274 replies to this topic

[auchonvillerssomme]

Sorry but if you put up a search on cemetery, you could not search on the headings.

Mick

[NigelS]

Is the save as pdf new? (I don't recollect seeing it before - if it was I've never used it) other than that, it looks prettier (who cares?) and the fact that they've now made slightly clearer that the records returned can be sorted, its very much a case of: if it ain't bust don't fix it. Couldn't all the angst have been avoided if they'd still allowed access to the old interface (I'm assuming - possibly wrongly -  that it is just the interface, and not the overall format of the data, that's changed). I can't believe that the CWGC is so blind as to not realise how people are using its data and the problems this change is likely to cause.

NigelS

[seadog]

Hi again, can any of you experts inform me as to how the result of a individual search can now be saved to "favorites" on my PC as I have no idea how this can be done. Also I may be wrong but when I copy a individual records URL it is not active and cannot be loaded. What are these people dong, have they any idea at all?.

Norman

[ShropshireMad]

Sorry but if you put up a search on cemetery, you could not search on the headings.

Mick

It's true.

Neil

[Chris_Baker]

how the result of a individual search can now be saved to "favorites" on my PC

I'm not sure it can, seadog. The new URL appears to rely on a session variable, which expires when you leave the site.

[auchonvillerssomme]

Thank you Neil - in fact this was being discussed in 2003 and again in 2006.

Mick

[John Hartley]

Thank you Neil - in fact this was being discussed in 2003 and again in 2006.

Mick

Yes. Pity they couldnt have put it in this release - save a lot of faffing  when you know the cemetery but are looking for a regiment's casualties.

John

[seadog]

Thanks for the reply Chris, as Paul said "if it isn’t broke don’t fix it”, why have the CWGC implemented such a retrograde facility, I think that it is about time that a job review was undertaken at the CWGC for I am of the opinion and just not based on the latest cock-up that a few people would be better employed elsewhere.

Norman

[Martin Elliget]

On the issue of the URL syntax, there's no reason why they couldn't have kept it the same for the new version. Although that's a moot point at the moment because jumping to a modified URL directly without first searching produces a screen with blank fields, even though the casualty IDs have been maintained.

I think the CWGC need to take a leaf out of the National Archives' book in the way that it retains the search parameters within the URL, e.g. a search on HOOD in ADM 53 (ships' logs) for the year 1941:
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalog...&image1.y=0

It's not a link to a static page but runs the search dynamically based on the specified criteria. CWGC could similarly enable linking to groups of casualties right down to individuals, with paging mechanisms to handle large sets of results.

I do like that, if you pause after you've typed in the first few letters of the surname, it previews the different spelling variations and possible miss-spelt surnames. It seems to limit the number of previewed names to 10 (the most numerous?) until you've typed in more letters.

regards,

Martin

[Martin Elliget]

After a bit more investigation, you can do saved searches similar to the NA Catalogue, though they seem to encrypt the search parameters.

The listing for Horace Jack COVEY, Sapper, Royal Australian Engineers (not the full details page).
http://www.cwgc.org/Search-Result.aspx?t=c...WqguTkJ0k%3d#a1

All COVEYs.
http://www.cwgc.org/Search-Result.aspx?t=c...kA19bz9o2kSO#a1

But the fact still remains that the syntax has changed and you can't link directly to the full details page.

[Martin Elliget]

The last out of me tonight, I promise!

You can link directly to a PDF of the casualty details page using the syntax:

http://www.cwgc.org/PDFHandler.ashx?t=a2&ca=CASUALTYID

Replace CASUALTYID with the same number as before the change.

For example, the CWGC casualty ID for Horace Jack COVEY is 2665884, so his casualty details can be downloaded (in PDF format) here:
http://www.cwgc.org/PDFHandler.ashx?t=a2&ca=2665884

Not as elegant or as useful as a plain webpage.

[seadog]

Thanks for that Martin, I regret that it all went over my head (my fault not yours). Keeping things simple I just wonder how many net users have (1) Saved individual searches to their favorites and (2) How many roll of honour web sites refer directly to the CWGC database. In both cases the CWGC have totally screwed up all of the work that people have done and have not even the courtesy of telling users that changes have been made. Mind you their web site is so bad that the so called "latest news" does not even mention the passing of Harry Patch the last fighting Tommy. What a shambles, somebody should be held to account for this mess but of course being the CWGC and sacrosanct, nobody will!

Norman

[Derek Robertson]

the fact that previous links no longer work shouldn't really be criticised too much.

It is when over 1100 links of mine have been wiped out for not good reason that I can fathom. Dear, oh dear.

I will have a look at Martin's work to see if I can get his methods to work for me.

