Tech Forum

Last year I built a really useful reporting app for home teaching and visiting teaching. Basically, the app collects information from members of my quorum, almost like a clipboard, and we just pass my tablet around.

Honestly, the prototype has been super successful, my reporting rate is super high, we get in-depth information re: teaching, and folks have been clamoring for me to make duplicates for their groups--I am a home teaching coordinator. I have also built dashboards for different levels of reporting and wire framed a site (see attached) that would allow anyone to use my system--I want to give this service for free to anyone.

The only problem is the I have to upload CSV data from MLS, and that can be stale, and I have to wait a month to make changes. Also, I have to go to the church terminal to enter all the home teaching, when a simple API call could just sync the records with my database. Honestly, it would work so much better if MLS had an API or remote access.

Can't we get some uber-secure (like 2-step) sign-on/authentication and allow folks to use their credentials to access a central MLS API? This would allow for some truly amazing apps, not just mine.

AND will someone please give me a phone number so I can get a hold of the tech team? This has been surprisingly difficult.

The APP is really a useful tool for knowing the basic health of the ward, and how individuals are doing. The EQP still follows up with PPI(s) re: individuals and their assignments.

In lieu of API access...totally willing to give up my intellectual property to the church, and help with development--please make this an official new project!

texpan19 wrote:In lieu of API access...totally willing to give up my intellectual property to the church, and help with development--please make this an official new project!

There is some information on suggesting projects here: https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Introduction_ ... project.3F

eblood66 wrote:

texpan19 wrote:In lieu of API access...totally willing to give up my intellectual property to the church, and help with development--please make this an official new project!

There is some information on suggesting projects here: https://tech.lds.org/wiki/Introduction_ ... project.3F

Thanks for the help! Wish I had been able to attend the conference this year...

texpan19 wrote:The only problem is the I have to upload CSV data from MLS, and that can be stale,

Keep in mind that there are limits as to what membership data can be uploaded to.

The church already has a HT/VT function on LCR in the works. But so far there's no indication that the HT/VT can self-report, but rather that it works more like MLS - for the leaders to use.

russellhltn wrote: The church already has a HT/VT function on LCR in the words. But so far there's no indication that the HT/VT can self-report, but rather that it works more like MLS - for the leaders to use.

Am I missing something, where is the HT/VT function in LCR?

Or have I missed understood your reply?

Biggles wrote:Or have I missed understood your reply?

It helps if I use the right words: It's "in the works". It's coming, but not here yet.

But most likely too far along to suddenly go a different direction.

There is no self-reporting function.

I know we cannot get the membership data now, I am trying to get a hold of someone to suggest the project--the particular implementation is using a tablet to collect teaching and then reporting it in dashboards. So far, it has been a really effective tool, I wish I could just give it to everyone else.

Still, I wish we could login to the data source using tokens or something--that alone would help a lot, if we didn't have to just use the terminal in the church.