[Dxbase] Manual entry to the DXCC checkbox - RESOLVED

Sat Feb 3 20:05:45 EST 2007

There were two separate issues causing my problem, both operator error. 
I'm writing this e-mail so it might help someone else from making the 
same mistakes.
1. I complained that some of the QSOs I found with the Previous QSOs 
dialog were "already checked" when I clicked on the Award field to get 
the drop-down list with the checkboxes, even though the fields weren't 
green until I clicked the Award field. This is because the green shading 
doesn't appear when the row is highlighted. When you do a callsign 
search from the Previous QSOs dialog, the top result is highlighted 
automatically. If the top result happened to be the record I was looking 
for (or if the Find operation produced only one result, i.e., there was 
only one QSO with that callsign in my log) then that row would be 
highlighted and I wouldn't see the green shading until I clicked on the 
Award field. In these cases, the DXCC checkbox was "already checked" 
because it indeed was correctly already checked because I had already 
been through my log doing the hand checking of this box at least once 
before. I just couldn't see the green until I got that particular row 
un-highlighted.
2. I complained that some of my checking of the DXCC checkboxes in the 
Award field "didn't stick" when I went back later to look at the QSOs. 
Well, some of the apparent non-sticking was due to problem #1 above 
(i.e., the box really was checked, I just couldn't see it with the row 
highlighted). But some of my checkbox checking really didn't stick, and 
this was due to another operator error. After checking each DXCC 
checkbox, I would click in some other field to write the change to the 
database. Or so I thought. One must DOUBLE CLICK in some other field, or 
click twice in two different fields, to write the change. Clicking just 
once does not remove the pencil icon from the leftmost block in that 
record row. If the pencil is still there the record is still in edit 
mode and the change to the record has not been saved. I was only single 
clicking and then immediately typing in a new callsign to find. As Joe 
Glockner stated in an e-mail to me:
"When we make an adjustment/modification to (say the Callsign
field), we ONLY have to click outside of that QSO ONCE! The
same goes for any of the fields that are strictly TEXT.. But,
when it comes to the dropdown menu columns - those fields will
always require 2 clicks of the mouse - to get out of the edit mode
and SAVE the info."
My failure to double click left the database in an apparently 
indeterminate state, which caused #3...
3. I complained that I got a weird "...CQWAZ..." error message some of 
the time. This would happen some of the time when I found a new callsign 
after not properly saving the record (see #2 above). I still don't know 
why that particular error message appeared or what it meant, but I just 
went though all my LOTW changes, properly double clicking, and no error 
messages appeared.
I spent some time discussing my problems with Joe Glockner, and I owe 
all the solutions and discoveries above to him. Thanks Joe - you sure do 
know DXbase inside and out!
73 to all,
John W1JA
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Joseph Glockner" <jglock2 at airmail.net>
> To: "John Pelham" <john at radiophile.com>
> Cc: <Dxbase at mailman.qth.net>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 23, 2007 7:36 PM
> Subject: Re: [Dxbase] Manual entry to the DXCC checkbox in the Award 
> field doesn't work
>>>> John,
>>>> I think that for me - the biggest question would be:
>>>> HAVE you ever sent in a DXCC application - and therefore, used
>> some of the QSOs in your logbook .. IF that is the case, then,
>> THOSE QSOs that have already been used "will already have" their
>> AWARD column's DXCC checkbox "checkmarked"!!
> Yes I have made many DXCC applications with DXbase, and yes, those 
> QSOs that have been used for those applications already have their 
> DXCC checkboxes checked. All these QSOs appear to show up in your 
> dxcccredited report. I believe I understand how this is supposed to 
> work.
>>> There is NO column
>> that will differentiate between a regular DXCC submission and
>> another DXCC submission -- once that QSO's DXCC award credit
>> (checkbox) is checkmarked -- it WILL always be checkmarked -
>> until you manually "uncheckmark it"..
> I understand this. I have never, until 10 days ago, made any type of 
> DXCC submission except a "regular" submission (by which I mean a paper 
> one, the type that causes the DXCC checkbox to get checked by DXbase 
> itself when it asks the question about "do you want to check the 
> box..." etc. during the preparation process of the DXCC submission). 
> There are lots of QSOs in my log that have the DXCC checkbox already 
> checked as a result of these past paper DXCC submissions. I don't 
> think I'm having a problem with any of these.
>>> If a particular QSO or QSOs are used for "any type of DXCC
>> submission" - and THAT QSO might get "re-used" again for
>> another submission (and therefore you are wanting to MANUALLY
>> update the AWARD DXCC checkbox) - you will always find that
>> the checkbox is already checkmarked.
> According to the dxcccredited report, which I run BEFORE attempting to 
> manually check any new DXCC checkboxes for my LOTW submission, NONE of 
> the LOTW QSOs should have their DXCC checkboxes already checked. None 
> of them appear in the dxcccredited report list. Right?
>> In any case, the QSOs that cause me my various problems are random. 
> Each time I start over with my "virgin" Jan. 13 database, I get a 
> different group of QSOs that either (a) are already checked, and/or 
> (b) cause the weird CQWAZ error message when I find them with the 
> Previous QSOs dialog, and/or (c) don't stay checked when I go back and 
> find them again. In suppose I could find any random QSOs in my log, 
> not ones that are associated with my LOTW submission, and see the 
> problem (although I haven't tried it yet).
>>> This is of course assuming that the user is maintaining the
>> logbook in the normal manner.
> I suppose this remains to be seen! But, I think I am.