Feature Request: Ability to turn off unnecessary reports

[daddy-o-p40]

DJC, I have been requesting this since MLS was created. I am hoping you can help.

When transmitting to CHQ we get prompted afterwards to print Bishop's copy, then prompted again for Bishop's copy, then prompted for record print outs, etc.

These prompts occur on a per report basis.

Can we just have the ability to pre-select what reports we need printed during transmissions before hand in the setup menu?

This way we are not tethered to the machine and it will only print what we need. It will be a paper and time saver.

What do you say?

[jbh001]

At the very least there needs to be something somewhere in the Help section of MLS that explains the purpose of each possible report that might be automatically generated as a result of Send/Receive Changes. This would be better than forcing us to deduce what the purpose of the reports are and what their intended disposition should be. If this is already explained somewhere in MLS, it seems to have been very effectively buried.

If we know why we are being offered the option to print a copy for the bishop, then the clerk and the bishop might actually use the reports for their intended purpose instead of feeding fresh printouts into the shredder.

[lajackson]

If we know why we are being offered the option to print a copy for the bishop, . . .

I hear you, and I agree. On the other hand, based on experience, I believe the only time you are offered the option to print a copy for the bishop is when a membership record is about to be printed.

Larry Jackson

[jbh001]

On the other hand, based on experience, I believe the only time you are offered the option to print a copy for the bishop is when a membership record is about to be printed.

Almost. It is the Member Record Update Report that you are offered the option of printing an extra copy for the bishop.

[Humanriff-p40]

When I receive membership update reports after a send/transmit, I use the "preview" feature to look at what is on the report. In general, there is no reason to print them out (address changes, name corrections, etc.). If it is one of these, you can just close out of the preview, and then hit the cancel button. It will ask you if you really want to do it, hit cancel again, and you are done. No wasted paper. For move ins, etc., I only print one copy, because the pertinent information for the bishop and other priesthood leaders is on the member record, so I use the report to print out the member records that I need from membership in the normal way. In my experience, about 90% of the reports that come back after a send/receive will go straight in the shredder if you just print them all out.

[russellhltn]

One of the reasons that you should preview all move-in is that some one might have something on their record such as being disfellowshipped. It will appear when the record is moved in, and somewhere else when you print it. But if you miss seeing that, you (and the bishop) may be completely unaware of that notation on the member's records. Because it won't appear in routine print-outs such as ward lists, rolls etc.

My addition to the feature request is to add some way of letting the Bishopric know when something like that is there. Perhaps a forced print on move-in (or at least a non-routine print query) as well as a report that can be run to identify all such members in the ward. Otherwise this kind of thing is likely to fall though the cracks.