Journal of Informatics, Computer Science, Data Science And Arificial Intelligence

Volume 1 No. 1 December 2023, ISSN : 3031-9145

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SEQUENTIAL SEARCH

ALGORITHM IN AN ONLINE LEGAL DICTIONARY
APPLICATION
Muhammad Azri Fajar Jisi 1, Mhd. Zulfansyuri Siambaton 2, Tasliyah
Haramaini 3
1
Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, jisifajar@gmail.com.
21
Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara, zulfansyuri@ft.uisu.ac.id. 3Universitas Islam Sumatera Utara,
tasliyah@ft.uisu.ac.id.

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

ARTICLE HISTORY: The rapid advancement of information technology has

Received : accelerated the digitalization of various sectors, including the
Revised : legal field. One of the efforts to improve access to legal
Accepted : information is by providing an online legal dictionary
application. This study aims to develop an online legal
Keywords: dictionary application that implements the Sequential Search
React Native, Sequential algorithm for searching legal terms. The Sequential Search
Search, Aplikasi Mobile, algorithm is chosen due to its simplicity of implementation and
its effectiveness in handling small to medium-scale datasets.
Javascript.
The research methodology includes system requirements
analysis, application design, implementation of the search
algorithm, and application testing. The result of this study is an
online legal dictionary application that assists users—
particularly students and legal practitioners—in quickly and
easily finding and understanding legal terms. It is expected that
this application will enable users to access legal information
more efficiently and digitally.

INTRODUCTION
The development of information technology has become a crucial aspect in
supporting the efficiency and effectiveness of data management across various
sectors, including the legal field. In the digital era, websites serve as the primary
medium for organizations to disseminate information (Assegaf & Farhan, 2023). The
utilization of information technology in handling legal cases can also accelerate the
process of legal information retrieval. Therefore, the design of an online legal
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dictionary application aims to simplify the search for articles and laws through an
innovative and user-friendly interface (Tristianto & Didik, 2024).
This study implements the Sequential Search algorithm, a method of sequentially
searching data within an array, which is suitable for unsorted datasets (Sitorus,
2015). The search process is conducted by comparing the target data with each
element one by one until a match is found (Sonita, 2018).
The title of this study is “Implementation of the Sequential Search Algorithm in the
Online Legal Dictionary Application,” with the main research questions being: how
is the algorithm applied within the application, and how does it work to accurately
retrieve data? The scope of the study includes the development of a mobile
application based on JavaScript, the use of legal sources from the Indonesian Penal
Code (KUHP), Civil Code (KUHPerdata), and the Electronic Information and
Transactions Law (ITE Law), as well as the implementation of the Sequential Search
algorithm as the primary search method.
The objective of this research is to implement and understand how the Sequential
Search algorithm operates in searching for legal terms to ensure fast and accurate
retrieval. The expected benefits include facilitating users in searching and
downloading legal documents, as well as expanding knowledge in the field of law
through the developed application.
RESEARCH METHODS
In the development of the Online Legal Dictionary application, legal term data is
stored using an array of objects within the JavaScript programming language. This
approach was chosen due to its simplicity, flexibility, and compatibility with client-
side web technologies. Each object in the array represents a legal term entry and is
structured to contain three key attributes:
term – This attribute holds the name or title of the legal term. It serves as the primary
keyword that will be searched using the implemented search algorithm,
definition – This field provides a brief explanation or definition of the legal term,
enabling users to quickly understand its meaning without needing to access external
resources,
pdf – This attribute contains a hyperlink or file path that directs the user to a PDF
document containing the full legal reference or related legal text,s
The structured representation of legal terms in this format enables the efficient
retrieval and display of relevant information in the user interface. Furthermore, it
facilitates the application of the Sequential Search algorithm by allowing iteration
through the array elements in a linear fashion.
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Volume 1 No. 1 December 2023, ISSN : xxxx-xxxx

The application utilizes the Sequential Search algorithm to search for legal terms
based on user input. This algorithm operates by sequentially examining each element
within the array until a match is found. The implementation of this algorithm can be
observed in the search() function.

In addition to the search functionality, the application also provides a feature to sort
legal terms alphabetically using the "Sort A-Z" and "Sort Z-A" buttons. The sorting
process is implemented using the .sort() function with the localeCompare()
parameter.

The search process in the Online Legal Dictionary application is executed directly on
the client side using the JavaScript programming language. Legal term data is stored
locally in the form of an object array, without the use of an external database or
backend server. To perform the search, the application implements the Sequential
Search (linear search) algorithm.
The following are the steps involved in the search process within the application:
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Keyword Input: The user enters a legal term to search for via a text input field. For
example: "pidana".
Search Function Execution: When the user clicks the "Search" button, the search()
function is triggered.
Input Normalization: The input value is converted to lowercase to ensure the search
is case-insensitive:

Sequential Search Algorithm Implementation: The search() function iterates

through each element in the dictionary array and checks whether the entered
keyword is contained in the term attribute:

Sorting the Results (Optional): Users can choose to sort the search results
alphabetically (A-Z or Z-A). This is accomplished using the sort() function based on
the term value:

Displaying the Search Results: The filtered results are displayed in the HTML
interface, which includes:
The name of the legal term,
A brief definition,
A download link to the associated PDF,
A preview of the PDF document using an iframe (via Google Docs Viewer).
If no matching result is found, a message is displayed: "Term not found.".
The developed application is an online legal dictionary that enables users to search
for definitions or explanations of legal terms. The application utilizes the Sequential
Search algorithm to identify keyword matches within the available list of legal terms.
 Journal of Informatics, Computer Science, Data Science And Arificial Intelligence,
Volume 1 No. 1 December 2023, ISSN : xxxx-xxxx

