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Automatic To Do list creation

Posted: 21 May 2016 17:01
by Gowermick
Having successfully followed the guidance on creating a To Do list and its associated report, I wonder if it is possible to automate the addition of an entry for an individual.

E.G. I have a query that lists all individuals who are missing from a particular census year. I would like to append a ToDo note to each individuals in the list such as 'Census: Missing 1851 census entry'.

Is this possible?

Re: Automatic To Do list creation

Posted: 21 May 2016 17:31
by tatewise
No, it is not possible for a Query to create/update any data either automatically or with manual assistance.
A Query can only produce a Result Set of existing data.
The only option to change data is by manually selecting Result Set cells and deleting data.

To achieve what you request you must write a Plugin that searches using similar criteria as the Query to find the Individuals, and then modifies their To Do Note.

Re: Automatic To Do list creation

Posted: 21 May 2016 18:16
by Gowermick
Mike,
Perhaps I worded my thoughts incorrectly, I wasn't thinking solely of a query, but possibly a plugin that works on the resultset of the query.
i.e. Could a plugin write directly to the ToDo fact, appending text to existing ToDo note, without overwriting what is already there?

Re: Automatic To Do list creation

Posted: 21 May 2016 18:33
by tatewise
A Plugin cannot 'see' any Result Set data.

Yes, a Plugin can modify virtually any data in any way, and retain existing content.
What it does is creates a To Do fact if none exists, or reads an existing To Do Note, and updates the Note.