[DXBase] Selection Wizard / LoTW and Card unexpected results

2004年1月06日 16:02:16 -0600

In the selection wizard an option present in the filters page is to select:
Confirm = None
Confirm = Card
Confirm = LoTW
Confirm = Both.
One might think this is straightforward, but in fact the results are 
unexpected.
Prior to adding in LoTW confirmations I could be assured that if I 
selected Confirm=Card the wizard would select every Q for which I had a 
physical card. Now this no longer happens. In fact for every Q which 
is confirmed by LoTW and this information is added to my log the 
Confirm=Card count goes down by 1!.
The reason is that the selection really means: Confirm = "Card received 
AND no LoTW received". As a result it is no longer possible in the 
wizard to output a single list of every Q for which a card has been 
received. I want that so I can hand check it against my physical QSL 
file so verify the accuracy of my records. Instead you must run the 
wizard twice, once for 'Card' and once for 'Both'. And then if you want 
a list of everything for which you have a card you would have to print 
two lists and compare both of them against your card file.
I then wondered if perhaps the DXCC Awards module might also be 
functioning in this 'strange' way (strange being my interpretation of 
course). For example if I had 300 countries confirmed mixed and I 
selected 'Card' might my country total actually be reduced by the number 
of countries confirmed by LoTW? That is the way it would be if it 
worked the same way as the filters in the selection wizard.
Fortunately the Awards module uses a different interpretation, namely it 
combines Q's of two types: Card received but LoTW not received PLUS 
Card received and LoTW also received.. But it does not include the case 
where LoTW received but no card received.
Confusing? Yes.
So how should the selection wizard work? I think it should work this way:
Confirm = None - this should mean the Q is unconfirmed in any way
Confirm = Card - this should mean that I have a card (and may or may 
not have a LoTW confirm)
Confirm = LoTW - this should mean that the Q is confirmed by LoTW (and 
I may or may not have a card)
Confirm = Both - this should mean that the Q is confirmed by both 
Card and LoTW.
Actually there are 6 meaningful combinations, here are the extra two:
Card AND no LoTW
LoTW AND no Card
And currently these later two are actually how the wizard now works!
It's easy to see how this could have happened, nobody had any LoTW 
confirms and so this unusual result never come up.
But now this is not the case and the present selection criteria is 
producing unexpected results.
Ron - N5IN