How about making it easier to search for a person by their ID?

Question

This came up in the discussion related to the new 'Copy ID' feature, but... Let's make it easier to search for a person by ID. There are two ways to do this, and I recommend doing both. First, automatically turn plain-text IDs into ID links (like how when you type a URL, your software (maybe Word or a website) turns it into a clickable link).  Second, have a little search box to search for a person by ID.  The current system is to be on a profile page and then manually edit the URL, which is not so user-friendly.

Comments

First, automatically turn plain-text IDs into ID links (like how when you type a URL, your software (maybe Word or a website) turns it into a clickable link).

So this would be if someone included a plain-text WikiTree ID in a biography or comment?

We have been talking about letting people enter the WikiTree ID in the last name field of the search form on the homepage and page header.

---

Yes, that's what I mean.  Plain-text --> link. This seems to happen more here on G2G (people writing plain-text IDs), and there's no simple way on G2G to go from here to the profile when that happens. The easiest way at the moment seems to be Copy->Click a user's name->Manually edit the URL. You could do a regex search and compare results to the database.  If they exist, replace the plain text with a link to the profile.

---

I guess not many people will see this, but... I've added this feature to my Chrome extension (Auto WikiTree Tables). Now, if you install my extension, plain-text profile IDs on WikiTree will be turned into links.  (You can see the ones that the extension created, because they have a box around them rather than just an underline.)  It may not work perfectly, but It seems OK so far. I'm also working on turning child and sibling lists into vertical lists.  So far, I've made the lists vertical (and it looks so much better) but I need to be able to use the API to get each person's dates and to put the 'profile person' into the list of siblings.  (This will be in a future version of the extension.)

I talked about this here - https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1123650/how-about-making-the-children-sibling-lists-vertical . Some people thought it was a good idea...  

---

Update: My extension - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Auto_WikiTree_Tables_%2B - now includes both of these features - turning plain text into links to profiles, and a 'go to profile' box.  It looks like a search box, but you put in the ID of the profile that you want to go to and you go there.  I hope other people find it useful.

Answer 1

On the search page under No. 3, you can input IDs for searches already:

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Special:SearchPerson

Comments

Todd, I believe my question still stands. How about making it easier to search by ID? Find > Search > Scroll down to #3 is not so user friendly. A little search box at the top of each page would be much more helpful.

---

Fair enough.

---

..... 

Answer 2

This should be an option on the Navigation Home Page. Where you can now search by name, there should be a box to enter a Wiki ID#.

Comments

Well, yes, that's what I thought... So I suggested it, but... I don't know... It hasn't happened.  So I built it into my Chrome extension so that there's a box on every page (top right).  I did it only a few days ago, but I've already found it really useful. :)

---

I've suggested it before - it never happens.

Alas, I don't use Chrome

---

But it did finally happen - and I love it!

---

Hi Lois! Yes, this has been implemented, but it can be improved.  This may not be a big one, but if you make a mistake and put in something like Tilton-10000 instead of Tilton-1000 (for example), you will go to a page with the heading "Tilton-10000 Genealogy" (with no content). My suggestion (and what my Chrome extension does) is to return an alert saying that that ID doesn't exist (after checking the database).  Another small thing is that this feature is not available on G2G.  And, thirdly, I think there are many people who don't use G2G who won't know about this new feature because there's nothing with the box to tell people that.  

But yeah, it's a step forward. 

---

It now says "Last Name or ID"

---

Ah! It depends what you mean by 'it'. I hadn't seen this, but I just went to the site's home page and found that you're right.  But... if you look on most other pages, the box is pre-filled with a last name.  Delete the pre-filled last name and you see a blank box, so there's nothing saying that you can put the Wiki ID in there.

---

You have to hit the search button on the blank box - then it says so.

Anywayhow, I hate that the field is pre-filled. The last thing I usually want to search is my own LNAB