Tech Forum

Is there currently any way to download Home Teaching information? It doesn't seem like https://tech.lds.org/mobile/ldstools/config.json makes any mention of it being available through the API. However, since I can view HTVT info from the LDS Tools app for Android, it must be available somewhere. Any tips would be appreciated.

Currently APIs are only for church-approved apps. I don't think there are any plans to make it available for 3rd party programs.

russellhltn wrote:Currently APIs are only for church-approved apps.

By that, do you specifically mean HT/VT APIs? Or are you including the API detailed here https://tech.lds.org/wiki/LDS_Tools_Web_Services as well?

Off the top of my head, I don't know of any public APIs. There are APIs for FamiliySearch, but you have to be a registered developer to use them. I don't know of any APIs that are available for users - if you don't count the calendar sync URL.

jphuns wrote:

russellhltn wrote:Currently APIs are only for church-approved apps.

By that, do you specifically mean HT/VT APIs? Or are you including the API detailed here https://tech.lds.org/wiki/LDS_Tools_Web_Services as well?

Yes, those APIs are only for use by official church sponsored apps (it's actually a bit more restrictive than just church-approved--the apps have to be sponsored and owned by the church).

eblood66 wrote:Yes, those APIs are only for use by official church sponsored apps.

Interesting. So why detail them on the public Wiki in the first place? It seems like if it were for internal use only, it would have been documented via internal means. I hate to even bring it up, lest it get taken away. "... but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath." (Matthew 25:29)

I find the ability to download a soft copy of ward data to be immensely useful in my calling as EQP, and would love to find any way at all to get a list of Home Teachers into a spreadsheet or database. Where can I submit a formal request that the API be made slightly more public, or that LCR be modified to make exporting the various reports to CSV a possibility?

jphuns wrote:So why detail them on the public Wiki in the first place? It seems like if it were for internal use only, it would have been documented via internal means.

Some of the official projects have had team members who were volunteers and not Church employees, so some of the API documentation was made available to them via the wiki. But the wiki is being deemphasized (there's no public link to it anymore, even though the site is still publicly available). I'm guessing that there are now other ways for those team members to access the documentation.

jphuns wrote:I find the ability to download a soft copy of ward data to be immensely useful in my calling as EQP, and would love to find any way at all to get a list of Home Teachers into a spreadsheet or database. Where can I submit a formal request that the API be made slightly more public, or that LCR be modified to make exporting the various reports to CSV a possibility?

You can use the Feedback link on LCR to submit any bug reports, suggestions, requests, or comments.

Thanks to all who responded.

There's a growing trend to removing exports. I suspect the church has been burned by people who have misused it. You may find it more likely that they'll implement suggestions on how to make the reports more useful - eliminating the need for a soft copy.

russellhltn wrote:There's a growing trend to removing exports. I suspect the church has been burned by people who have misused it.

Which makes me really sad. It seems like the potential for abuse is significantly lower if you move the exports features out of the general directory and into LCR. Right now there is no way to download a simple CSV of the members of my quorum. It seems like the benefit/cost ratio is pretty high for that one.

russellhltn wrote: You may find it more likely that they'll implement suggestions on how to make the reports more useful - eliminating the need for a soft copy.

I agree with your assessment, but they can't make LCR be everything to everyone, so they will stick with a basic set of features that is simple to use and generally applicable. Most of the things that I would like to do go beyond just formatting a report differently. For starters, I would like to be able to track a little more information than just a checkbox. Does an empty checkbox mean "not visited," or does it mean "unreported?" Did the home teachers make the visit, or was it a visit that the presidency made? How long has this companionship been together? How long have they been assigned to this family? Who was assigned to this family previously?