tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post110783725342349704..comments2023-11-02T07:25:45.884-05:00Comments on Mormanity - a blog for those interested in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Yearning for DOS: My Experience with MLS, the Church's New Software for Wards and BranchesJeff Lindsayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1135996128175273892005-12-30T20:28:00.000-06:002005-12-30T20:28:00.000-06:00It got to the point where they ended up taking the...It got to the point where they ended up taking the computer away to fix it because we couldnt even get IN!! to the program after entering the password and pressing enter. So now its back to the old manual way of doing things. for now anyway.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1116277087608607672005-05-16T15:58:00.000-05:002005-05-16T15:58:00.000-05:00"But one practical side effect of eliminating the ..."But one practical side effect of eliminating the old split between MIS and local data is that we can't provide temporary fixes for things like new converts whose paperwork gets lost by missionaries."<BR/>-----<BR/>Have you tried creating a temporary record for them as an 'Out of Unit Member'? This would let you put them on the rolls, give them callings, etc., and then when the mission gets the official membership created, you could go in and remove the out of unit member and use the official one. You would want to be careful not to enter donations against the out-of-unit member, though. <BR/><BR/>I think you could enter donations against a temporary record and then merge them when the official membership record arrives. <BR/><BR/>This is a kludge, but then, so was the original process... :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1116275556162102712005-05-16T15:32:00.000-05:002005-05-16T15:32:00.000-05:00I think that SERIOUS and PAINFUL might be a good w...I think that SERIOUS and PAINFUL might be a good way to describe cancer or arthritis - but it seems like hyperbole for a user interface.<BR/><BR/>The wrangling between the MLS and MIS afficionados reminds me of other religious wars: DOS vs. Windows, Windows vs. Mac, Linux vs. everybody, your favorite editor vs. mine, C vs. Pascal. "Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."<BR/><BR/>I think the key is to see what the new code does, and then go from there. I've seen the beta code for the 2.3 release and I know they have fixed a number of things; I expect them to fix other things as well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1108024989936147332005-02-10T02:43:00.000-06:002005-02-10T02:43:00.000-06:00You might want to try this link.
http://mls.lds.o...You might want to try this link.<br /><br />http://mls.lds.org/scripts/ttcgi.exe?command=SoloSubmitScreen&databaseid=11<br /><br />It will take you to a screen where you can submit bugs and feature requests.<br /><br />You also may want to take a look at the unofficial MLS FAQ for tips here.<br /><br />http://ldsoss.org/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?The_Unofficial_MLS_FAQAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1108008661197153252005-02-09T22:11:00.000-06:002005-02-09T22:11:00.000-06:00Amen! Does anybody know how to reach a manager in ...Amen! Does anybody know how to reach a manager in the develop team to share these SERIOUS and PAINFUL limitations??Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1107969613019617712005-02-09T11:20:00.000-06:002005-02-09T11:20:00.000-06:00FWIW, I completely empathize with Jeff's original ...FWIW, I completely empathize with Jeff's original post.<br /><br />MIS was inelegant, but it was fast and relatively intuitive. It was easy to memorize 3- or 4-digit codes for commonly-used reports. Print jobs spooled instantly and flew out of the printer.<br /><br />MLS is completely the opposite. Nothing is in a logical location (as Jeff gave several examples), and frequently you have to look in 3 or 4 places before finding the report you're looking for. Print jobs spool and spool and spool and spool before printing, with frequent pauses between pages. Try creating a custom report and then sizing the columns -- it takes 5 minutes of trial-and-error before all the columns print wide enough to prevent line breaks in birth dates or addresses (and we've created about 20 custom reports to make up for the lack of obvious standard reports). Many Windows programs use the TAB key to move between fields and buttons, but this functionality is minimal and inconsistently applied in MLS -- only mouse users need apply.<br /><br />What did MLS get right? Well, it looks nice. And it's nice that temple recommend expirations and other data now come with new move-ins (although I suspect that could have been done with MIS had someone wanted it to). And you can put photos of ward members in the system (if you have time -- we have 574 members in our ward, and keeping up with THAT would be three full-time callings).<br /><br />My suggestion: Completely rethink and rewrite the program for the next version. Get actual ward-level users involved. Ask Membership Clerks what's important to them. Ask Finance Clerks how entering tithing can be made faster and less mouse-intensive. Ask Elders Quorum and Relief Society Presidents what they need to make entering home/visiting teaching information simpler and more helpful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1107933618177229032005-02-09T01:20:00.000-06:002005-02-09T01:20:00.000-06:00Ironic when you consider the picture that pops up ...Ironic when you consider the picture that pops up when the program is loading. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1107924829290986822005-02-08T22:53:00.000-06:002005-02-08T22:53:00.000-06:00Good points, all. Maybe I'll learn to love the new...Good points, all. Maybe I'll learn to love the new version. But one practical side effect of eliminating the old split between MIS and local data is that we can't provide temporary fixes for things like new converts whose paperwork gets lost by missionaries. We've got some problems that we've been fighting for a long time, trying to get the missionaries and the mission home to get the records for new people to be generated. Meanwhile, we can't use the MLS system to put them into the system to make sure they are properly listed. There are other situations where that was really needed. The lack of flexibility may make it harder to properly nurture new people and others with exceptional situations. I hear lots of related frustrations expressed from others.Jeff Lindsayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08776493593387402607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7139169.post-1107880824449549442005-02-08T10:40:00.000-06:002005-02-08T10:40:00.000-06:00Jeff,
I understand the frustration. I'm the Branc...Jeff,<br /><br />I understand the frustration. I'm the Branch Membership Clerck of a student branch that covers about four stakes in Southern California. That means ALOT of changes happen because of the transient nature of it all. I must say it was hard to get used to the new MLS, but once i put in my time I'd never want to go back to the DOS version.<br /><br />Try reading the help file, it's not as cryptic as it sounds. Once you figure out the way they organize things it becomes much simpler. <br /><br />-Aaron Goodwin<br /><br />PS. I'm so thankful that I don't have to press F10 everytime I want something done!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com