The following section describes requesting subdivision information including definitions using DAO Page Requests. For information on performing these functions with DAO Web Services, please see the Subdivision List and Subdivision Definition sections.
TitleSCAN Web Subdivision Definitions provide information about subdivisions and the lots, blocks, and units within the subdivision that are open for posting. You can search for and retrieve subdivisions by the name of the subdivision or by the number of the subdivision, which is most often the book and page or document number of the plat document that created the subdivision.
When you search by name, you can use a partial match and retrieve all subdivisions in which the name begins with a specified character string of one or more characters. For example, you can retrieve all subdivisions with names beginning with "LAKE" which will return subdivisions such as "Lake Highlands" or "Lakeland." You can also search using an exact match where the name you specify must match the entire name of the subdivision. However, since subdivision names can be lengthy, the exact match search is rarely used.
When you search by the number of the subdivision, the search must be an exact match search. The number is whatever number has been assigned to the subdivision, which is usually the book and page or document number of the original plat document. Since this number must be unique in the TitleSCAN Web Subdivision Definitions, only one subdivision will be returned.
Although it may seem to be a contradiction in terms, you can retrieve subdivisions and not their associated definitions. If you do so, only the names and numbers of the subdivisions and other general information will be retrieved. The definitions specifying the valid lots, blocks, and units within each subdivision will not be returned in the search results. This type of request might be useful if you want to present the user with a list of subdivision names from which to choose or simply convert a subdivision number into its corresponding name.
If you want the search results to include definitions, you must specify this in the search parameters. The search results will then include the names and numbers of the subdivisions retrieved as well as the definitions for each subdivision.
When you perform a search, you can specify that you want to retrieve the definitions for only specified lots, blocks, or units. In practical terms, this is done in cases in which you want to retrieve the definitions for the lots, blocks, or units that the user has entered. For example, if the user has selected a subdivision and then follows this by entering lots, blocks, or units within that subdivision, you might want to validate that entry or present the user with more information about the lots, blocks, or units that were entered. In that case, you might search by the number of the subdivision, which you already know as a result of the user selecting it, and also specify the lots, blocks, or units that the user has entered. If the lots, blocks, or units exist and are open for posting, the search results will be returned without error. If some or all of the lots, blocks, or units do not exist or are closed for posting, the search results are returned with an appropriate error message.
If you are a developer building DAO software to do this, you can experiment by entering manual DAO searches, such as the example search below, and see the results that are returned. You can then create errors by performing searches that specify nonexistent lots, blocks, or units.
When you specify lots, blocks, or units, you can specify individual lots, blocks, or units by using the FromBlock, FromLot, and FromUnit parameters. You can also specify lot, block, or unit ranges by using the FromBlock, FromLot, and FromUnit parameters in conjunction with the ToBlock, ToLot, and ToUnit parameters. However, there are restrictions on how these parameters can be combined in a single request.
From a logical standpoint, blocks, lots, and units are treated in that order. When you specify a range of blocks, you cannot specify a lot or unit. Similarly, when you specify a range of lots, you can specify a block, but you cannot specify a unit. Also, ranges must be numeric although individual lots, blocks, and units can contain any printable alphanumeric character. A few examples of valid and invalid combinations will illustrate this.
A request for Block A, Lots 1 to 10 is valid.
A request for Block A, Lots 1 to 10, Unit 2002 is invalid.
A request for Block A is valid.
A request for Block 1 to 3 is valid.
A request for Block 1 to 3, Lots 5 to 10 is invalid.
A request for Block A1, Lot 16, Unit 2001 is valid.
A request for Block A to B is invalid since ranges must be numeric.
A request for Block 1, Lot 5, Units 1000 to 1005 is valid.
A request for Units 1000 to 1005 is valid as long as these are defined so that they do not fall within lots or blocks. If they do, then the request must include those. For example, if the subdivision has Block ABC that contains Units 1000 to 1005, then the request for those must show that relationship. A search for Units 1000 to 1005 with Block ABC not specified would fail, since there are no units that are defined in that manner.
|
Parameter |
Value(s) |
|
CountyCode |
County code |
|
Subdivision |
Partial leading characters or complete subdivision name. If searching by Subdivision Number the value must be preceded by an escaped pound sign (%23). For example, the snippet '&Subdivision=%232/15A&MatchType=E' requests definitions for Subdivision Number 2/15A. |
|
MatchType |
E = Exact match. |
|
IncludeDefinitions |
Y = Include definitions in XML results. |
|
FromBlock |
Beginning Block |
|
ToBlock |
Ending Block. When specifying a range of blocks, the range must be numeric as in "1 to 10" |
|
FromLot |
Beginning Lot |
|
ToLot |
Ending Lot. When specifying a range of lots, the range must be numeric as in "1 to 10" |
|
FromUnit |
Beginning Unit |
|
ToUnit |
Ending Unit. When specifying a range of units, the range must be numeric as in "1 to 10" |
This search below specifies a county code of L for Livingston County, a partial subdivision name of SUNS, and a match type of P for partial. It also specifies that definitions should not be returned.
Note that four subdivisions were retrieved all of which have names beginning with the partial match string of SUNS. If definitions were requested, these would appear after each subdivision. If you are developing DAO applications, you can experiment with variations on this search. You can also try searches by number using the subdivision number that appears immediately after the subdivision name in the XML results below.
