Have you tried the new system for creating profiles (version 2)? [closed]

Question

Hi WikiTreers,

We have been working on improvements for creating new profiles. Will you help us test the new system? Click here and check the box that says "Turn on Beta test," and then save your settings.

When the setting is on, any profiles you create will use the new system. You'll be creating real profiles, so don't add test data. Just use WikiTree as you normally would and see how this changes the experience.

We first started testing a month ago, collected a lot of useful feedback, and made significant changes. So, even if you have tested this before, it would be great if you try it again.

Until the testing period is over, you can switch back to the old system at any time (My WikiTree pull-down menu > Settings). You may need to switch back if bugs are reported. Also, there may be compatibility issues with certain browser extensions until their developers update them.

Please post an answer below if you spot a bug or have questions, comments, or suggestions. Comments at the top will be hidden after they are read once.

Thanks!

Chris and the WikiTree Team

P.S. Other changes were released today. See "Have you seen the changes to family trees, profile tabs, etc.?"

P.P.S. 31 Jan 2023: Today we released an update that fixes some problems reported by members below.

Answer 1

I’m assuming if I never turned off Beta that I am now using the new system automatically… certainly the forced entry of the source caught me by surprise, luckily I had already copied it in readiness to add to the profile after creation. It was more the surprise element rather than disliking the option. I will carry on creating profiles and see how the new version differs.

Comments

I don't understand why we would create profiles without a source anyway. Without the beta I am always asked to provide a source when creating and never see options to click a box...maybe because I do it from my phone? Either way, there are so many orphaned profiles without sources, merge problems because of no data or because names aren't caught unless there is a source like FindaGrave or FamilySearch to show up in the Suggestions.

 This brings me to the other part of the sourcing issue- if it is a parent or one's own bio then of course firsthand information would be okay for now but it wouldn't help others and since there are multiple error codes for "No Sourcing" "Profile Nearly Empty" "Profile lacking dates / locations" and so on that pop-up in the main Suggestions fields it would be great to have those cleared but it is nearly impossible to help source a profile for Elizabeth Smith or James Johnson regardless of when they were born if there are no details to go on.

  I hope this makes since from both research and genealogy perspectives and is not taken to mean anything negative nor start an argument about anyone or any profile. I have a few I adopted early on because they were "relatives" but have been brick walls with no data nor relationships and I don't want to simply abandon them how I found them but I do hate having them on my list when I don't know where to go.

   Thanks for this discussion and I'll wait to hear if it is compatible with a smart phone before trying it out.

  Cheers!

    Becky Elizabeth

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My method under the old system was to quickly create the profile without entering sources as I wasn’t aware that you could enter in line sources and get the “X was born in xxxx, the child of Father and Mother.” automatically added to the profile. Then after creation I would immediately go back in and enter a source into the newly created profile.

If you didn’t enter a source that’s when the boxes giving you the two different statements about the lack of sources would appear. Then I’d go in add the source and remove the sentence after the profile was created.

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I actually replied to another thread directly after this one (yesterday) that I had no idea there was a bio builder. I don't know if it is available when using a cell phone for everything but I feel silly for typing all of that in every time when I could've hit said button. Is it something to check or select before publishing the new profile or after it has been created?

  Thanks for the reply!

    Becky Elizabeth

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I use a phone and an iPad for most of my WT’ing, very rarely using a PC. I am not now getting the bio-builder part using the beta version… and I do miss it.

One problem I encountered using a phone was that it sometimes entered the ref tags in the wrong place but I’ve now got a work around for that by using the text replacement feature… I was trying to think if I could create a similar text replacement for x was born … parents were… sort of thing, and then enter the correct ID’s for the parents. (I’m hoping that’s what you mean by bio-builder, my problem is I can never remember what to call things!).

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@Lindy, it ~should~ be working with GEDCompare. I'll email you for more details.

The "Advanced Sourcing" box should no longer be the default anymore, so if you choose the "Basic Sourcing" link and create a profile with that, it should be the version you get for future profile creation.

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Your email has been received, Jamie - thanks!

I'll get back to you at my leisure.

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It's true that the Basic Sourcing now is default, as should be - but my choice of Advanced / text box is not remembered. I thought that was the intention (but I can live with that little click).

