. Array is populated with a total of 500 entries, each having `id` and `string` fields.
```json
[
	{
		id: 1,
		string: "entry1"
	},
	...
	{
		id: 500,
		string: "entry500"
	}
]
```
## constraints
The objective is to create an interface that receives a keyword, say `entry500`, and searches `#_macro.array` for an entry where the value of `string` matches the keyword.

The keyword must be able to be entered by a player at runtime, and `#_macro.array` can have an arbitrary number of custom entries created by a player.

In TypeScript, it would look something like this:
```ts
function searchArray(keyword: string) {
	// logic
	return theRelevantEntry
}

searchArray('entry500')
```
In mcfunction, this is not so easy. We *could* use macros
# one macro
Macros allow us to reach into our array and pick out an entry that matching value in the `string` property.
```vb
... one_macro.array[string:$(keyword)]
```

```vb
'# one_macro/run.mcfunction

data modify storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.keyword set value 'entry500'

function test_namespace:one_macro/_searcharray with storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp

data remove storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.keyword
data remove storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.result
```

```vb
'# one_macro/_searcharray.mcfunction

$data modify storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.result set from storage test_namespace:test_namespace one_macro.array[string:$(keyword)]
```
# two macro
```vb
'# two_macro/run.mcfunction

data modify storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.keyword set value 'entry500'

function test_namespace:two_macro/_searchindex with storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp

function test_namespace:two_macro/_searcharray with storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp

data remove storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.keyword
data remove storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.index
data remove storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.result
```

```vb
'# two_macro/_searchindex.mcfunction

$data modify storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.index set from storage test_namespace:test_namespace two_macro.index.$(keyword)
```

```vb
'# two_macro/_searcharray.mcfunction

$data modify storage test_namespace:test_namespace temp.result set from storage test_namespace:test_namespace two_macro.array[$(index)]
```