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Topic: NBN Exchange Addin

Can I suggest a few changes to the NBN Exchange Addin if budget allows?

1. Automatically remove spaces from Grid Reference fields.  This is something the R6 user interface seems to do, so when looking at Sample and Survey Event grid references they have no spaces, but the database fields behind them do.  Spaces cause errors in the NBN Record Cleaner so it would be good to remove them in the Addin.

2. Provide a user option to automatically truncate the Comments field at 255 characters.  Again the NBN Record Cleaner reports this as an error which currently means we have to open the extract file, search for all comments > 255 chars and truncate them manually.  Although some users will want to shorten them 'intelligently' it would be nice to have a simple option to just chop them at 255 chars.

3. Provide a user option to remove all double-quote characters from the Comments field.  Not only does the NBN Record Cleaner have problems if there are unmatched double-quotes, which is a pain if users have used a double quote to indicate inches (e.g. 6-8" long) but it seems the NBN Record Cleaner also doesn't like multiple sets of double quotes in the same Comment, even if they are matched.  So an option to remove them all would be good.

Andy Foy
Systems Manager
Greenspace Information for Greater London (GiGL) CIC
www.gigl.org.uk

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Re: NBN Exchange Addin

Will log these as requirements.   As far as No. 1 goes, there are a number of places in Recorder 6 where spaces in grid refs cause problems. They shouldn't be there.  I think it is version 6.18  (or perhaps 6.19) which removes them and stops them getting in from the import Wizard.

Mike Weideli

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Re: NBN Exchange Addin

If that's the case a one-shot batch update should do the trick.

Rob Large
Wildlife Sites Officer
Wiltshire & Swindon Biological Records Centre

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Re: NBN Exchange Addin

The upgrade which fixes the import wizard runs an update to fix any existing problems. I think the fix may be in 6.20 which isn't yet officially released.

Mike Weideli