Change project code

Question

Our three-letter project code is the same as the code for a project that our translation consultant already has. We need to change our code so that the consultant can look at both projects. We followed the instructions for changing the code, but the relevant page shows the code as an item that cannot be changed.

Answer 1

Do you mean you follow the instructions for using the Convert Project?

If so, could you please include a screenshot or further description of the type of page you’re looking for? Is it on the Paratext Registry?

If you’re looking for it in the Paratext Registry, you’ll have to register the project. Instructions are on this page.

Comments

Thank you, . I have sent your questions to my teammate who attempted to change the short name of the project. I’ll send you an update as soon as I have it.

Answer 2

I suspect based on anon958860’s wording that they attempted to change the 3 letter code either in PT or in the Registry. If you try to change it in PT you will see a message telling you that it can only be changed in the Registry–but you’ll also see that the short name is grayed out, indicating that it can’t be changed. If you go to the Registry, you’ll find that you can change the full name, but not the short name.

As points to in his , the only (?) way to change the short name is basically convert the project into a new project. This is not particularly difficult, but it does take a bit of coordination because it requires everyone to do a S/R, delete their project, one person to convert it and re-register it with the Registry, and then to share the “new” version back to the team.

Answer 3

Thank you, mnjames. That definitely is something we wish that we could avoid, but I don’t see any way around it. If someone else knows of a way for the consultant to see both projects without us needing to change the short name, please let us know.

Answer 4

anon958860 -
Paratext does allow for multiple projects with the same project short name since every project has a unique “ID” called the GUID. However, this could be confusing for your consultant. Ideally projects should be named with a short name that is unique (often using the ethnologue code, but not necessarily).
As has been mentioned - the only way to change the short name (project code) and keep the history is to use the Advanced > Convert Project tool. This requires you to change the short name along with other options that you can change. The resulting project will have all the history, notes, etc and can then be shared. If you do this you would want remove the old project from all users to avoid confusion.

Answer 5

Thank you for responding, anon848905. It not only was confusing for the consultant. He couldn’t be added to the project. Here is the message from my colleague:

“There is a hitch in the PRK. When I try to add him [i.e. the consultant], it says he already is a user on a project with the same name. I am wondering if Parkari has the abbreviation PRK as well and Paratext won’t allow this.”

Comments

Apparently the situation of having multiple projects with the same name is a little more complicated that I was thinking. It is possible to have two projects with the same name, but you cannot do this from within Paratext.
If you have a project named ABC and someone else wants to add you to their ABC project, they cannot add you from within Paratext (they should get a warning). However, if both people are using PT 9.2 then you should be able to go to the registry and add them to the project from there.
One other note - you can have multiple resources with the name of a project on your computer.