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Like Eva, I've discovered that Advanced is not coming up as my personal default.

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We are going to make the choice a permanent setting since it seems the cookies are having issues.

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Hi I to use iPhone to work wikitree. How will these new features affect me.

Billie

Answer 2

I encountered a difficulty with the new system. First, I created a new profile as father of an existing profile, which was fine. Then, when I tried to add another already existing profile as child of this newly created father, it took me to the same type of page that you see when you are creating a new profile from scratch, where it lists “Steps” at the top and there is a box that says “Biography” and “Sources”. Is it required to enter something here? If you do enter something here, which profile would it go on? I did not go any further because I wasn’t sure what would happen.

Has it been made more difficult to connect two existing profiles? It seems like it used to be simpler. 

Edited to add two sentences.  

Comments

I've noticed the same. But you're not required to enter anything in the source/bio box when you connect an existing profile. I guess it's supposed to be there at your convenience, should you feel urged to provide a source at this stage.

Anyhow, I don't think it's a good idea. It's rather confusing.

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Ah yep, you should only get the "change explanation" field if you are adding an existing profile. Thanks for reporting the bug.

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I ran into the same bug when trying to add an existing father to a profile. When I went to the father's profile and added the existing child, though, I was able to add the child as expected.

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The "sources" box should no longer show up when adding an existing profile as a relation. Thanks again for reporting this bug!

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Great. Thank you, Jamie, or whoever else fixed this bug.

Answer 3

I like it. It continues to be more logical.

However, I miss the auto-generated bio.

Also, when I added a biography with ref tags to the biography section on the last edit page it did not "compute" until I edited the profile page. Unless I did something wrong or misunderstood.

Comments

I, too, miss the auto-generated bio.  Halfway through my work today, the system switched.  I'm not happy about it.  Not only does it make my work that much more time consuming, it's going to mean a LOT of new names with unpopulated biography fields.

I tested it, and was able to complete a biography with no references at all.  I hope this isn't the final version!

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This may be the place to say that I don't miss the autogenerated bio at all. In fact I had been thinking to ask for an option to turn it off.

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Interesting, I think it depends on the profile I’m adding. If it’s a one off I like an auto bio. But if I’m adding a whole families with extensive biographies I like doing it myself.

A choice would be nice.

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auto-generated bio isn't really a bio in my book, on top of being only in English.  Rather do without totally, that way one can see if a bio is empty for real.

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The auto-bio should still happen if you use the "Basic Sourcing" option. It seems that it's accidentally defaulting to the "Advanced" option, which won't generate the bio.

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I also dislike the auto-generated bio. It's okay when I'm  dropping a list of sources and running, but if I'm trying to write a sourced bio, it's an extra thing to delete or to fiddle around with editing. (It'd be easier if "X was born on DATE; they were the child of Y and Z" and "X died on DATE" were separate paragraphs; I don't have to make sure I'm clicking on exactly the right point to enter my paragraph about the marriage.

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Chiming in to second all comments that losing the auto-bio is a good thing.

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I like autobio, it gives a basic structure to expand on.

If I'm adding a large family group I often put the profiles on first with a support source then go back and source the group, especially for things like census where the same source is used for multiple profiles.

 However Bee has a autobio that is as good, if not better.

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I've been on here for a few years and created hundreds of profiles and had no idea there was an auto biography format. I am that person who spends too much time writing because of not having a full computer :( Arghh... but on the other hand I now know to look for this feature.

   Thanks!

      Becky Elizabeth

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The default auto-generation bio is much anyway.  I usually straight after use the WikiTree BEE Bio button to generate a nicer one anyway.

Answer 4

I just tried it - works for me!

I like that we can include the biography again when we create a new profile.

Comments

So do I. For years I have been in the habit of starting with one ref-tagged source or more in the notes box - and I have been quite happy with not getting an automatic bio.

Answer 5

I find it confusing to have to enter a source for an existing profile. At first, I thought there were no sources until I looked back at the existing entry. Do I have to enter a source on that screen?

Also, no biography at all when I create the profile. I like having a basic birthdate and or death date. I did use the auto bio but I don't have all the siblings entered yet so it seems redundant to have an autobio and have to go back and fix it later when there is more info.

