Tech Forum

Is there a way to print a list of ward members without any additional details? Just a list of names, in column format, to save paper? I've wanted to give a list like this for Elders and Relief Society, when they do their home teaching and visiting teaching routes.

Also, is there a way to print a list of names and addresses, sorted by what street they live on? MLS allows a list of names and addresses, even sorted by address- but that organizes by the number in the address (234) instead of the street (W 1st S). I've wanted this list to make Fast Offering routes easier to plan.

As a side note, we are a student married ward in Rexburg. We reorganize home and visiting teaching, and the fast offering routes, every 4 months.

MLS custom reports can certainly create a simple list of members.

Sorting by street name is not an option for MLS custom reports. However, if you are comfortable with spreadsheets, you could paste a list of names and addresses into a spreadsheet, create a new column that drops the number off the beginning of the address, then sort by that column. For that to be successful, you'll need addresses to be standard; otherwise 123 S Elm, 234 So Elm, and 345 South Elm will sort as being on different streets.

Have you read the wiki article Custom reports (MLS)? It provides some good information and techniques.

Yockey wrote:Is there a way to print a list of ward members without any additional details? Just a list of names, in column format, to save paper? I've wanted to give a list like this for Elders and Relief Society, when they do their home teaching and visiting teaching routes.

A list for HT/VT could be more restrictive that just a list of member names. For home teaching the list focuses on households. A custom report for this would use the criteria attribute "Household Position", compare operation "is", value "Head of Household". The format would not need to include more than just the default "Preferred Name". This report will show the list of preferred names in the format Last Name, First Name.

You can output two reports for the Elders Quorum. One report is a list of names for those that have home teachers assigned and one that does not have home teachers assigned by including the criteria "Home Teaching" with the appropriate compare operation "is/is not" and value "Assigned Home Teacher".

The report for the Relief Society will require at least two criteria. I would use the criteria attribute/compare operation/value Sex/is/female and Age/is or is greater than/18. As with the Elders Quorum there can be two lists, one for those with visiting teachers assigned and one without visiting teachers assigned.

Yockey wrote:Also, is there a way to print a list of names and addresses, sorted by what street they live on?

No. You will need to export the data into a spread sheet and split the house number from the street name into two columns using a macro. Then the rows can be sorted by the street name column.

aebrown wrote:MLS custom reports can certainly create a simple list of members.

How?

jdlessley wrote:Have you read the wiki article Custom reports (MLS)? It provides some good information and techniques.

No. You will need to export the data into a spread sheet and split the house number from the street name into two columns using a macro. Then the rows can be sorted by the street name column.

Keep forgetting the wiki. I'll look at it, and the methods you described as well.

EDIT: Your ideas, jdlessley, does indeed give just a list of names. But not in column format; so I can save ink but not paper (and not paper-flipping time). Any other ideas?

As for a spreadsheet, we are already maintaining a bunch of them. I had hoped it was possible somehow in MLS, but I'll just have to make a spreadsheet after all. Probably use formulas instead of a macro, since it would be easier.

Yockey wrote:EDIT: Your ideas, jdlessley, does indeed give just a list of names. But not in column format; so I can save ink but not paper (and not paper-flipping time). Any other ideas?

What do you mean by column format? The output is in a column, which to me is column format. It just happens to be a single column because there is no other data.

Edit: OK, I see what you want. You want the list to continue across multiple columns with defined widths rather than just one column. Unfortunately MLS does not include that feature. Once the custom report is created in MLS you can click anywhere within the report and use Shift+Ctrl+C to copy the entire report and paste into either a spread sheet or word document for further format manipulation. Using that method I was able to get an entire list on one page using four columns with 10 pt font size. It took less than a minute to copy, paste, and format in MS Word for a list of names.

Yockey wrote:Probably use formulas instead of a macro, since it would be easier.

With macros you only have to create the formulas once as long as the macro is saved in the Personal.xlsb workbook in Excel. It is then available for all workbooks. I don't use OpenOffice or LibreOffice so I don't know where the macro would be saved.

Yockey wrote:Also, is there a way to print a list of names and addresses, sorted by what street they live on?

If you use the Geo-Code feature in MLS, you can create custom reports that group households geographically.
See the Wiki article https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Geo_code