Overview
Do not allow duplicate abbreviation / description for the following Entities/Do_Not_Allow_Duplicate_Abbreviation_Description_For_The_Following_Entities, found at:
Main Settings / General Settings /Basic Customization / Controls, Filters & Checks / Do not allow duplicate abbreviation / Description for the following Entities
This setting lets an institute stop staff from accidentally saving two records of the same type – for example two _Grades_ or two _Subjects_ (Courses) – that share the same Description (title) or the same Abbreviation. It acts as a data-quality safety net: instead of relying on staff to notice a duplicate by eye, Classter checks automatically the moment a record is saved and either warns or blocks the save when a clash is found.
By default this setting has no entities selected, so the duplicate check is switched off everywhere until an administrator turns it on for one or more of the entity types described below.
What This Setting Does
When turned on for a given entity type, Classter compares the Description (title) and the Abbreviation being entered against every other existing record of the same type within the same academic period and language. If another record already uses the same Description, or the same Abbreviation, Classter stops the save and shows a message identifying which field is duplicated.
This setting is a multi-select list, meaning the institute chooses exactly which entity types the check should apply to. It is not an all-or-nothing switch – the check can be turned on for some entity types and left off for others.
The entity types that can be selected are:
- _Grade_
- _Stream_
- _Group_
- _Subject_
- Activity
When a user saves a new entry for any of the selected entitites, Classter will check if the enty already exists.
This means that Classter will check if another entry with the same Abbreviation or Description already exists in the system.
Setting -> Class
If you write a description that exists in another class and try to save it, the following message will appear. (Figure 1)
Figure 1
Where It Is Used
The check runs on the creation and edit forms of each selected entity type:
- Creating or editing a _Grade_
- Creating or editing a _Stream_
- Creating or editing a _Group_ (Class)
- Creating or editing a _Subject_ (Course)
- Creating or editing an _Activity_
The check happens at the moment the user tries to save the form. If a clash is found, the save is interrupted right there, before the record reaches the rest of the system – so staff correct the Description or Abbreviation and try again, rather than discovering the duplicate later in lists or reports.
Business Logic / Behavior
The following rules describe how the check behaves once it is enabled for an entity type:
- The comparison only happens within the same academic period and the same language. Two records with the same Description or Abbreviation in two different academic periods are treated as unrelated and will not trigger a warning.
- A match on either the Description or the Abbreviation is enough to trigger the check – the two records do not need to match on both fields.
- For _Group_ (Class), only the Description (title) is compared. The Abbreviation is not checked for Groups, even when this setting is enabled for Groups.
- If the only matching record found is inactive or archived, Classter still allows the save, but first shows a warning message with an option to proceed anyway. If the matching record is active, the save is blocked outright and the Description or Abbreviation must be changed before continuing.
- A record is always compared against every other existing record, not against itself, so editing a record and saving it again without changing the Description or Abbreviation does not incorrectly trigger the warning.
Example(s)
Example 1 – Subject with an active duplicate
At Alpha Institute, the administrator enables this setting for _Subject_ (Course). Maria P. tries to create a new _Subject_ titled “Algebra I” with the abbreviation “ALG1”. Classter finds that a _Subject_ with the same abbreviation already exists and is currently active, so the save is blocked and Maria sees a message telling her the Abbreviation is already used by another _Subject_. She changes the abbreviation to “ALG1B” and saves successfully.
Example 2 – Grade with an inactive duplicate
At Beta College, this setting is enabled for _Grade_. George S. tries to create a new _Grade_ titled “Year 1”, not realizing an older _Grade_ with the same title exists but was deactivated some time ago. Because the only matching record is inactive, Classter does not block the save outright – instead it shows a warning explaining that a similar, inactive _Grade_ already exists, and gives George the option to proceed anyway. George confirms and the new _Grade_ is created.
Example 3 – Group title check only
At Alpha Institute, this setting also covers _Group_ (Class). A staff member creates a new _Group_ titled “Class 5A”, which already exists as an active _Group_. The save is blocked because of the matching Description, even though the two Groups may end up with different Abbreviations – Abbreviation is not checked for Groups.
When to Use
When to Enable
- The institute wants to prevent staff from accidentally creating near-identical Grades, Streams, Groups, Subjects, or Activities during data entry.
- Reports, timetables, or catalogues (for example a Subject catalogue) need each entry to be clearly distinguishable by its Description and Abbreviation.
- More than one staff member creates or edits the same type of entity, and there is a risk of the same title or abbreviation being entered more than once.
When to Disable
- The institute intentionally reuses the same Description or Abbreviation across records – for example, using the same Subject title across different curricula on purpose.
- Data is being imported or set up in bulk and duplicate warnings would slow down the process unnecessarily.
- The institute prefers to manage naming consistency manually rather than through automatic warnings.
Notes
This setting behaves the same way in both K-12 mode and Higher Education (College) mode. There is no difference in how the duplicate check is applied between the two modes.
For _Group_ (Class): if the related setting Automated Group Title and Abbreviation Creation/Automated_Group_Title_And_Abbreviation_Creation is enabled, found at:
Settings > Basic Customization > Core Entities Settings
then newly created Groups get their title and abbreviation generated automatically by Classter. In that case, the duplicate check described in this article is skipped when creating a new Group. It still applies when editing an existing Group.
Main Settings / General Settings /Basic Customization / Controls, Filters & Checks / Do not allow duplicate abbreviation / Description for the following Entities
When a user saves a new entry for any of the selected entitites, Classter will check if the enty already exists.
This means that Classter will check if another entry with the same Abbreviation or Description already exists in the system.