[ShropshireMad]

I feel so grateful i saved the data to my computer. I wonder if they considered the broken link problems. I think i recall the same think heppening a few years back.

Neil

[Derek Robertson]

You can link directly to a PDF of the casualty details page using the syntax:

http://www.cwgc.org/PDFHandler.ashx?t=a2&ca=CASUALTYID
Replace CASUALTYID with the same number as before the change.
For example, the CWGC casualty ID for Horace Jack COVEY is 2665884, so his casualty details can be downloaded (in PDF format) here:
http://www.cwgc.org/PDFHandler.ashx?t=a2&ca=2665884

Martin,
Using your hyperlink jottings I can change all my unique casualty record links retrospectively to the PDF format (    ) but how can I add new ones?
I don't think I can and this seems to be the same conclusion as Chris who has spotted that the new URL appears to rely on a session variable.  
Where is the unique casualty field identifier on the new system?
i.e if I add a new casualty to a database how do I do it so that his individual record appears?

[1RGLI]

Derek,
       I am no programmer, however is the Casualty Identifier not displayed in the bottom left hand corner (in the bottom bar area of my IE 7) of the Casualty Search results on my local machine, How you extract, grab or scrape, that part of this information I don't know, it is there when you "Hover" over a search result. but at least it is visable.

It's a mess and a major headache no doubt.

Mark.

[archangel9]

Geoff's -

"This search engine has now closed due to recent changes made to The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website making the system inoperable."

http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search14-21.php

John

[DMcNay]

I've made a post regarding this on my blog:

http://scottishmilitary.blogspot.com/2009/...war-graves.html

as I say there, I posted on the CWGC "Twitter" feed asking them if they have any response to this criticism. I'll be interested to see if we get any kind of reply from them.

[IWABOBC]

Using your hyperlink jottings I can change all my unique casualty record links retrospectively to the PDF format (    ) but how can I add new ones?
I don't think I can and this seems to be the same conclusion as Chris who has spotted that the new URL appears to rely on a session variable.  
Where is the unique casualty field identifier on the new system?
i.e if I add a new casualty to a database how do I do it so that his individual record appears?

Hi,
Depending on browser.
If you right-click on the 'pdf version' link at the top left of the individual casualty's details page, you can click 'Copy Shortcut' (IE), 'Copy Link Location' (Firefox) or 'Copy Link' (Safari) to get a direct link to the pdf.

Hope that helps a bit.

Cheers,
iwabobc

[NigelS]

Geoff's -

"This search engine has now closed due to recent changes made to The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website making the system inoperable."

http://www.hut-six.co.uk/cgi-bin/search14-21.php

John

What a disaster: as well as for users, both casual & serious, Geoff must be totally gutted to have had all his hard - not to mention voluntary - work go down the pan. He certainly deserves a  sincere vote of thanks for the time and effort he must have put in, and the use his search engines  were able to be put to while they were functional.

Geoff's WWI & WWII search engines Killed off by CWGC 'Donkeys' 07/09/09 RIP  

NigelS

[June Underwood]

Can I suggest that we all let our disapproval be known to CWGC.  I have just written a strong email to the address given on Geoffs now inoperable website.   Peter Francis, Head of Communications, CWGC.  email:    peter.francis@cwgc.org

It probably won't do any good, but at least you have the satisfaction of knowing that you have tried.  If no-one lets them know how we feel, then they will think that we approve.

Can Terry Denham give us any explanations as to why these changes have been made and not thought through sufficiently- apart from the CWGCs one, which will that it's the dreaded word - progress.

My Cemetery links on my website - over 6000 of them - are now useless. These were included to help the very people who might have problems in using the CWGC website.
June

[Owen D]

Yup email sent earlier tonight.

[Martin Elliget]

Using your hyperlink jottings I can change all my unique casualty record links retrospectively to the PDF format ( ) but how can I add new ones?

Hi Derek.

As Mark and iwabobc have pointed out, the casualty ID is still here and being used, albeit now behind the scenes. Just to clarify, you need to save the URL behind "PDF Version" in the Casualty Details screen. If you save the one behind "PDF Version" in the Casualty Search Results screen, it will give you just a PDF of the casualty search results (i.e. not the full details for an individual).

regards,

Martin

[June Underwood]

Just had an automated reply back from CWGC to say that Peter Francis is away until 21 Sep and urgent emails can be sent to David Stacey at      david.stacey@CWGC.org so I'm sending the same email to him.

June

[Martin Elliget]

From a technical point of view, there is absolutely no reason why they can't:

1. rename the new search ASP page to what it was previously
2. put it in the same location as the old one (i.e. in a sub-folder called "search") and
3. have it work standalone from a saved shortcut/URL.

If they did that, all of the saved links in webpages, favourites, lists in spreadsheets, etc. would start working again.

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