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Improve CSV processing error message #2866
Description
I'm filing this on behalf of the WRY coordinator, who requests that we use more conventional notation when reporting errors to transcribers after processing an uploaded CSV file. Consider the following FlexCSV header line:
chapman_code,place_name,church_name,register_type,register_entry_number,death date
The last field contains a space instead of an underscore (it should be death_date), so it is invalid. The email from the server to the transcriber will say:
The field order definition at position 5 contains an invalid field: death date (is it blank?)}.
Because people working with FlexCSV will be working with spreadsheets, and because spreadsheets refer to columns using letters rather than numbers, we should use letters, too. Also we are using 0-based enumeration scheme in our emails, which is completely baffling to users. Finally, the wording of the error message could be less technical sounding, so I suggest the following wording:
The field name in Row 6 Column F is invalid: death date
The changes are:
- Include the row number, using 1-based enumeration
- Use letters to refer to columns so that it matches spreadsheet notation
- Omit
(is it blank?)since we already know that the field is not blank (it isdeath datein this case). The suggestion(is it blank?)should only be offered when the field name is truly missing.