looking up db flags

[sssssssssss]

This is probably more of a logic question. I have a wnpc that needs to look up the flags on a db npc. The thing is Im not sure how to.

The flags in the dbnpc are set up as category_playeraccountname_itemname,
and I need to first use a trigger to lookup and see if the selected category in a gui is the same as the first part of the flag only, then use the account name and item name somewhere else in the wnpc. I have the category selection and gui and all that done, but just not sure how to even go about doing this.
e.g. someone selects the category weapons, so it searches the flags in dbnpc for the first part of the flag name weapons, then puts up who owns it, and the actual name of the weapon.
weapons_sssssssssss_sword={other stuff here i need to pull up eventually too}

hope this makes sense.