* Deleting UID fields

[martynguy]

Is there any way of deleting all UID fields in one go without flogging down each record? I have run the Plugin and got a long long list of UIDs and am faced with clicking on each in turn, delete, enter etc. I have also checked that I do not want any of them - I will not be deleting anything crucial from the main database.

[tatewise]

Yes, Martyn. I presume you are uisng the UDF List Plugin?
See how_to:handling_unrecognised_data_fields|> Handling Uncategorised Data Fields (UDF) where it says:
"In the Result Set of the UDF List Plugin, select any from the first column UDF Item, and Delete."

[Jane]

Just to add to Mikes response, if you click on the first UDF item (top left) and then shift click on the last one, bottom left and press the delete key it will delete all the items at once.

[martynguy]

Many thanks - simple really!!

[Billread]

Hi
I have used the suggestions in this post to delete a lot of uneccesry UID's using the UDF plugin, from the left field. But when I run the tool still I have quite a list,(136) where in the Record Column is INDI, Item Tag column PPEXCLUDE, Item data Reference INDI._PPEXCLUDE. When I look at one of the individuals in the individuals list this appears to be as PPEXCLUDE , the last item against each person facts , with an uncategorised starburst but no data in the fields.

I tried to delete from the List produced in the UDF tool, but obviously says ' NO Data in field' so how do I quickly select and delete these unecessary PPeXCLUDE data fields, rather than doing one at a time please?
thanks Bill Read

[tatewise]

Which cells are you selecting to delete those UDF?
You must select every cell in the UDF Item first column, the same as you did for UID, even though those cells are blank.

Tip: Click on the Item Tag column heading to bring all those _PPEXCLUDE items together so they are easy to select in the first column by using Shft key while clicking first and last cell.

[Billread]

HI
I have clicked and highlighted everything on the right, under Record .... Item Tag....Item Data Reference. One column at a time, but all it keeps saying is yellow warning triangle 'No Data items found in the selected cells. nothing to delete.

When I do a UDF query using the plugin it throws up a long list, all are a PPE field from data UDF from a previous merge someone did.

I can go to each one at a time and delete the field with the Starburst, but how do I do all at the same time, as the UID list?
screenshot attached I hope

UIDS2020-07-02 12.15.09.png (112.35 KiB) Viewed 8083 times

[Billread]

sorry did same image twice, this is Alice one of those on the list

Alice Blanking PPE field delete.png (59.71 KiB) Viewed 8082 times

[tatewise]

Bill, you must be having a bad day or two!
You should not be trying to delete those UDF from the Property Box or the Records Window or the INDI column.

When you run the UDF List Plugin it produces a Result Set just like many other Plugins.
It is the 1st column of that Result Set called UDF Item that you must select to delete all those UDF tags.

In the screenshot below the Item Tag column heading has been clicked to sort them into order.
That makes it easier to choose which particular UDF tags to keep or delete.
All the cells in 1st column are selected and the Delete key pressed to get the warning message shown.
Click OK to confirm the deletions.

UDFListResultSetDelete.png (55.28 KiB) Viewed 8079 times

[Billread]

Hi mike
that's exactly what I did, But on one Ged after deletion if I ran UDF tool again, there were none found.

On this Gedcom it's still saying they are there, as per the right hand 3 column s are named and in my illustrations, I posted last. So the individual I opened still shows the starburst against a tag, so do all the others from whom I deleted everything in the left hand column as you indicate.
So not everything appears to have cleared?
Bill

[Billread]

Look at the end field of Alice Blankings INDI record above, these are the UID's that are still being picked up for all on the GED, BUT there is nothing anymore in the left hand column, as dleted
Bill

[tatewise]

I am not sure what you are doing. Your earlier screenshot shows the INDI cells being selected for deletion.

In 1st screenshot below three _PPEXCLUDE UDF are chosen to be deleted (even though those UDF Item cells are empty).
Do you get a display like that with those empty cells selected on left and when you hit Delete you get that warning?
In 2nd screenshot the UDF List Plugin has been run again showing those three _PPEXCLUDE have gone.

UDFList_PPEXCLUDE.png (51.34 KiB) Viewed 8065 times

.

UDFList_PPEXCLUDEGone.png (53.29 KiB) Viewed 8065 times

[LornaCraig]

From Bill's first screenshot it's clear that the entire first column is missing. The column itself has been deleted.
Bill, try downloading the plugin again to reinstate that column.

[tatewise]

No, it is impossible to delete a Result Set column.
I suspect with the Property Box alongside, Bill has scrolled the Result Set such that 1st column is off lefthand side.
Bill please scroll the Result Set horizontally so lefthand UDF Item column reappears, and delete its cells.
Actually just running the UDF List Plugin should redisplay the lefthand column.

[Billread]

Ok I scrolled right, so can see the left hand column, but again there was nothing there ata ll, as I had dleted it all with the first use of the UDF tool. So thinking about it, I just went back and did the same again, with a second copy of the gedcom. Same resuly, nothing left in the far left column, but still a big list of UID's showing in the right hand three.

What I never tried before , was slecting all the now Empty left had column fields, and try a second delete, After that I saved, and closed the gedcom. Opened it, and ran the tool, and now there are no more UId's listed at all, it has deleted or cleared all the 3 left hand column entries.

I have opened ALice to check, and couple of others, and the starburst has now gone. BUT I had to run the dlete process in the left column twice ( once on empty fields) to make it clear everything listed and leave me with no UDF's

But seems to have worked now!! At least with that part. Any ideas why had to do twice??
Sorry this was painful, but seems fine now and checked twice. I started with a copy afresh, and even with that had to run tool twice, and dlete empty fields the second time to clear the remiander after the first deletion.

Next please, I can see That in the information under each person is a field called note record, again loads of people have these against them , Can i use the same process to bulk select /dlete them as well, or another process if I want to dlete data in that or other fields in bulk ??
thanks Bill

[tatewise]

I cannot explain why a double delete was necessary. I cannot repeat that effect, and nobody else has reported it.
The empty left hand cells just mean that the UDF does not have a data value assigned to its tag.
That empty column does NOT indicate the UDF have been deleted - as confirmed by the other columns.

It is possible you were mistaken when you run the UDF List Plugin the 2nd time after performing the Delete.
It does not clear the Result Set and just produces a popup message saying No UDF items found.
So apart from that message that you might skip over, the Result Set looks the same.
If you close the Result Set before running the Plugin again it is clearer.
Unfortunately, the Plugin cannot close the Result Set for you.

Please start a new posting for the Note record scenario.

[Billread]

Ok, will do that in a while, as animals to deal with. I've done the UDF process again, maybe it's the GED, but still had to do a delete on the empty left hand fields again after the first delete...weird...BUT Solved
Thanks

[tatewise]

Bill, please confirm you included all empty cells in lefthand column as well as non-empty ones for the first Delete.

[Billread]

Yes Mike I did the whole column, from top to bottom. So I am puzzled as to why 2 runs to clear all. Because it didnt occur to me to run the tool a second time doing a second delete, after deleting the column in the first try.

As i said, at least its done now, I have some more to do soon, so will see what happens. But one other ged i did worked perfectly first delete.

Have posted seprately on the other issues with the duplicates ged problems. Thanks for the help
Bill