Putting a deceased classmate into the "In Memory" list causes two asterisks to be placed after their name on the classmate list.

However, the legend at the top of the classmate page does not explain what two asterisks means.

Did I miss something?

No. Those are just text characters, they are not graphical symbols like the others in the key. Some classes early on (especially newer classes where everyone is still living) were resistent to showing a deceased classmates icon in the key. We thought the ** was a tactful way to express that somebody has died. It will only take 1 click for people to figure out what ** means.

Brad:

Two of first three people to review our new reunion page asked me "why isn't the ** explained on the classmates page?" At this rate, I am anticipating a lot more questions.

So since you were sensitive to the needs of the "younger classes", I am asking for the same sensitivity to those who graduated 50 years ago. How? Read on.

There seems to be an easy compromise; how about putting a graphic into the legend (or two asterisks in the legend) whenever there is one or more classmates in the "In Memory" file? If there are none then nothing appears. Wouldn't that solve it for everyone?

Charlie

Ok, let's everyone vote on that. Every time we change this area it immediately makes somebody else unhappy. So I've become very relucantat to change the sytem we have in place currently, which seems to generate the least # of complaints.

Even if this gets voted in, we'll have to make it optional, because I can tell you right now there are numerous classes out there that simply don't want to show deceased in the key, even if there are deceased Classmates.

** fine with me - no questions by my people and as you said, one click on their name shows they are deceased.

Brad:

If you make it optional then only those who want it will have it and those who don't - won't! What could be better?

Charlie

P.S. By now you could have written the code to solve this problem.

You're assuming that the coding would be simple...not necessarily the case.

I would rather not see deceased in the legend so I'm against it myself.

Cheers,
Dave

Heh, fortunately for all of you, I don't code a thing. What I do is decide what should be coded, come up with how it will work, prioritize it on our various programmers' Task Lists, and see the task through to completion.

We can make this optional and off by default, but it has to come after all the other more pressing things on the Task List. Like template 6, the new themed templates, the File Library, and the new Preferences area.

Brad:

I think it is a generational thing - those of us nearly 50 years out of high school call it like it is. If you're deceased we do not pretend that you are not. We realize that death is a part of life. Everyone who is against having two asterisks in the legend will someday have two asterisks after their name. As I say, that's life.

Moving on past this, Brad, am I to assume then that this option is going onto the programmers task list? Our reunion is over a year away so we have time before classmates really start to use our site.

I may be 67 years old but I am experienced with php and MySql. If I was using those, once I had decided on a graphic or two asterisks in the legend, about another 5 lines of code would wrap this request up. Plus of course time to test.

Brad, thanks for your time... and patience...

Charlie

Yes, I've already made the graphic, decided where this will go and how it will work, and put it on the programmer's task list. In fact I'll copy the task below so you can see what I've entered for the programmer.

---------------------------------
PROGRAMMER'S TASK

On this page -- class_inmemory.cfm -- after the opening paragarph at the top, please put:

Optional: Show deceased Classmate icon on Clasmate Profiles page key.

Please make "Classmate Profiles page" above a link to the Classamte Profiles page. Here is the icon:

http://www.classcreator.com/graphics/deceased-icon.gif

On the key it should always be the last item, and should read:

[icon] deceased

I'm on "the same page" as Charles! He and I are the same class year ('59)!!!

Another, quite probably simpler solution is to put the ** legend at the bottom. I'm guessing that wouldn't require anything other than a text change on the "Classmate Profile" page, thus saving programmer time for things that will earn you more Canadian Maple Syrup!

I think most folks would look to the bottom when they see "**". And, as you say, they're characters, not an "icon" like is used for the other items in the 'Legend' section at the top.

And to possibly make the description more acceptable to the younger generations, use: "Passed away", "departed", "In Memory", or something similar. Hmmm! "In Memory" would make sense as that's the term used on the predefined pages! "Deceased", even at the "codger" stage does sound cold, real but cold when it is referring to folks you once had so much in common with.

Just my 2 cents worth!
Ruth

It's an interesting idea to put the ** at the bottom. Although I tend to think if we're going to make it optinoal anyway -- which we are -- that we'll just keep everything in the key all together. Just a usability thing, so people don't have to look two different places.

As long as we're in there, I'm also going to hit another user request (which will also be optional) to show an icon next to deceased Classmate names when an In Memory entry has been made so people know there's something to see. I don't know what the icon will be yet, but maybe a red flower or something like that. If anyone has any icon ideas lemme know.

OK, I'll relent! Grrr!

I still think "In Memory" would be better than "Deceased" and it would be consistent with the term already used in the Navigation buttons!

Ruth

Oh that's fine, we can make it say "In Memory" instead of "Deceased." Consistency is a good thing... If you really want something just keep on harping on the issue...sooner or later I'll probably just cave in to get you to go away.

You should be so lucky that I would go away!!!

FYI this task has expanded as follows:

-----------------------------------
PROGRAMMING TASK:

On this page -- class_inmemory.cfm -- after the opening paragarph at the top, please put:

" Optional: Show deceased Classmate icons on Clasmate Profiles page key."

The option should be turned on by default for all new sites. Please make "Classmate Profiles page" above a link to the Classamte Profiles page. When people turn this on I actually want to add 2 new icons and verbiage to the key:

In Memory
Contains "In Memory" entry

Show these two icons if one or more people in the class are deceased, and don't show them at all if nobody is deceased.

On the key the In Memory icons should always be the last icons, after the attending reunion icon.

I want to stick with the double text ** when a Classmate is deceased, so we don't need a new icon for the double **. But we do need a ** graphic icon for the key, a large rose icon for the key, and a small rose icon that goes next to the Classmate names themselves (show the small rose next to the deceased classmate's name whenever an In Memory entry has been added -- if the classmate has been added to the in memory list but no fields or comments have been filled out, then do not show the small rose). When somebody is deceased, the double ** text should come first, and then the small rose icon should show to the right of the **. Here are the graphic icons you need to make this happen:

http://www.classcreator.com/graphics/deceased-icon.gif (for key)
http://www.classcreator.com/graphics/roselarge.gif (for key)
http://www.classcreator.com/graphics/rosesmall.gif (for next to classmate names)

This blows my mind....people die....at all ages....deal with it....the loved ones do!

Amen!

Brad!!!! What happened that his appeared so many time? I only hit save once!!!

May I confuse this issue even more?

What is the possiblity of adding some kind of icon that identifies military service persons after they have died? Maybe a small flag or ribbon to be posted by their name on the list and in the IN MEMORY section.

I know, just shut up Jim!

May I confuse this issue even more?

What is the possiblity of adding some kind of icon that identifies military service persons after they have died? Maybe a small flag or ribbon to be posted by their name on the list and in the IN MEMORY section.

I know, just shut up Jim!

May I confuse this issue even more?

What is the possiblity of adding some kind of icon that identifies military service persons after they have died? Maybe a small flag or ribbon to be posted by their name on the list and in the IN MEMORY section.

I know, just shut up Jim!

Probably just some type of rift in the time space continuum. It happens.

The military icon is a valid idea, indeed. The only problem is if we add any more icons we'll have to truncate the classmate names by another 5 characters, which I don't think would be good. At some point we're likely going to widen all templates a little bit to keep pace with growing resolutions and widescreen monitors. When we do that we can revisit adding additional icons at that time. This will happen sometime in 2009 but I can't even guess when exactly.