The allowed characters in names can be found at http://www.freebmd.org.uk/error-help.html under the error for the appropriate field. However, I will double check that it corresponds to what the system allows, in particular that it does not allow accented characters in the district name. Yes, having a client do field validation is always fraught with issues. Assuming we do not, at this stage, want to even consider data driven syntax checkers I think that the only long term answer for WinBMD is to provide an override in all circumstances. Effectively this means that the syntax check is a warning not an error. As regards the pick list issue, can users remove an item from the picklist? Hence if they found that there was still something in the picklist by the time they got to the digit in the district name, they could remove that something from the picklist and next time they would not have the problem. The picklist would be less effective but one can't have one's cake and eat it! As regards sending a .exe, the best option is to zip it. If a mailer can be bypassed by using ._xe it is hardly worth it doing the check! Barrie > -----Original Message----- > From: freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of > Ian Brooke > Sent: 16 February 2009 03:11 > To: freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD > > Hi Jeremy, > Changing the program should only take a couple of days. I'd > like to wait > and see if Barrie has any ideas for the best way forward, > drop me another > line if we are getting too close for comfort. > > Regards > Ian > > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jeremy Hakes" <jeremy.hakes@talktalk.net> > To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 4:25 PM > Subject: RE: Revised district lists for WinBMD > > > > Thank you Ian > > > > As the Co-ordinator that has just been allocated 1937 > Births - and lost no > > time in pointing out the potential problem, I should be > pleased to trial > > the > > programme for you. > > > > I would expect to start allocations to transcribers in a > few weeks time > > but > > may well transcribe the odd page myself before that to see where any > > potential pitfalls are. > > > > Kind Regards > > Jeremy Hakes > > All Scan Syndicate > > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com > > [mailto:freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf > Of Ian Brooke > > Sent: 15 February 2009 22:22 > > To: freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com > > Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD > > > > > > The only quick fix would be for me to send a version of the > WinBMD program > > which allows numbers to the coordinator and let him/her > give it to the > > transcribers, they could just save it into their WinBMD folder. > > > > The longer this program is used, the more I find that some > of the checks > > that the program is doing are no longer valid . I'm not > sure if this is > > because they have changed with time or if I was simply too > rigorous. They > > were or at least seemed a good idea at the time, even though they > > duplicate > > checks that the FreeBMD upload carries out, it seemed > better that the > > transcriber finds errors before trying to upload. I don't > really know > > what > > the best long-term answer is - to remove them altogether or > try to bring > > them back in line with FreeBMD or something else. Does > anyone have any > > thoughts on this? > > > > Ian > > > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Allan Raymond" <allan_raymond@btinternet.com> > > To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> > > Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 2:16 PM > > Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD > > > > > >> In addition to keeping the WinBMD standard District Picklist up to > >> date > >> how are we going to deal with Districts such as > "Northumberland North > >> First" which came into being on 1 January 1937. > >> > >> I'm now starting to allocate 1937 to Syndicates and scans > are showing > >> "Northumberland North First" as "Nthhmbld.N.1st". WinBMD > doesn't accept > >> numerals in the District Field and it isn't really on to expect > >> transcribers to adopt the process in > >> http://www.freebmd.org.uk/vol_faq.html#6ah which really > was to cover a > >> possible mistype in the District name? > >> > >> Allan Raymond > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> From: "Archer Barrie" <Barrie.Archer@uk.fujitsu.com> > >> To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com>; > >> <freebmd-scratchpad@mailman.aldigital.co.uk> > >> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 7:34 AM > >> Subject: Revised district lists for WinBMD > >> > >> > >> I am discussing with Ian Brooke how the next version of > WinBMD can be > >> enhanced to address the problem of the district list getting out of > >> date. > >> > >> The issue is that the District Aliasing Team are > continually revising > >> the district information on the system but transcribers > using WinBMD > >> are working with an out of date version of this information. The > >> current proposal is that when WinBMD uploads a file to the > system it > >> will also download a new version of the district file if > one exists. > >> This means that subsequently the transcriber will be > working with the > >> new districts list. > >> > >> The transcriber's locally added districts will not be affected by > >> downloading the new districts list. > >> > >> If anyone can see any issues with this, or would like > clarification of > >> the proposal, please let me know. > >> > >> Barrie > >> > >> ------------------------------- > >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >> FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >> > >> ------------------------------- > >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > >> FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > >> > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > > without > > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > > Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.10.23/1953 - Release > Date: 02/14/09 > > 18:01:00 > > > > > > > > ------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message > > > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word > 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body > of the message >

