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Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:21 pm
by John Upham
Attempting to confirm the grading code for

Kabir Mehotia Bhatia (who plays for Harrow)

I consulted the August 22nd 2016 version of the ECF master list and found 304382E

If one then shunts this into the on-line ECF grading site one obtains
No player has PlayerCode 304382E
Clearly this is nonsense.

Perhaps more meaningful would be

"I'm not allowed to inform you about PlayerCode 304382E but the code has been allocated to a player"

This player is not even listed under Ungraded players suggesting a new category of player: Graded, ungraded and secret.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 3:59 pm
by Angus French
Merged into 299673L?

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 4:08 pm
by John Upham
You may well be correct Angus but why the conflict between the Master List and the on-line system?

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Aug 29, 2016 7:48 pm
by Nick Grey
John you ought to put the query back to Richard Haddrell. Let me know if a Thames Valley query as have been dealt with to go into August update.
To confirm no Thames Valley games last season nor on Harrow's list of registrations for Thames Valley League.
Use wildcard prior to surname.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2016 2:44 pm
by Roger Lancaster
I reproduce part of an email from Andrew Walker at the ECF Office regarding someone else, which I think will also answer your question:

"(Name withheld) is a Free Junior Silver member, which in her case runs from 1/7/16 to 31/8/17. The grading database and the software that generates the membership spreadsheet are both incapable, as yet, of registering that these members are members. Those with the power to remedy this have this information, but have not acted yet, as far as I know.

"Between now and 1st September, when the problem will allegedly remedy itself, these members can only really be confirmed by a telephone call or email to us during office hours."

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2016 9:30 pm
by Richard Haddrell
Why the conspiracy theory, John? The online grading database has two categories of player: graded and ungraded. Secret, no. The reason 304382E doesn't appear is that he's got no games. He is in the central database and master list, rather spuriously, on the strength of zero results in a certain league (not Thames valley) the season before last. He may not even exist. The online list doesn't trouble you with such phantoms. It will show gameless players if they're ECF Members, but the phantom isn't.

He does exist, as it happens. On inspection he is obviously the same person as 299673L but with the (exotic) name almost unrecognisably shuffled. No one had noticed, starting with the Grading Administrator. The two should be merged. Hasn't happened yet, Angus, but it will.

Incidentally, John, this Forum is not the right place for this sort of query. Write to the Grading Administrator. That's Paul Hatchett when the transfer to him is complete, but I'm holding the fort in the meantime. Won't be long, I don't think.

Richard Haddrell

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 9:33 am
by Kevin Thurlow
"this Forum is not the right place for this sort of query"

However, it is a right place for thanking Richard for all his many years of hard work dealing with grading (and other) matters.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 9:42 am
by Mick Norris
Kevin Thurlow wrote:"this Forum is not the right place for this sort of query"

However, it is a right place for thanking Richard for all his many years of hard work dealing with grading (and other) matters.
Indeed it would, he has always been very helpful on the many occasions I have bothered him with grading enquiries

Good luck to Paul

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Fri Sep 02, 2016 12:47 pm
by Roger Lancaster
I'd like to add my thanks to Richard, who has been unfailingly helpful when contacted, and my best wishes to Paul.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 3:45 pm
by Joey Stewart
While we are on the subject of "errors" does anybody else find it slightly annoying that when you now go to search a player name you have to manually delete the word 'search' before being able to type in.

This was not there before, so I assume it has cropped up as some sort of oversight in the coding rather then an intentional thing (if that is the case then it is most definitely not wanted or needed) and hopefully might be able to be reverted to its former glory when the next update is done.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 3:56 pm
by Adam Raoof
Joey Stewart wrote:While we are on the subject of "errors" does anybody else find it slightly annoying that when you now go to search a player name you have to manually delete the word 'search' before being able to type in.

This was not there before, so I assume it has cropped up as some sort of oversight in the coding rather then an intentional thing (if that is the case then it is most definitely not wanted or needed) and hopefully might be able to be reverted to its former glory when the next update is done.
yes

I also find that googling a player name no longer brings up the ECF grading profile page!

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 4:07 pm
by Barry Sandercock
Yes. I have found that very annoying too.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2017 7:53 pm
by Nick Burrows
Joey Stewart wrote:While we are on the subject of "errors" does anybody else find it slightly annoying that when you now go to search a player name you have to manually delete the word 'search' before being able to type in.
There is a small x next to the Search box that deletes it in one click.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2017 3:23 pm
by Barry Sandercock
Thanks for pointing that out, Nick. Well spotted.

Re: Curious error message from ECF grading site

Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2017 11:22 am
by Angus French
Joey Stewart wrote:While we are on the subject of "errors" does anybody else find it slightly annoying that when you now go to search a player name you have to manually delete the word 'search' before being able to type in.

This was not there before, so I assume it has cropped up as some sort of oversight in the coding rather then an intentional thing (if that is the case then it is most definitely not wanted or needed) and hopefully might be able to be reverted to its former glory when the next update is done.
Yes, it's annoying and non-standard. HTML5 has a placeholder attribute to set text for an input box which disappears when the user starts typing. Why not use that?