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ADIF field for "nickname"

Posted: 11 Aug 2020, 19:00
by K2GAV
I wonder why there isn't an ADIF field for a person's nickname. By nickname, I mean the first name people prefer to be called. For me, Theodore, my nickname is Ted.

To me, this seems like a very handy bit of data to have in my logbook for a colleague. When I talk to them it's nice to know what they like to be called.

Does anyone know why there hasn't been a nickname field?

Re: ADIF field for "nickname"

Posted: 11 Aug 2020, 20:39
by DF5WW
Hi Ted,

we only use the ADIF 3 standard but we´re not the ADIF organisation so we´re don´t make it. Much better to ask
the guys of adif.org, HI ...

;) ;)

Re: ADIF field for "nickname"

Posted: 12 Aug 2020, 12:18
by K2GAV
Yes, Juergen, I know that. HI I was asking this crowd if they know why there isn't one. Of course, it's not the purview of this group to standardize ADIF, but there are many smart people here.

Re: ADIF field for "nickname"

Posted: 13 Aug 2020, 20:30
by KI5IO
K2GAV wrote: 12 Aug 2020, 12:18 Yes, Juergen, I know that. HI I was asking this crowd if they know why there isn't one. Of course, it's not the purview of this group to standardize ADIF, but there are many smart people here.
Ted,

Why don't you do what I have done for years with Log4OM and other logging APPs. Put the OM's commonly-used name in the Comment or Note fields?

I seriously doubt you would get the ADIF committee to even consider such an added field in the ADIF standard.

Re: ADIF field for "nickname"

Posted: 14 Aug 2020, 15:28
by K2GAV
Thanks. You're likely correct on whether the ADIF committee would be open to such a suggestion.

My method has been to add to the beginning of the Name field (typically already filled in by a lookup), either an equal sign meaning the first name is what they prefer, or their nickname with a hyphen before their formal first name. Both your method and my method are kind of clunky for what I (at least) think is as important a field as many of the other obscure fields in the standard. Example:

= Kevin Brown
Ted - Theodore H. Szypulski

I like my method because it puts the nickname next to the legal name, right where you'd intuitively look for it. I'd prefer a specific field for it though.