Welcome! This forum has a treasure trove of great info – Scouters helping Scouters! Just a heads up, though - all content, information, and opinions shared on this forum are those of the author, not the BSA.
We’re working on advancing our Webelos to AOL and are coming up against an ambiguous error. When we try to record AOL rank, we get the message “Scout name must first earn .” It doesn’t indicate what they must earn so it makes it difficult to know how to go back to fix it. See the attached screen shot.
I asked our DE about this and she thought it might be because there are no adventures recorded for these scouts but we were able to advance a few of the scouts without issue who do not have adventures recorded for them. Can you help us?
Historically our pack only records rank advancement in IA but not the adventures. We use third party software for that. I know that’s a separate discussion of why we should use scoutbook but we like what the 3rd party software offers for our pack.
I can try to record adventures but the mystery still will remain as to why advancement worked for some without adventures but not others. Seems to me it’s possibly a different issue.
Until they get the bug fixed, you might want to temporarily use Scoutbook to enter and approve the Arrow of Light ranks.
In Scoutbook, go to each Scout’s Advancement page, then click on the Arrow of Light rank. You can click on the box next to “Percent Completed” box to mark the rank as completed and approved – you don’t have to make off the individual requirements unless you want to.
Will this allow us to get the reports in order to purchase awards? Crossover is this weekend. Also, once it is updated here, will we be able to transfer these scouts to their troops? I know if we transfer them before AOL is recorded in Internet Advancement, it can’t be retroactively updated.
Yes, mark their ranks as Completed and Approved, but not Awarded.
I would wait to transfer them just to make sure everything is good. If you transfer them too early, you will have to go through your council to get their advancement records fixed.
Jennifer, that workaround worked like a charm. Thank you!! I had no idea we could enter rank advancement in Scoutbook so something new to add to my bag of tricks.
You mention wait to transfer to make sure everything is good. What kind of time frame are you talking? A few days, a week? One of the troops they are transferring to is anxious to get their records after crossover Sunday so it would be great to be able to give them a time frame. Thanks so much.
If you would like to start using Scoutbook, take a look at the Quick Entry feature. For packs, it usually works best from the den page. For example:
Den 1 → Quick Entry
If it were me, I would probably wait until after the crossover ceremony on Sunday. But if you feel comfortable and you have everything you need for your Purchase Order (PO), then you can just mark everything as Awarded. Troops do not have the ability to mark Cub Scout ranks, adventures, or awards as Awarded, so it’s best if you do it before transferring them. I would also check each Scout’s Leadership page in Scoutbook (if you track leadership positions there) and end them prior to making the transfer.
Also, I should add that the official transfer tool is at my.scouting. (Transfers made in Scoutbook are not official.)
