Beta 25 DATA LOSS IN NAME GENERATOR TOOL

[NoBa]

What happened?
Beta 25 comes with a new Name Generator Tool and nothing about in Beta-Notes
This new database doesn't read the older one (Beta 1 - 24) -> -> NO NAMELIST IN THE DIALOG TO SELECT FROM
No possibility to convert a existing database to new format
AND THE BEST: No possibility to import own name lists.

Have a nice day!

[tiho_d]

I am afraid you are correct. The Name Generator is changed and the basics are working, but we are in the process of adding the import and integration with existing and custom name lists. If the Name Generator is critical, you may switch back to Beta 24 and use it by the end of the month. Sorry for the missing features in this update. We could not implement them in time.

The Beta 25 release notes state briefly: Update the Name Generator tool to be like Mac [4053]

Still I hope you like the new Name Generator which is much more powerful in my opinion. If you can give us some constructive feedback comparing the old and new Name Generator functionality, it will be great.

[Zulithe]

First time I tried to use the name generator in this new build it completely crashed/closed Scrivener. Fiddling back and forth with the different options upset it I guess.

Here's some feedback: how come I can not generate only surnames or only forenames? i can't get it to generate anything unless I give it something for both. Lots of reasons why you would only want one or the other.

[rwfranz]

I am afraid you are correct. The Name Generator is changed and the basics are working, but we are in the process of adding the import and integration with existing and custom name lists. If the Name Generator is critical, you may switch back to Beta 24 and use it by the end of the month. Sorry for the missing features in this update. We could not implement them in time.

The Beta 25 release notes state briefly: Update the Name Generator tool to be like Mac [4053]

Still I hope you like the new Name Generator which is much more powerful in my opinion. If you can give us some constructive feedback comparing the old and new Name Generator functionality, it will be great.

The old one worked just fine. As long as functions aren't lost, I'm not sure I care.

I can use a utility to edit the database directly (have already); the schema isn't all that complicated.

Can it save its last-used settings? All of them? 250 is a horde of names; I reduce it every time. But every time I go back to the dialog, it's back to 250.

The font used for the generated names window is tiny. My old eyes have difficulty reading them in the dinky font. I can Copy/paste into a document so I can read them, but is that the best user experience?

[NoBa]

Hi.
Update the Name Generator tool to be like Mac [4053] should contain a clue about the changed database sheme.

I was playing around with the new name generator and noticed the following:

• Each gender has it's own table (Catalan Names (Female), Catalan Names (Male)) and also the dialog allows to make a selection about the gender. Choosing Catalan Names (Male) and selecting Gender female results in an error, telling that no forename table was selected?
• If I set a 'fixed' surname, this fixed value causes also an error if no surname table is selected. The selected table in fact is'nt used in that moment. Put the value 'Schmidt' in the textfield above and select 'Irish Surnames' to reproduce this.
• It's not possible to enter a double-barreled surname in the textfield because the String '-' is masked out.
  That means, aliteration about such a double-barelled surname is not possible, but in my opinion it should be.
• If no data is found, a dialog pops up with the gues to change the oscurity level. But after all, how this oscurity level works, is still mysterios for me. The same for attempt alliteration

A more detailed feedback the next time, after the missing parts are also implemented. Now I am very curios to see it in its final version.
Best Regards

[tiho_d]

Thanks for the feedback, NoBa! Most of the items you mention have been fixed and will be available in the nest update.

[edwina-z]

Thanks for the feedback, NoBa! Most of the items you mention have been fixed and will be available in the nest update.

That's good to hear Tiho. I've gone ahead and extracted the older generator names into suitable name list .csv files that can subsequently be imported into the next beta version when available.

There are 254 additional files in total. Click here to download the additional name list files.

[Scribhneoir]

The new name generator is a big improvement -- a nice variety of sensible names at last. I was a bit tired of playing around with the name generator and getting such lovely results as Phalti Palti Sieradzki and Melanippos Smeriglio or 17 different ways to spell "Jasmine," none of which were "Jasmine." I also like the ability to choose the obscurity level, so if I want a Phalti Palti Sieradzki I can get one, but he's not the default.

That said, do please say you're going to restore the "add to short list" capability. It's really inconvenient to have to copy/paste your chosen possibilities into a new document one by one.

[rwfranz]

Thanks for the feedback, NoBa! Most of the items you mention have been fixed and will be available in the nest update.

That's good to hear Tiho. I've gone ahead and extracted the older generator names into suitable name list .csv files that can subsequently be imported into the next beta version when available.

Thanks. That's very helpful.

[NoBa]

some more feedback and questions...

Using the old tool it was possible to use lists which contained both, female and male gender.
For example: Fornames US (diveded in decades)

scriv2 - Kopie.png (6.83 KiB) Viewed 478 times

Using the new tool, i get the double amount of entries in the source list (US-1880 - male, US-1880 - female, ...) and so on.

Including Beta 24 the result was nice: a list of forenames and each entry visually showed the gender.
Now i get a big document with many entries - but no hint if entry in line 45 is a male or female name...

So, why theese lists (affects only fornames) are divided into differnet gender? If there's a logical reason, perdoname, i don't see it.

The possibility to selcet more than one list, indeed, is a big advantage.

After selecting 325 lists i have to deselect 325 lists (manually) ? Mac-Users really work so? (scnr)

Choosing Catalan Names (Male) and selecting Gender female still results in an error, telling that no forename table was selected?
Using a fixed lastname still need a selected dummy-table (which isn't used).
Seperating a double name using the '-' now ist possible, but in some languages this seperation is made by a blank (space) -> this char is still masked out.

Now i keep playing around with the new Beta, maybe more feedback later
Best Regards

[tiho_d]

Alt+Click the namelist include checkbox, will check/uncheck all list names, instead of going one by one through all. This is used in many places in Scrivener, like the Compile > Content view.

[NoBa]

Hi tiho,
thanks for your advice
Some bugs i've noticed so far:

• Import a new list: it's not possible to enter open and close parenthesis ( ) for the list name (maybe others characters too)
• search uses 'contain': there are too many characters masked out (german umlauts, spanisch characters with apostroph, and maybe other languages too)
• the list of name lists (in the gui) is not sorted alphabetical, instead it seams to be no sort (or by id - which is still the same)

And a question about further betas: Is the database sheme still final or have i to wait with the big import of my lists?

Best regards
Norbert