Beta version of Family Tree - not such a good place to test things if it doesn't work like the produ

LegacyUser

Paul said: I was testing a few things in the beta version just now, as I didn't want my entries to affect the change logs, as would happen if I tinkered around with data of IDs in the production version.

Two major differences found were:

(1) The exact same standardized names were flagged (incorrectly) as needing standardizing in beta.

(2) The reason statements in the Vitals section are not displayed in beta and, unlike the production version, "Edit" has to be clicked on to view these.

Obviously, new features will always mean there will be some differences between the two versions, but surely features that have now been enhanced in the production version should not be working in the "old way" in the beta one?

LegacyUser

Tom Huber said: The beta site is populated from the production site only a couple of times a year.

If there have been changes made to the production site (such as to correct a bug or provide a "fix" to areas of user concern) they may or may not have been made to the beta site.

I do not know if the beta software is populated from production at the same time the data is populated.

It would be nice to know when I log into the beta site, the last time it was populated from production.

LegacyUser

Paul said: Thanks for adding your comments, Tom, but as far as updating is concerned I believe it must be well over a year (maybe two) since we have had the ability to read reason statements against vitals without having to click on "Edit". (Marriages excluded, of course.)

Surely, except in the short term, the only real difference in presentation should occur when an enhancement is being trialled in beta prior to it being incorporated into the production version.

LegacyUser

Juli said: Did you have "Detail view" turned on? Reason statements don't show if it's off. Or have they removed that in beta? (I haven't bothered to go look, sorry.)

LegacyUser

Paul said: Thanks for spotting that, Juli. Exactly the case. Thought the default was for this to be turned on, as I never have to open it when using the "live" version. Careless of me not to have checked, though.

At least my "point 2" still stands. No warning flags in the production version, but showing in Beta. All names properly standardised and no sign (from change logs) I've made any changes to the standard values in the past. Maybe connected to the recent tinkering with standard place names by the developers.

LegacyUser

Adrian Bruce said: My impression was that "all" the standard place-names in Beta have been comprehensively nuked - more so than in production. Presumably nuked by the place-name update routines that FS aren't admitting to.