We use MLS Exports for a printed Directory - what do you use them for ?
Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2007 9:40 am
My Bishopric is a little old fashioned. They like to have a paper
version of the ward directory printed out on one sheet of paper
and given out to the families in our ward. Apparently, not everyone
has a computer, internet access, or a ward website account.
But the majority do have telephones and know how to read.
As a clerk, I used to use the legacy word processing format
passed on to me by a former clerk, making all the changes by
hand, but as our ward has become more dynamic as far as
people moving in and out of the ward goes, this has become
too time-consuming and tedious. Plus what is the point of a
computer if you can't make it automate things for you ?
So we switched to a spreadsheet. Here's how it works:
Sheet 1 of the Spreadsheet is one side of the ward directory
Sheet 2 is the other side
Sheet 3 is where we copy and paste the PalmFamily.csv data.
Then basically, each line from Sheet 3 fills the appropriate columns
into Sheets 1 & 2.
We chose the PalmFamily.csv because it lists HofH and Spouse,
which is what we like in our directory.
Our format is Primary Tel #, HofH and Spouse, Street, City, 2-letter State, Zip.
One thing we have noticed is that it is best to keep up with Perferred Names in
MLS, because long full names such as Florence Natasha Heisenberg, when
coupled with a spouse with an equally long full name can overload the
spreadsheet cell.
It takes some time to set up, but once set up - just requires a copy and paste
from the PalmFamily.csv to update the directory. For those of you who want
more info, or a copy of the spreadsheet we use, Private message me with your
email and whether you want it in .ods, .sxc, or ubiquitous .xls format.
So has anyone else come up with clever uses for the MLS exports ?
- Atticus Ewig
version of the ward directory printed out on one sheet of paper
and given out to the families in our ward. Apparently, not everyone
has a computer, internet access, or a ward website account.
But the majority do have telephones and know how to read.
As a clerk, I used to use the legacy word processing format
passed on to me by a former clerk, making all the changes by
hand, but as our ward has become more dynamic as far as
people moving in and out of the ward goes, this has become
too time-consuming and tedious. Plus what is the point of a
computer if you can't make it automate things for you ?
So we switched to a spreadsheet. Here's how it works:
Sheet 1 of the Spreadsheet is one side of the ward directory
Sheet 2 is the other side
Sheet 3 is where we copy and paste the PalmFamily.csv data.
Then basically, each line from Sheet 3 fills the appropriate columns
into Sheets 1 & 2.
We chose the PalmFamily.csv because it lists HofH and Spouse,
which is what we like in our directory.
Our format is Primary Tel #, HofH and Spouse, Street, City, 2-letter State, Zip.
One thing we have noticed is that it is best to keep up with Perferred Names in
MLS, because long full names such as Florence Natasha Heisenberg, when
coupled with a spouse with an equally long full name can overload the
spreadsheet cell.
It takes some time to set up, but once set up - just requires a copy and paste
from the PalmFamily.csv to update the directory. For those of you who want
more info, or a copy of the spreadsheet we use, Private message me with your
email and whether you want it in .ods, .sxc, or ubiquitous .xls format.
So has anyone else come up with clever uses for the MLS exports ?
- Atticus Ewig