Comments

I just read the other answers and switched to Basic and it had an automatic basic biography, but the advanced version did not have that. Is that intentional?

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It's probably intentional - or at least it works the same as it did in the old model when you created a profile with at least one ref-tagged source in the notes box.

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even just one word in the notes box will negate the auto-bio, which I personnally prefer, since they come out in English.

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Not having a biography automatically generated when using "Advanced sourcing" was intentional.

But the source box for existing profiles and the source box defaulting to "Advanced" are both bugs.

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Both bugs should be fixed now. If you choose the "basic sourcing" option, it should remember your choice for the next profile you create.

Answer 6

I spend a great deal of time writing stub biographies for empty profiles. With this newest revision, there are no auto-generated stub bios. This is going to create a great deal of cleanup work, and it will be confusing to new users.

There is nothing wrong with the current method of creating profiles. It is simple and efficient. Neither of the versions you've put into beta improve it in any way. Brand-new users aren't going to know what to write in the biography section or how to format it. PLEASE let them continue to fill out a form and have the system generate a basic bio for them.

Comments

There is a bug that is defaulting the source box to the "Advanced" version, instead of the basic one that will generate the auto-bio.

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I'm very glad to hear it's just a bug! Thank you!

Answer 7

I absolutely love it, especially now that I can enter the narrative and the source all at once.

Comments

But I thought the old version allowed that as well.

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It did but the format of the new version is shorter an means less scrolling, thus easier and quiker input.

Version 1 of the new form did not allow it.

Answer 8

I "only" switched on Beta-testing for the new version. But - when I create new profiles, I get the location suggestions now as well. And I don't see a link to switch them off. I don't want them. Please add a link in the new profiles to switch the suggestions off (without a need to install a app).

Comments

The place to switch the suggestions off is where it used to be, below and to the right of the Death Place field on the Edit Person screen. It always turns on when you change something in the Settings and save.

It's  a nuisance and I hope that this setting can be made permanent soon.

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Tusen takk, Leif

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We will be doing work on locations soon (hopefully to get them working with duplicate checking), so I've made a note about your suggestion.

Answer 9

I just tried again adding a father's new profile to his son's profile with Version 2.

I don't love the way step one asks you whether you want to add someone new or to add an existing profile. If you have already have that existing profile ID, It would be really cool to be able to just add it right on that first screen, which would take you to a subsequent screen where you could add marriage info and select children if necessary.

I selected add new profile. The next screen is a lot better than in the previous version. Great job! I chose to use the Basic option (which should be the default, IMHO.) I was very surprised that, after entering the basic info, it didn't search for duplicates the way the current production version does. That seems extremely fraught with peril and could cause new/inexperienced users to make duplicates. I'm curious why that important piece is gone.

Everybody uses WikiTree differently, but the way I create new profiles is to look to see if that person exists, then create a new profile I can't find them. It's not unheard of, though, for a match to pop up after I've entered the basic information. Taking the step out of double-checking to see if there's an existing profile doesn't make a ton of sense to me, but maybe I'm misunderstanding things.

Comments

Aaaand I retract that. Suggested matches DO show up, if there are any. I liked it when it affirmatively said there were no matches, but it's not a big deal that it doesn't anymore. :)

Answer 10

I think this version is a definite improvement. It took me straight to the advanced option but that was ok. I was happy to start the narrative and in-line sourcing.  I think the duplicate checker needs a lot of work, mainly around locations but also middle names. I have emailed Jamie separately on that point. Good to see a location filter for potential duplicates is on the list for future improvements. In the meantime, I’ll continue to search for any existing profile(s) before I go to create a new one. One further request. Please allow us to set privacy when creating the profile. Thanks

Answer 11

I really enjoy the screen with the ==Biography== and ==Sources== headings already filled in. I normally add a source, then have to go back in and make it an inline citation. This cuts out steps for me.

Answer 12

There seems to be an issue with connecting to a newly created profile. Need to connect Grehan-62 with her father Grehan-61

Comments

Hi Sally, are you getting some sort of error message?

