Why do I get an undefined error from FamilySearch when attaching a source from RecordSeek?

JayHagfeldt

Today I noticed that when I linked to Ancestry from FamilySearch that ancestry.com would start, but the person signed on in Ancestry was my wife. I'm not sure when that started happening. I removed the link from FS to Ancestry and readded the link. Now when I link to Ancestry from FS, Ancestry shows myself as the person logged in.

However, RecordSeek has quit working. When I try to attach a source to FamilySearch using RecordSeek, a message is displayed in RecordSeek indicating an undefined error was returned by FamilySearch. I'm really confused.

Yesterday when I used FS to initiate a search in Ancestry, I was logged in to Ancestry as myself, not my wife, and RecordSeek worked without issue.

I've re-installed RecordSeek as an extension to chrome and rebooted my PC, but am still having this issue.

Brett .

@HagfeldtJay

FYI

I am just another 'lowly' User/Patron ...

[ And, I happen to be a Member of the Church ...]

[ Plus, one who has worked in "Family History Centres" of the Church, for many Years ... ]

As an aside ...

NOT that I can help/assist (or, advise) on "Record Seek" ...

But ...

That Said ...

I regards to 'seeing' ANOTHER User/Patron, "Logged Into", the likes of "Ancestry_com", when you are accessing such from your own 'FamilySearch' Account ...

Such is COMMON, when you are using a "Shared" Computer ...

And, I do not mean, just a "Public" Computer, in the likes of a Library, etc ...

I have specifically noticed such, on the Computers, in the "Family History Centres", of the Church ...

The reason for such, is that the PREVIOUS (or, sometimes, even more than the previous) User/Patron, on that particular Computer, DID NOT "Log Out" of, the likes of "Ancestry_com".

They MAY (most likely - whereas, sometimes not) have "Logged Out", of 'FamilySearch'; but, simply FAILED, to ALSO "Log Out" of, the likes of "Ancestry_com" - it happens a lot.

I have 'seen' this on countless occasions; and, I have had to physically "Log" the PREVIOUS User/Patron, "Out" of, the likes of "Ancestry_com", on that particular Computer.

I have ALSO noticed the SAME, when my Wife, uses my "Laptop" Computer.

Now ...

That Said ...

Furthermore ...

Just in passing ...

This is an "Oldie"; but, sometimes, STILL a "Goodie" ...

I do not know, if this will help/assist, with regards to your problem/issue for "Record Seek" ...

But ...

IF, you have not already; THEN, can I humbly suggest, that you try, "Clearing", the "Cookies"; and, the "Cache", of your "Browser", plus, maybe, the "Browsing History".

This often helps.

Good Luck.

I just thought, that I would pass the latter onto to you, in the hope, that it may just help/assist.

Brett

ShawnFReid

@HagfeldtJay

I think I may have found the cause of the "undefined error", at least in my case. It seems that RecordSeek reads and analyses all of the text from the web page. It then attempts to anticipate which events should be tagged. In my case, it only selected one event (birth), but the green ribbon says that it will tag 2 events. So, apparently they've got a "off-by-one" bug. I couldn't seem to get around it by selecting other events. For example, if I select Name, the count goes to 3.

I found a workaround that takes a little effort, but it seems to always work and it's less effort than attaching the source from scratch, at least for me.

From the source page, select the text as you normally would and start RecordSeek. If you see the off-by-one situation, proceed as follows:

Step one: Copy the four primary fields from the RecordSeek dialog and save them away for later (i.e. in Notepad, or in a Clipboard utility that allows for multiple snippets of text). The fields will be: Source Title, URL, Citation, Notes.

Step two: Close the RecordSeek dialog (X in upper right corner).

Step three: Go to a generic web page that has some text (like this page). Select a couple of words on the page and bring up the RecordSeek dialog. You now shouldn't have the off-by-one error. Now, paste back into the four fields the text you had previously saved away. You should now be able to complete the process without the "undefined" error.

Hope this helps!

-Shawn

ShawnFReid

@HagfeldtJay

Did you ever resolve this issue? I just started using RecordSeek today and I attached successfully two sources and was very pleased with the results. Then, when attaching the 3rd, I got the "undefined error" that you describe. So far, I'm unable to resolve it. I'm hoping that you've found a fix and can point me in the right direction.

Thanks!

Shawn

JayHagfeldt

I think this issue might be related to the fact that both my wife and I use the same laptop. I'm not sure, but I think a cookie is created when a link is established to Ancestry from FamilySearch. The cookie, I believe, contains information about who linked to Ancestry.

Once the cookie is created, any further links use that cookie. So if the cookie has my wife's information, and then I try to link to Ancestry, then Ancestry.com shows that my wife has signed in.

I'd like to verify that this might be the problem by deleting the ancestry cookie on my laptop and then linking again to Ancestry, forcing Ancestry to create another cookie, and then see if Ancestry shows that I am the one that signed in. My laptop is currently using Windows 11 and I don't have a clue how to find the cookies anymore.

The recordseek problem might be related to the above problem.

This is all conjecture, but I really didn't receive a good answer from FS or Ancestry.

Julia Szent-Györgyi

Don't look for cookies in your OS. They're a browser function.

The easier way to test your cookie theory is for you to use a different browser than your spouse. (Some browsers have a setting or option for separating the activity of two different users, but then you have to figure out what it's called and how to use it. Switching browsers is more straightforward.)