Programming changes to surname lists [closed]

+3 votes
304 views
Yesterday it was the surname PLATTS, today I can't get a surname table for the surname PLATT either. It was working yesterday and that was verified by another user. Both names have disappeared off the list of related surnames. Whoever is making changes to the surname lists, and it has to be someone with programming rights, needs to please stop. None of the links work anymore at the top of the page for these surnames:

https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Platts

https://www.wikitree.com/genealogy/Platt

This is a catastrophe of huge proportions to people working on these surnames. I really do not know how I can carry on working without these lists.
closed with the note: The problem has now been corrected.
in WikiTree Tech by Gillian Causier G2G6 Pilot (289k points)
closed by Gillian Causier
Gillian, that is really weird! I just checked a couple of my surnames and go to the tables fine, but when I tried Platt and Platts neither went to the the tables. Hope it gets squared away for you soon!
Both worked for me. I don’t see the necessity to flag this question, it is of high importance to Gillian to fix this, no matter how it started!

Those links work fine -  it's the other links on the linked-to page (table view being one) that are causing Gillian's problem.

When I click the link, then click table view I get the g2g questions tagged with platt or platts, not the table view.

G2G Activity

Most-recent posts tagged Platt in our Genealogist-to-Genealogist (G2G) Forum:

Free-Space Genealogy Pages

Melanie, same results when I try. I wonder if this is affecting other surnames, but it just hasn't been noticed because many people do not use those tables the way Gillian does. Like I said earlier, I checked a couple of my main surnames and did not have a problem, but I didn't check them all. Gillian has done the right thing to alert the techs of a possible bug. I don't blame her for being upset at how this has disrupted her work-flow. I hope they can figure out what's going on for her so she can continue making her contributions to WikiTree in the way she likes to work.
Nothing in the code has been changed on these pages, it must be something in the database.

I am wondering if this is a symptom of a more general problem with the surname lists, of which another example might be https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/1128680/where-next-button-view-entries-genealogies-when-cannot-page.

An example of the issue in the other linked question is https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:Surname&s=WARD&order=dobup, where there are no NEXT buttons to see the rest of the list. That might be related to what it says at the top of the page "About 3 Wards", which is clearly not a very good estimate!

We're looking into it. We managed to break Smith (https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Special:Surname&s=SMITH&order=name), so it's a widespread problem that will get fixed ASAP.

5 Answers

+2 votes
Both links are working for me. Please refresh and try again.
by Jonathan Crawford G2G6 Pilot (274k points)
After clicking the link -  did you also click TABLE VIEW ?
Table view is not working, I've tried about twenty times. The other links along the top don't work either.
+1 vote

Using the links you posted above, both worked correctly.

BUT, when I did a search and selected several random Platts, it opened up to an odd page. At first I thought it might just be those you manage, but with considerable effort I found a Platts you do not manage and is still opened to the odd page.

by Nancy Thomas G2G6 Pilot (201k points)
As stated above the query works, but if you select 'table view' for the returned list, it no longer shows them correctly.
+2 votes
by Living Terink G2G6 Pilot (292k points)
The records are listed initially, until you select the 'table view option'.
Thanks for the workaround, Jan, I'll give that a try.

I reorder the surname table in alphabetical and in chronological order and see other Platts's who are not in my own family tree who I manage, as well as ones I don't manage, in order to make comparisons, propose merges and link up the different branches. I had made some real progress before this happened and it's just stopped me dead. An example of one aspect of my problem: there are a huge number of William Platts's (94 of them are on my watchlist but there are more) and finding the right one without using the table view ordered in reverse alphabetical is nigh on impossible. If I have the table, I can hover over each in turn and see who the parents are in the preview pane, or I can search for any born in, say, Grantham using a browser search of the table. I can order it by date if I know his birth year or want to find other Platts's born in the same period and place as one I'm working on. I have been able to match up some 1700's profiles with their families using the table view to assist me in finding probable matches. I've also linked "across the pond" and with Platts's in Australia and NZ. I have 4,785 people on my watchlist, Probably half of them are Platts.

As it is currently, I don't even know how many Platts's profiles are on the site because that number is only found by looking at another, similar surname list then looking top right at the numbers of people with related surnames. I tried looking at Platz and neither Platts nor Platt are listed as related surnames any more, they have both disappeared from the list, despite being hugely similar.
Gillian, that Is impressive how you are doing that.

Yes Gillian, I see your problem. My answer was no more than just getting a list of Platt LNABs. There or other, more sophisticated ways to use WikiTree+. Like getting all Platt, Platts, and Platz in one report. Or limiting by location, timeframe, etc. See the WikiTree+ help for more info.

Thank you Linda, it's a really useful tool.

Thanks Jan, I can see the 3 surnames in one report might be very useful. I'll have to play around with it and see what I can do.
+2 votes
Names not working so far:
Platts, Platt, Alley, Stanley, Hinton, Gross, Thomson, Cullen, Davenport, Starr, Morrill, Hunter, Wild, Ashford, Lloyd, Collier, Mercer, Ayres, White, Potts, Salt, Helms, Castle, Bruce, Paterson, Patterson, Cramer, Perkins, Hyde, Dyer, Bellamy, Oakes, Drinkwater, Mumford, Corbin, Annett, Posey, Stevens, Stephens, Vance, Ham, Ritchie, Rutherford, Barber, Garrison, Hicks, Fish, Carlson, Maxwell, Runnalls, Holland, Carroll, Yates, Vanallen, Cromwell, Drummond, Cartwright, Flynn, Symons, Norman, Higgins, Chambers, Salter, Lowry, Barnes, Moran, Strachan, Bradshaw, Bingham, Drew, Dye, Bellamy, Harper, Talbot, Branson, Callahan, Jacques, Newman, Irving, Rouse, Wheeler.

These are just ones I have tried, there could be others.
by Gillian Causier G2G6 Pilot (289k points)
+4 votes
This should be fixed now.
by Jamie Nelson G2G6 Pilot (612k points)
Ah brilliant stuff, that was pretty quick. Thanks so much.

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