[chirp_users] Unused Fields Option and the missing NONE selections

[Jim Unroe]

Mike,


On Thu, Jul 31, 2014 at 7:13 AM, Mike Morrow <MikeyMail at iliketheinternet.com
> wrote:

> Well thanks for the tongue lashing (that's a little overboard) but it
> was a little lecture on the "Hide Unused Fields" checkbox and how it is
> now going to be the default and solve all my problems.
>
> IT DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM!!!  Read on to learn why.
>
> So I load up my data and change the option to hide unused fields. OK,
> all those pesky 88.5s in the sheet magically disappear.  OK, great.
>
> But then I change one of the PLs to 100.0.  Oops, since there are no
> horizontal lines to help guide me across a sea of blankness, I got one
> off and meant to change the next one down.


Clicking the memory that you want to edit does nothing but highlight it all
the way across. At this time you can verify that you have selected the
desired memory.

You must then click a second time on the Tone fileld to bring up the drop
down menu containing the Tone selections. At this time the highlight
changes from blue to a light grey, but it still has a contrast between it
and the unselected memories.

Even after you chose the desired tone value, you still haven't changed
anything. Pressing the [escape] key now will return the field back to the
previous setting.

It isn't until after you click onto another cell or press [enter] that the
change becomes "set".


> OK, just set it back off by
> ... uhhhh...  THERE IS NO "NONE" selection.  I CANNOT SET IT BACK TO
> OFF!!  Aww nuts, now I have to either delete this memory and enter it in
> again or kill all my updates and reload the sheet and start again.
>

With CHIRP, the normal sequence of events would be to set the Tone Mode
column (and Cross Mode column if needed) first. This will unhide the
default values the columns required by the selected tone mode. You would
then change them to suit your requirements.

You most likely have "Smart Tone Modes" enabled. Because you selected a
tone in the Tone column and "set" it as the new value, it was contrary to
the Tone Mode setting. CHIRP changed the Tone Mode setting from "(None)" to
"Tone" so it would be once again be compatible with your change.

All you would have had to do is to set the Tone Mode back to "(None)". The
Tone and ToneSql columns are unused when Tone Mode is "(None) so they would
have returned to being blank.

You might take a look at these links for insight as to how the columns are
depend on each other.
http://kc9hi.dyndns.org/uv5r/programming/CHIRP%20Guide.pdf
http://chirp.danplanet.com/projects/chirp/wiki/MemoryEditorColumns

Neither is a good thing to have to do because of a missing option in a
> box on a sheet without any guide rules (lines) to help me get it right
> in the first place.
>

There is a guide rule for the selected memory/memories.


>
> You see, good programming practice is good programming practice.
> Band-Aids are NOT GOOD PROGRAMMING PRACTICE.
>
> Not sorry about the screaming.  I worked in computers for 30+ years.  I
> was trained and also taught myself and taught classes about good
> programming practice.  And what CHIRP is trying to do with this Band-Aid
> is just plain wrong.  If you can set something on, you must be able to
> set it off, too.
>
> As I said.  If I had produced something like this and put it out to the
> field, I would have been fired!
>

> Now it is time that someone, somewhere in the organization realized that
> there HAS to be a NONE selection to turn off a PL or any other selection
> that is no longer needed or was entered by mistake.  And as far as I can
> tell, that is not possible since there is no NONE selection.
>

There is a "(None)". It is in the Tone Mode column. Setting the Tone Mode
to "(None)" means there is no tone functions available. A "NONE" in the
Tone, ToneSql, DTCS Code, DTCS Rx Code, DTCS Pol and Cross Mode columns
would be redundant.

Do me a favor. Program a new memory or use and existing memory. Now click
on it. See the highlight? Now click on the Tone Mode field. Now select each
of the available settings one-by-one. See how the "active" fields change
from setting to setting? Now set Tone Mode back to "(None)". See how all of
the columns become blank.


> Am I wrong?  If so, I apologize in advance and await another tongue
> lashing.
>

> Thanks to all for all the hard work but someone missed a standard design
> point on multiple of the columns.
>
> Mike
>

Jim KC9HI
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