Merge into other LNAB: order not respected

+9 votes
308 views
Hey,

When merging, there is the "into" order. So one should merge into the correct LNAB.

Merging into the same LNAB works and picks the earliest profile. I have encountered three cases now where the order is not respected. Latest attached.

Here, the "into" is not used, but the earliest profile is used no matter the order. This results into incorrect merges, eg merges into the incorrect LNAB. I have tried to warn managers, but you don't see the warning in the merging screen.

Can you please verify that the order is respected? This will save a lot of unnessary LNAB changes and checks.
WikiTree profile: Berend Wessels Drenth
in WikiTree Tech by Michel Vorenhout G2G6 Pilot (364k points)
edited by Jamie Nelson
I had someone reverse the merge order as proposed (to the correct LNAB) before completing it, because they decided the lower number was to be the end page.  A rename had then to be done, because the name on the lower number was incorrect.
When proposing a merge of two profiles with different LNABs, if there is no uncertainty about the correct LNAB, you can ask a Project Leader for temporary PPP on the correct LNAB. That will ensure the merge goes in the intended direction.

Too many people don't read the comments written when a merge was proposed.

1 Answer

+4 votes
It should respect the order if the LNABs are different, but the person doing the merge can always override it.

I'll do some testing just in case though.
by Jamie Nelson G2G6 Pilot (710k points)

When two profiles with different last names are merged and neither profile is PPP, the default direction of merge is from whichever profile the person merging the profiles starts at, to the other profile. That's how it has worked as long as I have been merging profiles at WikiTree. (More than 8 years.)

I've observed that many members who complete merges fail to notice or heed the comments posted when merges are proposed, and [unless one reads the comments] it can be a bit tricky to determine the intended merge direction. Also, we've had more than a few members who mistakenly assumed that all merges must go to the lower profile number, so we sometimes even get merges from a good LNAB to an obviously misspelled name that has a very low profile number because it is a uniquely bad spelling.

Oh, right. I was thinking that maybe things were getting switched from either the emails or Special:BrowseMatches.

We may be able to force the correct order in that case, but I'm not 100% sure.

Related questions

+10 votes
1 answer
+4 votes
2 answers
+8 votes
2 answers
290 views asked Sep 25, 2017 in WikiTree Tech by Living Massey G2G6 Mach 1 (17.5k points)
+3 votes
2 answers
+2 votes
1 answer
173 views asked Mar 21, 2018 in WikiTree Help by S. Ford G2G6 (7.2k points)
+4 votes
2 answers

WikiTree  ~  About  ~  Help Help  ~  Search Person Search  ~  Surname:

disclaimer - terms - copyright

...