In the implementation, the search process begins when the user inputs a keyword.
The system initializes the index to zero and then checks whether the index is within
the bounds of the dataset. If it is, the algorithm examines whether the legal term at
the current index contains the entered keyword. If a match is found, the result is
displayed and the process is terminated. If no match is found, the index is
incremented and the process continues to the next element. This loop repeats until
either a match is found or the end of the dataset is reached. If the search reaches the
end of the dataset without finding a match, the application displays a message
indicating that the term was not found. This linear and systematic approach allows
for simple and effective search functionality, particularly suited to small or
moderately sized datasets. The flowchart below illustrates the logical sequence of the
program's operation :

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

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The splash screen is the initial display that appears when the application is first
launched. It typically features the application's logo, name, or other related
information, and serves the purpose of allowing the system to load necessary initial
data and prepare the user interface. The duration of this screen is brief, generally
lasting only a few seconds before transitioning to the main screen. In this application,
the splash screen has been designed with a clean and elegant concept. It displays the
word "LAW", which means "Hukum" in Indonesian, and includes an image of a
gavel, symbolizing justice and legal authority.
The home screen serves as the starting point of the application. It provides a
description of the application's purpose, which is to help users search for legal terms
using the Sequential Search algorithm. The interface design of the application is
intentionally kept simple, using soft color tones for a visually pleasant appearance.
The application consists of only two main menus: the home screen and the
dashboard.
The dashboard contains a heading labeled "Dashboard Pencarian" (Search
Dashboard), indicating that this page is intended for conducting searches related to
legal terms. A search bar is provided on this screen, allowing users to input the
desired keyword. The search bar contains a placeholder text that reads "Masukkan
istilah hukum…" (Enter legal term…), which guides users to type in the legal term
they wish to find. Next to the search bar, there is a search button labeled "Cari"
(Search), which users can click to initiate the search process.
When a relevant legal term is entered and a match is found in the data, the
application displays the search result on the same screen. The result includes the
legal term name, a brief definition, a download link to the corresponding PDF file,
and an embedded preview of the PDF document using a built-in PDF viewer. An
example is the term "Hukum Perdata" (Civil Law), which is shown with the
description: "This law governs the relationships between individuals within society."
The application also supports a PDF viewing feature that allows users to read the
content of the legal document directly within the interface. The viewer is equipped
with controls such as zoom in, zoom out, and a download option to enhance
usability.
If the entered keyword does not match any existing legal term in the data, the
application displays an error message stating that the term was not found. For
example, entering "ruu tni" results in no matching data, indicating that the keyword
is not available in the current dataset.
 Journal of Informatics, Computer Science, Data Science And Arificial Intelligence,
Volume 1 No. 1 December 2023, ISSN : xxxx-xxxx

The system begins when the user launches the application through a web browser.
Once loaded, the application immediately displays the Home page, which serves as
the main user interface.
On the Home page, users are presented with essential information, including a brief
usage guide that explains how to operate the application, particularly how to perform
searches and sort results. A navigation menu is also available, providing three main
options: Home, which returns the user to the main landing page; Dashboard, which
directs the user to the search interface; and About, which provides information about
the application and its developer.
From the Home page, users can choose to navigate to the Dashboard to search for
legal terms or to the About section to view details about the application.
When users access the Dashboard, they are presented with a dedicated search
interface. This interface includes a text input field where users can enter keywords
related to legal terms, such as "UU ITE" or "Hukum Perdata". After entering a
keyword, the user can click the Search button, which triggers a sequence of actions.
First, the system captures the user's input. Then, it executes a search process using
the Sequential Search algorithm on the locally stored legal term database. Once the
search is completed, relevant results matching the keyword are displayed on the same
screen.
The interface also includes a Sort button, which enables users to organize the search
results alphabetically. By clicking the button once, the results are sorted in ascending
order (A–Z). Clicking the button a second time reverses the order to descending (Z–
A), allowing for flexible browsing based on user preference.
After the Search button is activated, the system processes the input keyword by first
normalizing the text to ensure case-insensitive matching. It then compares the
keyword with each term in the dataset using the Sequential Search algorithm and
filters the results accordingly. If the Sort function is used, the filtered results are
arranged alphabetically based on the selected order.
The search results are displayed in a user-friendly format. Each result includes a brief
definition of the legal term to help users understand its meaning. A built-in PDF
viewer is also integrated into the interface, allowing users to view related legal
documents directly in the browser through the Google Docs Viewer. Additionally, a
PDF download button is provided, enabling users to download the document for
offline use.
If the user selects the About menu from the navigation options, the application
displays information such as a description of its features, the search method applied
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(Sequential Search), and the identity of the developer along with the year the
application was created. The program's flowchart is presented below.

CONCLUSION
The research concludes that the Sequential Search algorithm can be effectively
applied to the Online Legal Dictionary application. This algorithm performs data
searches by sequentially scanning each item from the beginning to the end of the
legal term list. Within the application, users are able to easily find definitions or
explanations of legal terms relevant to their needs through a simple and accessible
interface.
The implementation of this algorithm offers ease and adequate speed in retrieving
data. Although the Sequential Search algorithm is not as fast as other search
algorithms, such as Binary Search—especially when processing large datasets—it is
still sufficiently optimal for basic search tasks and applications involving static data.
Therefore, this algorithm is suitable for lightweight and straightforward legal term
search needs within the context of this application.

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