Issue finding pending merges by surname [closed]

Question

Today I was searching for information about this proposed merge. I went to the Find > Pending Merges page and entered "Dotterer" (and then "Dodderer") in the "Limit to Surname:" box and got back the following:

Oddly, if I go to Pending Merges and choose a surname from a merge that I initiated and go through the same steps as above, the page does return a list of pending merges. 

What is different about the Dotterer/Dodderer merge listed above?

Answer 1

I think you will find that if you search for "Dodderer" in all pending merges across WikiTree, you will find that proposed merge, but you will never find it under "Dotterer."

I have observed that the "Search by surname" function works only when the surname I am searching for is the LNAB on the profile that is/was proposed to be merged away. The search function does not see the LNAB of the profile that was proposed as a merge destination.

Since I am the member who proposed that Dotterer merge, I checked to verify that the behavior of the search isn't based on who proposed the merge. There's currently a proposed merge of Sinclair-5538 to Chappell-2493. If I search on "Chappell" I don't find the merge, but if I search on "Sinclair" I can see it.

(I deal with a large number of merge proposals between different LNABs, so I see this fairly frequently, and I've come to accept it as an annoying feature of the WikiTree merge process that I just need to live with. I guess it could come as a shock to members who don't often see merges between different LNABs.)

Comments

Thanks, Ellen ... I haven't run across this before. I did find it listed under "Dodderer" this time, but  did try that earlier and came up with nuthin'. :-/ Very weird.

Anyway, I will keep your guidance above in mind in the future. :-)

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I often have trouble getting all of the search parameters under "Pending merges" lined up the way I want them. Maybe it's my imagination, but it often seems like when I adjust one parameter, another parameter reverts back to some previous setting.

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Ellen is correct, I have come across this on multiple occasions...

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If you search for a surname, then want to search by a different item, you have to clear the surname box, select the search again, before trying a different item. It doesn't clear the surname when using a different merge option above, unfortunately