Tech Forum

Will the selection of available calling titles for LDS.org tools publish and edit rights be updated to match the MLS calling titles the ward uses so we can sync by calling title?

As website administrator I have been assigning LDS.org tools publish and edit rights to individuals by name when their calling title is not available or does not sync with the MLS. It would be ideal to assign publish and edit rights by calling title so when changes are made in positions the edit rights follow the position and individual names are not a concern. I met with the ward clerk and he showed me how he selects the calling titles from the available list on the MLS and is not supposed to create custom callings. Currently custom callings would have to be created in the MLS to sync with the available callings on LDS.org. Will the selection of available calling titles for lds.org tools publish and edit rights be updated to match the MLS calling titles the ward uses so we can sync by calling title?

sushelleweir wrote:Currently custom callings would have to be created in the MLS to sync with the available callings on LDS.org. Will the selection of available calling titles for lds.org tools publish and edit rights be updated to match the MLS calling titles the ward uses so we can sync by calling title?

Although I suppose the features for assigning rights by calling could conceivably be changed as you suggest, it would be a lot of work. Right now, the list of possible callings that is presented is the same for all units of the Church, since it uses the list of standard callings. What you propose would require that the feature for making assignments would have to be aware of all the custom callings in the ward as well. Not only is that a lot of development work, but the result would be less reliable assignments, since custom callings tend to change more often than standard callings.

I must not have been clear, I'll try again . . .

When adding someone as a publisher or giving them edit rights to the tools on LDS.org by calling there are only certain callings available to choose from. For example I can select "Primary Worker - Valiant 8" on LDS.org however in the MLS to AVOID creating a custom calling the ward clerk must select "Primary Teacher - Valiant 8." A subtle difference in calling titles, yet there is a difference. Will the selection of available calling titles for lds.org tools publish and edit rights be updated to match the MLS calling titles the ward uses so we can sync by calling title?

The position names should all match between LDS.org and CDOL. Since MLS 3.5 they should match between CDOL and MLS as well, so there shouldn't be any differences in standard positions names.

In your ward they show as Primary Teacher in CDOL.

In looking at your post again are you referring to the admin list in newsletter application? I can't see that list at the ward level to check what the positions are called there.

sushelleweir wrote:Will the selection of available calling titles for lds.org tools publish and edit rights be updated to match the MLS calling titles the ward uses so we can sync by calling title?

The positions listed in the available positions list in Newsletter needs to be corrected. It incorrectly displays "Primary Teacher - [class name]" as "Primary Worker - [class name]".

So the question appears to be is a "Primary Worker" as listed in Newsletter the same as "Primary Teacher" in MLS and CDOL? My guess is yes. If they are the same positions then only administrators have to deal with knowing the positions are the same for the purposes of assigning permissions.

This should be submitted as a bug through the "Do You Have Feedback on This Page?" link on the LDS.org home page or any other LDS.org page with that link.

In the newsletter application I am referring to adding 'Users'. The same problem exists in the calendar when adding 'Viewers/Editors'.

I agree the administrator should and most likely does know the difference in the titles and selects the most appropriate title from the available calling list. When the titles don't match EXACTLY an individual has to be added by name for user/edit/publisher rights to function.

The potential future problem as positions change is the concern. If the edit rights are added by calling name then as new individuals are called to serve in positions the edit rights should automatically transfer. If edit rights are added by name then individual names have to be updated for edit rights to funtion.

Ideally, edit rights should be given to the positions, not individuals, and then whoever serves in the position has the ability to edit. The computer needs the EXACT calling title to recognize the position. It can't be close or similar. It needs to be exact.

sushelleweir wrote:Ideally, edit rights should be given to the positions, not individuals, and then whoever serves in the position has the ability to edit. The computer needs the EXACT calling title to recognize the position. It can't be close or similar. It needs to be exact.

When applications refer to standard callings, the titles don't actually have to be exactly the same. I certainly agree that it is confusing when the titles don't match, and I hope that this gets fixed soon to eliminate the confusion.

When applications refer to standard callings, they do so by using an internal identifier, even though what is displayed to users is a calling title. Because the internal identifier is used within the stored data, when the title changes, the linkage to the correct standard calling is unaffected.

In this particular case, choosing the Primary Worker callings in the Newsletter application when specifying admins and publishers by calling will indeed refer to the correct standard callings, and when the associated titles are fixed in the Newsletter application, the correct linkage will continue to be in place.

I did a little experiment . . .

I deleted all publishing rights for individuals and added all publishing rights by calling names.

The Relief Society Secretary was still able to publish with just her calling title and not her individual name.

The Primary Activities Day Leader was not able to publish with the calling title 'Primary Activities Day Leader'. I checked the calling list provided me by the ward clerk and realized I had made a mistake and her calling title is Primary Teacher for the Valiant 10 class so I selected the closest available calling title 'Primary Worker - Valiant 10'. She still did not have publish rights. I selected the simplest form of the calling title 'Primary Worker' and that did give her publish rights by calling title. Hooray!

I am still waiting to hear back from a few others as to whether or not they can publish.

sushelleweir wrote:... her calling title is Primary Teacher for the Valiant 10 class so I selected the closest available calling title 'Primary Worker - Valiant 10'. She still did not have publish rights. I selected the simplest form of the calling title 'Primary Worker' and that did give her publish rights by calling title.

There are two ways to enter a Primary teacher's calling. You can specify that the calling is (to use your example) "Primary Teacher - Valiant 10" or you can specify that the calling is simply "Primary Teacher" and associate her with the Valiant 10 class. In order to specify Newsletter publishing rights by calling, you need to know how the calling was entered so that you can pick the matching calling.

That makes complete sense. Thank you!