Droid Users - Read this

There have been some reports of frustration involved with getting the CSV file in the right spot and having the app recognize the file. The majority of the frustration seems to be coming from Droid users. One persistent user found a combination that worked for him and I thought I'd post it here. Props to Emery for figuring this out and taking the time to document it:

Hey...DROID USERS...got it to work.

Here is what I did.

1. Uninstalled the app from my phone.
2. Powered off my phone
3. Used a SD card adapter to plug SD card into computer to delete the "Ward Roster" folder.
4. Remounted sd card, powered up phone.
5. Reinstalled app from marketplace.
6. Re downloaded ward roster .csv file from my online ward directory.
7. Took care to NOT OPEN FILE...saved it as.
8. Renamed by right click.
9. Powered down phone, unmounted card and mounted to computer.
10. Copy & paste directory.csv into "ward roster" folder...not other folders in the file.
11. Unmounted card from computer, remounted and powered on phone.
12. Went to app...started, selected "import" and the button stayed lit...began to get excited and ...wallah! Within 1 minute my ward roster was there!

I tried every other way prior to this with my usb cable and it did not work. I suspect something was asmiss here or perhaps when I opened the .csv file and renamed it previously. Dont know exactly which was the key but now I am happy...the links to MAP are great when trying to find a house...since I do a ton of visits as the EQP.

FYI. I am running, vista, office 07 and Firefox as my browser.

0.4.0 - Home Teachers and Organizations

The most notable additions in this release are the ability to import Home Teachers and Organizations using the files provided by the MLS system on the ward computer. Include the HomeTeaching.csv and Organization.csv file in the /sdcard/WardRoster/ directory when importing to leverage this functionality.

Some other features:

- instant dial: with this feature enabled, phone numbers will dial immediately instead of loading on the dialer window.
- improved navigation: added menus
- usage reporting: I'm collecting a few statistics about the usage of the app. This will give me aggregated data on general app usage. Please note that no membership data is being collected.
- single parent families - there was a bug where clicking on a child in a single parent family sometimes produced an error.

A troubleshooting help

I read a comment from someone who said that it didn't work for them to name it "Directory.csv". Instead, the named it to "Directory" and it worked.

So, this is definitely true if Windows is hiding your extensions from you. This is actually the default setting in Windows, if it knows what an extension is, it hides it. So, when you think you are naming a file "Directory.csv" it is actually naming it "Directory.csv.csv"

So, if you are struggling, try naming it "Directory"

Also, props to Ron for the tip!

0.3.1 - Bug Fix

Thanks to everyone who sent this in, but I unknowingly released 0.3.0 with a bug. In my haste to get compatibility for MLS 3.1.1, I released the software without testing it with the Online data file. A force close was error was introduced, but thanks to some observant users, the bug has been detected and fixed.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in!

0.3.0 - MLS 3.1.1

Many of you have recognized that WardRoster was not compatible with MLS 3.1.1. The good news is it is now compatible!

So what do you get with the new version? There are a couple of added fields on the person details screen. Also, if an individual has a personal phone number, it will appear next to their name on the family details screen. Personal emails addresses appear on the person details screen.

MLS 3.1.1 is a big shift in the way the Church track contact info. It now recognizes that phone numbers and email address correspond to an individual instead of a household. This is great move forward.

Troubleshooting

When in doubt, here are some tips to help you:

1. Don't use Google Chrome (at least, at present it seems to be modifying the CSV files)
2. If both Membership.csv and Directory.csv are present, only Membership.csv will be used.
3. Disconnect your phone from the computer before you import (okay, it's possible to import with the computer connected, but it's easier to just say unplug it. When it doubt, unplug).


The user base for this app is really growing and some of you are becoming increasingly proficient. So, that said, am I missing anything? Post your tips in the comments.

0.2.0 - Sharing

The new release comes with a few new features, namely the ability to share phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. I should note that with this ease of use we should not forget that this data is to be used for church purposes only. This feature was suggested by a user, but I will use it frequently, as a frequently get emails/texts from bishopric members asking for contact info.

So, the power is now yours, use it wisely. And enjoy!

Coming soon...

This is just an update to inform you that there is a new version coming. It's a minor release, but adds a new feature suggested by one of you that I think is a fabulous idea. The new version will allow you to long click contact data on the family details page and give you the option of sending that data to any app that will take it.

Why would you want this? I frequently get texts and emails from bishopric members asking for phone numbers. This will allow you to long click a number and send an email or SMS with part or all of the contact data. Copy is also available.

This was not my idea, but I think it is a great one and will be using it frequently.

Look for it soon. The code is done but it needs some testing.

Google Chrome

There have been some reports of the Google Chrome browser interfering with the CSV file creation from the LDS website. When Chrome is used, some of the quotation marks are striped from the file which causes a problem on import. The quotation marks are needed, especially when names and addresses contain commas.

I find it rather ironic that the Google powered browser is causing issues for an app targeted toward a Google powered phone.

0.1.2 - some small fixes

This change will apply to a small part of you. When a birthday was missing, there was a failure on import.

I also increased the size of the names on the Family screen as some reported difficulty in selecting the desired person.

As always, thanks for your feedback with any issues you find.

0.1.1 - a few bug fixes

This new release should fix problems that a few of you have been experiencing, including the following:

- Last names that include spaces did not import correctly
- Family member list did not always sort properly
- Various failures when importing Directory.csv


Also, props to those who spoke up about the issues they were experiencing. For any out there that are experiencing bugs, please let me know. I can't fix them if I don't know about them. ;-) Thanks!

0.1.0 - First minor upgrade

This version of the app brings a few exciting features. Here's the list:

- Removed refresh button - this was unnecessary
- Add help screen - from the main list, choose menu, then click help to see the help context.
- The image naming structure was revamped. The new structure saves family photos in the family folder, using the naming scheme of lastname_husbandname_spousename.jpg. Indviduals photos are stored in the individual folder with the naming scheme being lastname_firstname_middlename.jpg. If you take photos using an external source, you can paste them into these folder and they will automatically be picked up.
- Add email to the Contact tab
- Set the person window to only show in the case of MLS data (since there is really nothing to show there)
- Change main list to include spouse name
- Add option to import from Online website

I hope these features make the app more useful and applicable for a broader audience. As always, I'd love to hear your feedback.

0.0.1 - First release!

I'm happy to announce the first release of Ward Roster on the Android Marketplace.

Here's an overview of how to use it.

1. Download the app.
2. Obtain the Membership.csv file from a ward clerk
3. Place the Membership.csv file on the sdcard in a WardRoster directory
4. Run the app
5. Press the MENU button
6. Choose Import from CSV (depending on the size of your ward, it could take 5-10 minutes, don't worry, this is only necessary once after pulling a new data file)
7. Enjoy!

Please post any issues you might have with this version under this post.

Welcome!

This is the official website for the Ward Roster application for the Android OS. Ward Roster contains essential information pertaining to LDS Ward units. The application derives most of its data from the export files which can be obtained from your ward computer. See one of your ward clerks to obtain this data.

This blog will be the main source of contact for all questions/input regarding the application and will also contain the latest news and coming attractions.