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When I was building these profiles 4 days ago the screen to add child with existing profile would circle back to the previous screen. I was thinking perhaps it was because some index file did not contain the entry Grehan-62 perhaps because it was created by merge Unknown-633603.

Do you want me to try again today ?

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We did fix a couple of bugs this morning, so maybe give it another try. If it still doesn't work then let me know.

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I did add child to Stephen Grehan-61 select existing profile Grehan-62 and it worked today. Thanks

Answer 13

Why is it not adding the biography and sources section, I  have had to manually add them. No, it doesn't bother me to add them in case anyone is wondering, 

Comments

Hi Dallace, if you use the "basic sourcing" option, you just need to add a source and the "Biography" and "Sources" sections will be created for you.

If you use the "advanced sourcing" option, the Biography and Sources sections will be in the box, and you have to keep them in there along with your sources or they won't show up once the profile is created.

Are you using the basic or advanced sourcing mode?

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Hi, Jamie I really don't know which one I am using. 

Answer 14

This newest version has improved some of the problem areas for me. Our challenge tracker is now popping up when we are used to seeing it right after the profile has been created and near the top. We are also taken once again to the top of the profile so we can start at the top (clicking radio buttons as we go) and work our way down. The language and living people options make more sense.

The new advanced vs basic sourcing option I can live with, but it's stuck in advanced as the default and I have to keep setting it to Basic. Jamie said it was supposed to default to Basic?

Finally, I agree with what some of the others said about the extra click when attaching an existing profile that takes us to a source box. Both profiles should already be sourced, so I don't understand the purpose of this extra source box? Has anyone used it so far?

Comments

Jamie stated above: 

"Not having a biography automatically generated when using "Advanced sourcing" was intentional.

 

 

But the source box for existing profiles and the source box defaulting to "Advanced" are both bugs."

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The bugs should be fixed now. It will still default to "Advanced" the next time you use it, but it should remember if you switch to "Basic" now.

Answer 15

I was using this successfully yesterday on my Linux Desktop with Firefox Browser.

Today on my windows 10 Desktop and firefox browser.  I can not add an EXISTING profile as a son keep going to new.  So I tried to add EXISTING father to the son still keeps going to new profile, when both are now there.

I could not seem to avoid a new profile screen, I so I backed out.

William Corby Corby-498 is the father of William Corby Corby-403.

I will try and remember how to get my setting back to the old profile creation system and see how I go then.

Just giving feedback on my experience so far.

Answer 16

Adding a new profile works fine and is a good improvement in my opinion. Clearer compared to the "old" version.

Pros: Middle name can be deactivated here.  Option to cite the source in the text of the Biography itself and that this is recognized as a source.  (This was already possible but I was curious if this was still the case).  

What I'm missing is the check for profiles that might be a duplicate or is this done in the background and shown if relevant?  

What I would find useful is if the button "Cite your source" would be available.

Comments

It shows profiles that might be a duplicate if any are found.

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If none are found, it would be helpful if a brief message said so, something like "No matching profiles found: please proceed." This would give reassurance that a check for possible duplicates has been performed.

Answer 17

I like the beta version 2, with the advanced box for adding Biography and Sources.

A small issue: the box has very little vertical room: it's only about five lines high. Perhaps it can normally be expanded by dragging a corner, but that never works on an iPad. Could the height of the box please be increased?

If it's not difficult, a preview option at this stage would be good. It might avoid an edit after the profile has been saved.

As other people have reported, I did not seem to be offered any opportunity to check for matches with existing profiles using this approach. (On the profile I created, I had already checked with Search, and there were no matches.)

Edited to fix typo.

Answer 18

A couple of requests:

1) When creating a profile with no birth/death locations, can we get a reminder message like we do with the existing profile creation system?

2) If using the "advanced" source entry option, can the text box be made taller? The default lines take up most of the vertical space and it makes it a little hard to see the overall picture of what you're typing.

3) I agree with others that I'd like to be able to choose a default setting for the basic or advanced sourcing option, and basic should be the default.

Thanks!

Answer 19

I am Testing it out as we speak

Answer 20

The new profile "creator" is great.  You incorporated a fix for my one complaint.  Thanks.  The flow makes sense and facilitates quick creation.  Once again, thanks.