Feature Improvement Request: Remove Old Possible Duplicates Link

LegacyUser

Gordon Collett said: With the recent nice improvement in the Research Help section in which Possible Duplicates now functions much more like all the other data errors, hints, and research suggestions and brings one to the same Show All page, it is quickly becoming apparent that the old possible duplicates link under tools is both redundant and confusing.

Redundant in that it is no longer needed.

Confusing in that when it states there are no possible duplicates found and people click on it anyway, they are taken to the Research Help Show All page, don't see any possible duplicates because there are none, and think they got to the wrong page somehow.

I would suggest removing this link in the near future.



I realize that this could easily cause a bit of an uproar because people seem to be having difficulty accepting that checking for possible duplicates is now completely automatic and we never have to click that link ever. For individuals that have no possible duplicates, it will look like the ability for check for them has been stripped from us, leading to a renewed cry for some tarring and feathering. Putting out some kind of advance warning and thorough explanation might ameliorate the out cry.

LegacyUser

Adrian Bruce said: Having thunked that I've been sent to "the wrong page somehow" - I agree with your suggestion.

But I was wondering if indeed the check "for possible duplicates is now completely automatic". Two reasons:
- why else keep it on?
- if the Research Help count of Possible Dupes is only updated every so often but the Tools / Possible Dupes fires up a recount when clicked, then the Tools link is not redundant.

Is the Tools link there to serve a purpose or is it there simply because only half the job has been done? I simply can't tell from the evidence. Maybe I should read the Change Documentation - oh wait... (OK that last bit was cynical).

LegacyUser

Adrian Bruce said: On second or third thoughts - I disagree with my previous agreement with your suggestion!

As I just said elsewhere, Possible Dupes and Merge By Id are very much linked in functionality, and therefore the mental approach of the user, so need to appear together.

Possible Dupes (when there are some) shows a number that is otherwise not easily visible (if at all) under your suggestion.

The confusion (which I agree exists) could be dealt with by altering the response to Tools / Possible Dupes so that it filters down to show just the possible dupes on the Research Help response screen. Thus making it clear that something more than a corrupt link is going on.

LegacyUser

Tom Huber said: I mentioned in another thread that the research helps section is a mess. This is just part of the overall problem.

Someone (in development) needs to sit down and put together mock up screens of what now is, and what should be -- and take all of these comments into consideration.

For a while, I was confused by some of the comments, but after dismissing two hints for my great-grandfather, and then looking in the Research Help section and the dismissed helps, which including a "possible" duplicate and the two hints, no shred of evidence as to why these were rejected (no reason statements displayed). For the hints, I had to go to the change log and look at the "reference" to see the reason statement.

LegacyUser

Pioneer42 said: Agree please remove the possible duplicates link that is useless, image provided.

LegacyUser

Pioneer42 said: I use the merge ID more then anything, now that was a improvement for doing individual merges, but when the en masse merging was going on maybe the possible duplicates screen worked the best, but those days are over. They have been all merged. Thousands of merges, now its about hunting. so if that is the reason you are leaving it, I still get it, just my opinion...

LegacyUser

Jeff Wiseman said: from the main page there is no "shred of evidence" that dismissed possible duplicates exist since the total number of helps counter doesn't work right. It should show the total number of helps and NOT the total number of helps minus the dismissed helps. This used to work right many moons ago.

LegacyUser

Gordon Collett said: Regarding Jeff's comment above, I prefer that dismissed helps do not show in the count. They are not helps. They are hindrances and the majority are so wrong I never want anyone to look at them ever again. The few that look confusingly right but are still wrong definitely need to stay hidden.

Anyone skilled enough to re-evaluate these, will either know where to find them, find them directly in the historical records, or find them through the Similar People routine.

One a separate note, it would be fine with me if this post of mine from a year ago was locked. It is no longer needed. I only proposed it because so many people were up in arms about a valuable update and were confused and furious because the program didn't work the way it used to. Now that people are used to the update, it is not an issue anymore.

Something I like about Family Search in general is that there are so many ways to accomplish the same tasks. For example, with the Possible Duplicates:

1) You can see just three of them at a time, work on just these, and not feel overwhelmed.

2) You can click on Show All research helps to load that page, see how many duplicates there really are and work from there.

3) You can quickly scroll down the page and see without leaving the page you are on how many duplicates there really are and decide how to approach them.

The programmers have done a great job allowing us this flexibility in how we work. Leaving that extra line on the page maintains that flexibility at the minimal expense of one line in the tools box.