UnMessify the Message Mess - Fri, 20 Aug 2010

Let’s see. In early alpha I had a log file where the error messages went. At the end of alpha, I had got rid of the log file and put the messages in the File Information area of the Everything Report. Then in the beta, I flip-flopped yet again and recreated the messages file.

So what is this teeter totter I’m on?

I think I’ve finally figured out what’s going on with error messages and why I was having so much trouble deciding where to put them. It’s because there’s two types of messages. (1) Possible Data Problems, and (2) Invalid GEDCOM.

Possible Data Problems are very important. Every Genealogist wants to know about and correct their data errors. People who are their own ancestors or an ID used more than once are examples of data problems. Sanity checks (e.g. child was born when parent only 10 years old) are not in Behold yet, but they also will qualify as Possible Data Problems.

However, most people do not care if the GEDCOM is valid or invalid. They only care that the data in the GEDCOM can be read and presented. So GEDCOM problems do not normally need to be seen, but can be hidden away in the log file and only looked at by those who have a reason to.

So that’s what I think I’m going to do. The two types of messages will be segregated, with Possible Data Problems being a prominent new section in the Everything Report, and Invalid GEDCOMs being relegated to the relative obscurity of the log file.