Making syntax errors a warning is more difficult than it sounds because there are two levels of check. The first checks each keystroke and prevents various common errors (such as **) as well as invalid characters. The second checks are run when the fields are complete (for example when saving the file), these catch blank fields and other problems. The second checks do not duplicate the first and so it is possible to paste a complete field containg invalid characters as this sin't a keystroke and so not checked. To do as you suggest is certainly possible but as I say, is a sizeable job. To answer your other question. No, users cannot really delete picklist entries except for those supplementary districts that they have entered. The program reads the district file and supplementary file when it first starts and build a list of every district that was inn use in the year/qtr being transcribed, it then uses that list to populate the picklist with each keystroke. So to remove something from the picklist would require it to be removed from the district file. Ian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Archer Barrie" <Barrie.Archer@uk.fujitsu.com> To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 2:42 AM Subject: RE: Revised district lists for WinBMD > The allowed characters in names can be found at > http://www.freebmd.org.uk/error-help.html under the error for the > appropriate field. However, I will double check that it corresponds to > what the system allows, in particular that it does not allow accented > characters in the district name. > > Yes, having a client do field validation is always fraught with issues. > Assuming we do not, at this stage, want to even consider data driven > syntax checkers I think that the only long term answer for WinBMD is to > provide an override in all circumstances. Effectively this means that > the syntax check is a warning not an error. > > As regards the pick list issue, can users remove an item from the > picklist? Hence if they found that there was still something in the > picklist by the time they got to the digit in the district name, they > could remove that something from the picklist and next time they would > not have the problem. The picklist would be less effective but one can't > have one's cake and eat it! > > As regards sending a .exe, the best option is to zip it. If a mailer can > be bypassed by using ._xe it is hardly worth it doing the check! > > Barrie > >> -----Original Message----- >> From: freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com >> [mailto:freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of >> Ian Brooke >> Sent: 16 February 2009 03:11 >> To: freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com >> Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD >> >> Hi Jeremy, >> Changing the program should only take a couple of days. I'd >> like to wait >> and see if Barrie has any ideas for the best way forward, >> drop me another >> line if we are getting too close for comfort. >> >> Regards >> Ian >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> From: "Jeremy Hakes" <jeremy.hakes@talktalk.net> >> To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> >> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 4:25 PM >> Subject: RE: Revised district lists for WinBMD >> >> >> > Thank you Ian >> > >> > As the Co-ordinator that has just been allocated 1937 >> Births - and lost no >> > time in pointing out the potential problem, I should be >> pleased to trial >> > the >> > programme for you. >> > >> > I would expect to start allocations to transcribers in a >> few weeks time >> > but >> > may well transcribe the odd page myself before that to see where any >> > potential pitfalls are. >> > >> > Kind Regards >> > Jeremy Hakes >> > All Scan Syndicate >> > >> > >> > -----Original Message----- >> > From: freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com >> > [mailto:freebmd-syndicates-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf >> Of Ian Brooke >> > Sent: 15 February 2009 22:22 >> > To: freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com >> > Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD >> > >> > >> > The only quick fix would be for me to send a version of the >> WinBMD program >> > which allows numbers to the coordinator and let him/her >> give it to the >> > transcribers, they could just save it into their WinBMD folder. >> > >> > The longer this program is used, the more I find that some >> of the checks >> > that the program is doing are no longer valid . I'm not >> sure if this is >> > because they have changed with time or if I was simply too >> rigorous. They >> > were or at least seemed a good idea at the time, even though they >> > duplicate >> > checks that the FreeBMD upload carries out, it seemed >> better that the >> > transcriber finds errors before trying to upload. I don't >> really know >> > what >> > the best long-term answer is - to remove them altogether or >> try to bring >> > them back in line with FreeBMD or something else. Does >> anyone have any >> > thoughts on this? >> > >> > Ian >> > >> > >> > >> > ----- Original Message ----- >> > From: "Allan Raymond" <allan_raymond@btinternet.com> >> > To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com> >> > Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 2:16 PM >> > Subject: Re: Revised district lists for WinBMD >> > >> > >> >> In addition to keeping the WinBMD standard District Picklist up to >> >> date >> >> how are we going to deal with Districts such as >> "Northumberland North >> >> First" which came into being on 1 January 1937. >> >> >> >> I'm now starting to allocate 1937 to Syndicates and scans >> are showing >> >> "Northumberland North First" as "Nthhmbld.N.1st". WinBMD >> doesn't accept >> >> numerals in the District Field and it isn't really on to expect >> >> transcribers to adopt the process in >> >> http://www.freebmd.org.uk/vol_faq.html#6ah which really >> was to cover a >> >> possible mistype in the District name? >> >> >> >> Allan Raymond >> >> >> >> >> >> ----- Original Message ----- >> >> From: "Archer Barrie" <Barrie.Archer@uk.fujitsu.com> >> >> To: <freebmd-syndicates@rootsweb.com>; >> >> <freebmd-scratchpad@mailman.aldigital.co.uk> >> >> Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2009 7:34 AM >> >> Subject: Revised district lists for WinBMD >> >> >> >> >> >> I am discussing with Ian Brooke how the next version of >> WinBMD can be >> >> enhanced to address the problem of the district list getting out of >> >> date. >> >> >> >> The issue is that the District Aliasing Team are >> continually revising >> >> the district information on the system but transcribers >> using WinBMD >> >> are working with an out of date version of this information. The >> >> current proposal is that when WinBMD uploads a file to the >> system it >> >> will also download a new version of the district file if >> one exists. >> >> This means that subsequently the transcriber will be >> working with the >> >> new districts list. >> >> >> >> The transcriber's locally added districts will not be affected by >> >> downloading the new districts list. >> >> >> >> If anyone can see any issues with this, or would like >> clarification of >> >> the proposal, please let me know. >> >> >> >> Barrie >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> >> FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> >> FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> >> without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> >> >> > >> > >> > ------------------------------- >> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> > without >> > the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> > Version: 8.0.237 / Virus Database: 270.10.23/1953 - Release >> Date: 02/14/09 >> > 18:01:00 >> > >> > >> > >> > ------------------------------- >> > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' >> > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >> > >> >> >> ------------------------------- >> To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >> FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word >> 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body >> of the message >> > > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > FREEBMD-SYNDICATES-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' > without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >